The rights of all students to participate in extracurricular programs are required by current law but are often nonexistent, misunderstood, or even sometimes purposely not shared with parents. This article is addressed to parents regarding the rights of their children with disabilities to participate in extracurricular sport activities. Included…

It is essential that children who are deaf-blind have learning experiences that improve their quality of life. Unfortunately, even when educational teams work together to create individualized education programs, these students do not always have full and equal opportunities to learn. This issue of "Practice Perspectives" describes the basics of…

While the rest of the (neurotypical) parenting world breathlessly awaits the first day of school, some parents are hauling out 62 lbs. of Individualized Education Plan (IEP) paperwork--and wondering what to do with it this year. The progress reports. The evaluations. The standardized tests. The work samples. And finally, the 18-page,…

This resource conveys policies, procedures, and guidelines that support the delivery of special education services in British Columbia's (Canada) public schools. It was originally published in 1995 (ED414703), following an extensive provincial Special Education Review (1993-94). The purpose of this manual is to provide a single point of reference…

Parents of young children who are in early intervention (EI) or early childhood special education (ECSE) programs want to be sure these services are helping their children develop and learn. These services are designed to make the most of each child's potential as well as to strengthen the family's ability to help their child. This report asks how…

"Spina bifida" is one of the most common birth defects in the United States, affecting some 1,500 babies each year. Spina bifida happens during the first month or so of pregnancy and means that the baby's spine did not close completely. Damage to the nerves and the spinal cord may result. Following a brief story about a child with a…

These two information briefs provide basic information to parents of students with disabilities transitioning from special educational services to adult rehabilitation services. The first brief introduces the rehabilitation services available to youth with disabilities. It explains how the vocational rehabilitation system works, what the…

This guide is designed to help parents make important decisions in the development of the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), which outlines the partnership between the family with a special needs child and the practitioners who provide early intervention services. The guide begins with a definition of an IFSP, followed by discussions of:…

This guide is intended to help individuals with deaf-blindness or other severe disabilities and the people involved with them to plan positive futures. An introduction notes that Personal Futures Planning is different from other planning meetings in that all participants are there voluntarily, there are no rules, and the planning is done…

This document presents an instrument to help families of special needs children to identify their resources and their concerns, for use in development of the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). The first part of the instrument includes a series of open-ended questions that provide families an opportunity to identify their concerns, in…

Appropriate physical education is a mandated part of a child's Individual Educational Program (IEP). It is not optional, nor should parents want it to be optional. This is the time in the day for the child to develop in a variety of ways that are very important to healthy living for the rest of his or her life. The purpose of physical education is…

Faith communities can be wonderful places for creating a welcoming circle of support for families with members who have a disability. Parents may assume that leaders of their faith community will naturally know how to be inclusive, but this is not necessarily the case. The members may never have heard of individualized education programs (IEPs) or…

The authors describe how the participation of Family as Faculty parents in case-based instruction influenced 16 beliefs of 89 special education teacher candidates about the value of partnering with parents. The parents, who all had children with disabilities, participated in a simulated individualized education program meeting that was embedded in…

Too often, parents of children with disabilities come with negative expectations about the intentions of the teachers and administrators who are proposing an education plan for their son or daughter. In preparation, they arm themselves with advocates, lawyers, and a myriad of outside evaluations in preparation for the "battle" ahead. In…

A child's third birthday is an important day. Aside from being a time to celebrate, it also marks the transition from Help Me Grow Infant and Toddler Intervention services to a preschool option. This transition changes the services available to a parent and how they are provided, as the focus moves from a child with a disability or developmental…