Working with Parents of a Child with Disabilities

Perry C. Hanavan, Au.D.

Helen Keller, 1957

“All about me may be silence and darkness, yet within me, in the spirit, is music and brightness, and color flashes through all my thoughts.”

Abbreviations

• IDEA – Individuals with disabilities education act

• FAPE --Free appropriate public education

• IEP – Individualized Education Program

• LEA --Local Education Agency

• LRE -- Least restrictive environment

• SEA -- State Education Agency

Participation in Regular ClassEach child's IEP include "An explanation of the extent, if any, to

which the child will not participate with nondisabled children in the regular class and in [extracurricular and other nonacademic] activities ..." This is consistent with the least restrictive environment (LRE) provisions which include requirements that:

(1) each child with a disability be educated with non-disabled children to the maximum extent appropriate;

(2) each child with a disability be removed from the regular educational environment only when the nature or severity of the child's disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily;and

(3) to the maximum extent appropriate to the child's needs, each child with a disability participates with nondisabled children in nonacademic and extracurricular services and activities

SPECIAL EDUCATION

• The term `special education' means specially designed instruction, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, including--

• (A) instruction conducted in the classroom, in the home, in hospitals and institutions, and in other settings; and

• (B) instruction in physical education.

RELATED SERVICES

• The term `related services' means transportation, and such developmental, corrective, and other supportive services (including speech-language pathology and audiology services, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, recreation, including therapeutic recreation, social work services, counseling services, including rehabilitation counseling, orientation and mobility services, and medical services, except that such medical services shall be for diagnostic and evaluation purposes only) as may be required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education, and includes the early identification and assessment of disabling conditions in children.

IEP Team

• The IEP team must include at least one of the child's regular education teachers if the child is, or may be, participating in the regular education environment. The extent to which it would be appropriate for regular education teachers to participate in IEP meetings must be decided on a case-by-case basis.

• Special Education teacher• Building representative• Parents/Guardian• Other individuals at discretion of parents or agency• Person(s) to interpret various evaluations

IDEA Categories• Autism• Deaf-blindness• Deafness• emotional disturbance • hearing impairment• mental retardation• Multiple disabilities• orthopedic impairments• other health impairments• specific learning disabilities• speech or language impairments• traumatic brain injury• Visual impairment including blindness

Subpart C• (iv) Consider the communication needs

of the child, and in the case of a child who is deaf or hard of hearing, consider the child's language and communication needs, opportunities for direct communications with peers and professional personnel in the child's language and communication mode, academic level, and full range of needs, including opportunities for direct instruction in the child's language and communication mode; and

• (v) Consider whether the child requires assistive technology devices and services.

Assistive Technology• (a) Each public agency shall ensure that assistive

technology devices or assistive technology services, or both, as those terms are defined in §§300.5-300.6, are made available to a child with a disability if required as a part of the child's -• (1) Special education under §300.26; • (2) Related services under §300.24; or • (3) Supplementary aids and services under §§300.28 and

300.550(b)(2).

• (b) On a case-by-case basis, the use of school-purchased assistive technology devices in a child's home or in other settings is required if the child's IEP team determines that the child needs access to those devices in order to receive FAPE.

Sign Language ConsiderationsThus, the IEP team for each child with a disability must make an individualized determination regarding (1) how the child will be involved and progress in the general curriculum and what needs that result from the child's disability must be met to facilitate that participation; (2) whether the child has any other educational needs resulting from his or her disability that also must be met; and (3) what special education and other services and supports must be described in the child's IEP to address both sets of needs (consistent with §300.347(a)). For example, if the IEP team determines that in order for a child who is deaf to participate in the general curriculum he or she needs sign language and materials which reflect his or her language development, those needs (relating to the child's participation in the general curriculum) must be addressed in the child's IEP. In addition, if the team determines that the child also needs to expand his or her vocabulary in sign language that service must also be addressed in the applicable components of the child's IEP. The IEP team may also wish to consider whether there is a need for members of the child’s family to receive training in sign language in

order for the child to receive FAPE.

Subpart C

• Each public agency shall ensure that the hearing aids worn in school by children with hearing impairments, including deafness, are functioning properly.– That report referred to a study done at that

time that showed that up to one-third of the hearing aids for public school children were malfunctioning; and the report stated that the [Department] must ensure that hearing impaired school children are receiving adequate professional assessment, follow-up, and services.

Subpart E

• (5) The public agency shall make reasonable efforts to ensure that the parents understand, and are able to participate in, any group discussions relating to the educational placement of their child, including arranging for an interpreter for parents with deafness, or whose native language is other than English.

(c) Native language. • (1) The notice must be--

• (i) Written in language understandable to the general public; and • (ii) Provided in the native language of the parents, unless it is clearly

not feasible to do so.

• (2) If the native language or other mode of communication of the parent is not a written language, the public agency, or designated service provider, shall take steps to ensure that-- • (i) The notice is translated orally or by other means to the parent

in the parent's native language or other mode of communication; • (ii) The parent understands the notice; and • (iii) There is written evidence that the requirements of this

paragraph have been met.

• (3) If a parent is deaf or blind, or has no written language, the mode of communication must be that normally used by the parent (such as sign language, braille, or oral communication).