Historically based systemic oppressions have exacerbated disparities in post-school outcomes among youth with disabilities transitioning to adulthood. Using a community action research (CAR) approach, the Disability Champions Mentoring Network was founded in the United States by a community of diverse stakeholders to address inequities in…

In most academic institutions, students with learning impairments (LIs) are entitled to various accommodations as a means of compensating for their impairment. Ensuring that the appropriate accommodations were selected requires an intelligent support tool to track their effectiveness. In this article, we regard the effectiveness of such…

The rapid growth of postsecondary education programs necessitates a comprehensive framework to define and evaluate inclusion on each campus. This study utilized a naturalistic paradigm on a large, public university during a new programâs development. We conducted focus groups with students and faculty members to solicit perspectives regarding…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funds programs providing services designed to assist children with a range of delays and disabilities in achieving individualized developmental and functional goals. There are two types of programs. Part C Early Intervention is for children ages birth-2, and Part B Preschool is for children…

Service coordinators under Part C of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) help families navigate the early intervention (EI) system and ensure regular communication among team members so services are aligned with family priorities and recommended EI practices. To meet the demands of service coordination, personnel entering…

This dissertation in practice documents the program evaluation of the Community Scholars (CS) program at the Florida Center for Inclusive Communities (FCIC), a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) at the University of South Florida (USF). CS is part of a diversity pipeline program that recruits youth with…

The central obligation under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act is to provide each eligible student with a free appropriate public education (FAPE). In "Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District RE-1" (2017), the U.S. Supreme Court revised the prior substantive standard for determining FAPE that the court had developed in…

This brief examines California's Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), which is a framework designed to identify and assist students performing below grade level. MTSS involves at least three tiers of support; Tier 2 includes personalized assistance. Unfortunately, Tier 2 services are not adequately resourced so it is not surprising that…

The Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 promotes healthy, inclusive, and sustainable communities through equitable, lifelong, and high-quality education. The UN's SDG 4a.1 evaluates schools' electricity, internet connectivity for education, computers, disabled facilities, clean drinking water, gender-segregated sanitation, and basic handwashing…

This guidance is for program and agency staff who have identified the need to develop a new data system or make major enhancements to an existing system. Key considerations are presented as questions to help guide staff through the initiation and planning process. The system initiation phase requires a broad team with the expertise and knowledge…

Nonpublic schools (NPSs) are used by local education agencies (LEAs) across the country to serve students with exceptional needs. These students are often reported to suffer from mental health challenges and engage in severe problem behaviors. The social and financial costs associated with NPS placements are significant, and it is imperative that…

Background: Progress monitoring is a vital strategy for evaluating skill development of young children receiving disability related services. Few effective progress monitoring tools exist for infants and toddlers, and research is needed to examine feasibility as they become available. Objective: The current study examined the implementation of an…

This article describes a 12-step model that can be used for policy analysis. The model encompasses policy development, implementation, and evaluation; takes into account structural foundations of policy; addresses both legal formalism and legal realism; demonstrates contextual sensitivity; and addresses application issues and different…

The United States, in less than 50 years, has gone from legal segregation and exclusion of students with disabilities in schools to an emphasis on inclusion in the least restrictive environments based on individual student needs. The United States has made great strides in the physical inclusion of students with disabilities, but work is still…

A relatively recent phenomenon of interest within the field of twice-exceptionality involves gifted children with autism. A literature search reveals a lack of published works about these individuals and empirical studies exploring the distinctive special educational needs of these children remain scarce (Nicpon et al., 2011; Rubenstein et al.,…