Navigating Special Education: A Comprehensive Online Training for Families, Educators, and Advocates

/in /by Pam Katz

The services and supports and the quality of education available to students with disabilities has continuously improved since the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) first required schools to educate all students with disabilities back in 1975. However, the process of identifying which students should receive special education services and what services they should receive can be complicated, for both schools and families. The Arc@School’s new, online Advocacy Curriculum provides parents, educators, and non-attorney advocates the basic information they need to navigate the special education system.

What Is Special Education Advocacy and Why Do We Need It?

The IDEA requires schools to provide students with disabilities a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE) through an individualized education program (IEP).

FAPE means students with disabilities must receive all of the specialized supports and services that they need to benefit from their education, at no cost to them or their family. LRE means students with disabilities must learn in the same classes and same schools that they would attend if they did not have a disability, as much as possible. Finally, an IEP is a document created annually that describes what the student already knows, what the student will learn in one year, and what services and supports the school will provide to help the student reach his or her educational goals.

Young students sitting at wooden desk in classroom; teacher helping boy in wheelchair

The process for creating the IEP is meant to be one of collaboration between a student’s parents, the student once he or she reaches age 16, teachers, service providers, and other school staff who know the student best. However, this collaborative process can break down due to disagreement between parents and school staff regarding the student’s plan. The IDEA builds in a system of accountability where students and their parents have certain rights and can take certain actions when they do not feel that the school is meeting the student’s needs appropriately. Students and parents often struggle to advocate on their own for appropriate educational services, so some seek to educate themselves so that they can advocate for services on their own, and some seek help from a special education advocate to obtain the services they feel the student needs.

What The Arc is Doing to Help

Since its founding in 1950, The Arc has advocated for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) to have access to educational supports and services. A lawsuit brought by a chapter of The Arc was a critical factor in the passage of the IDEA. Many chapters of The Arc continue to provide lay special education advocacy for students with I/DD and their families. In 2016, The Arc created The Arc@School to support chapters of The Arc, families, and educators in ensuring students with I/DD receive the services and supports they need at school.

To help families, educators, and advocates for all students with disabilities better understand how the collaborative process should work, and how they can better work together to meet student’s needs, The Arc@School launched an online curriculum in 2019 that provides basic information on navigating the special education system at an affordable cost for users. The Arc@School’s Advocacy Curriculum includes eight online, self-paced modules on the legal foundation of the special education system, early intervention services, individualized education programs (IEPs), procedural safeguards, Section 504, educational records, and more. Users who complete all 8 modules will receive a certificate of completion.

A successful IEP is the foundation for students with disabilities to successfully transition to postsecondary education, employment, and independent living. The Arc@School’s Advocacy Curriculum can help families, educators, and advocates support students on their path to success!

Opening Up the Online World to People With Disabilities: Employment Spotlight

/in , /by Pam Katz

Digital technology is revolutionizing our day-to-day lives. It is rapidly expanding access to information, tools, and entertainment that helps us connect with the world and each other. It helps us dream bigger and achieve more. But with rapid change comes barriers to understanding and access. This is especially true for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), who may need extra support to master and use technological tools.

As part of The Arc’s extensive and long-standing partnership with Comcast NBCUniversal, 16 chapters across the county were selected to serve as Tech Coaching Centers to expand technology access and understanding for the disability community. Each coaching session is tailored to the participants’ unique needs and goals for navigating the online world. Through one-on-one sessions with their coach, each person has the opportunity to grow their skills and confidence. Read about one of them below.

The Power of Programming

Daniel hard at work coding

Daniel came to the Tech Coaching Center at The Arc of Carroll County in Maryland as a 14-year-old with a specific goal: he wanted to learn how to master JavaScript to become a web developer. His tech coach from the chapter, Jeremy, saw Daniel’s passion and created a multi-session plan to help him reach his goal. During these sessions, they practiced using code to create individual shapes and fill them in with different colors and textures.

Daniel has autism, ADD, and ADHD, which can present challenges in social interactions and typical learning environments. But when it came to coding, Daniel was an exceptionally driven and fast learner —quickly surpassing what his coach was even able to teach him!

“I found the class helpful in that it moved at the pace each student needed,” Daniel said.

Jeremy can attest to the benefit of the coaching too. “Daniel felt accomplished and proud of his design,” Jeremy said at the end of the coaching sessions. “He was put in a lot of detail and effort into his coding and it showed.” 

The results of Daniel’s efforts!

Without digital skills, people with disabilities—who already face numerous barriers to gainful and competitive employment—lose out on so much. With the right supports, they’re able to hone and present cutting-edge skills like coding to employers, and secure paying jobs in their communities…just like anyone else. At our Tech Coaching Centers, participants can build and refine the skills that will make the difference for THEM as they enter the workforce, including how to network, create and submit resumes, and find good job openings.

Since finishing at the coaching center, Daniel is currently taking two college level classes along with two high school classes. He intends to take two more college classes in the spring semester and apply for a waiver to graduate after 11th grade. Because he already skipped a grade in elementary school, Daniel will be 15 when he graduates! He’d like to major in video game design in college and eventually work in programming after school.

His unflappable motivation, coupled with his lessons at the Tech Coaching center, have given him the opportunity he may not have otherwise had to sharpen an invaluable skill that will make him a standout candidate to employers. Daniel is just one example of what we at The Arc and Comcast already know: when people with disabilities have the opportunity to learn and develop skills, they can participate in these spaces just like everyone else!

Visit thearc.org/technology to see all the ways we are working to increase digital literacy in communities across the country.

Tech Coaching Centers and more made possible by: