As postsecondary online programs increase, the accessibility of online course content becomes a serious issue in higher education. There is currently little information about how postsecondary institutions address online course accessibility. This exploratory mixed-methods study examined the degree to which university online course checklists…

The purpose of this article is to discuss sources of confusion for school district personnel that have resulted in overidentification (i.e., false positives) and underidentification (i.e., false negatives) of 504-only students. The organizing framework for these sources of confusion is the applicable three-pronged legal definition for eligibility…

Requesting accommodations in postsecondary settings requires students to understand their disabilities and needs and describe those needs to higher education faculty and staff. Young adults often have limited accurate knowledge and understanding of their abilities and disabilities. This qualitative study used in-depth semi-structured interviews to…

Teachers and parents often find special education law complex and confusing. As one step for a basic foundation in special education law, a previous "TEACHING Exceptional Children" article (Zirkel, 2005) provided a snapshot of the "top five case concepts" based on 10 decisions from the Supreme Court. Each of these decisions…

Representing a sequel to a similar case law snapshot in mid-2010, this article provides an updated overview of the judicial and administrative case law concerning students with traumatic and nontraumatic brain injury in the P-12 school context. The scope is limited to cases under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the pair of…

Self-advocacy is linked to the success and retention of students with disabilities in college. Self-advocacy is defined as communicating individual wants, needs, and rights to determine and pursue required accommodations. While self-advocacy is linked to academic success, little is known about how students with disabilities in science, technology,…

Research points to significant numbers of students on college campuses experiencing mental health distress and an ever increasing number of college students who are choosing to make an off-campus educational experience a part of their college careers. When we consider both of these trends together, it is quite apparent that a significant number of…

The public education of students with disabilities in the United States is governed by federal policies that promote school improvement, protect students from discrimination, and provide those who need it with special education and related services to meet their individual needs. This article explains the legal aspects of teaching students with…

The debate over school vouchers continues as more states offer government dollars to fund private schooling for students as a method of improving choice and quality in K-12 education. Previous research in the charter school sector has found that special education enrollment discrepancies between charters and traditional public schools is likely…

In July 2016, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued two documents to clarify and provide guidance on Federal obligations of school districts to students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) under Section 504. This action was in response to numerous complaints (approximately 2,000 over 5 years)…

In 2007, the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) law was passed in Minnesota mandating newborn hearing screening. Recognizing that a number of state-level agencies and statewide advocacy and direct services organizations share responsibility for serving deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing children and youth, the Minnesota Commission…

More than ever, students with disabilities are enrolling in higher education, yet despite their growth, they still underperform compared to their nondisabled peers in grades and graduation rates. The Americans with Disabilities Act grants students with disabilities access to special accommodations and services in postsecondary institutions, and…

News reports illustrate controversies between parents and schools in response to student health problems. Today's school nurse is in a pivotal position for the avoidance and resolution of disputes not only by increasing awareness of student health conditions but also by having a working knowledge of legal developments under Section 504 and its…

Purpose: Every year increasing numbers of candidates request special accommodations for high-stakes medical licensing examinations, due to ADHD, on the basis of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This poses significant challenges for both the applicant and the medical boards and has significant financial, legal, and ethical implications.…

In this article, the authors share five practical teaching activities for introducing disability into the secondary English curriculum that also address NCTE/IRA objectives for the English language arts. They have used these lessons to help students better analyze the language/rhetoric of disability, understand how disability is represented in…