Term Paper on "Special Education Section 504 of the Vocational"

Term Paper 9 pages (2665 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Special Education

Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973 addresses nondiscrimination under federal grants and programs. This means that no person who is disabled, but otherwise qualified may for this reason be excluded from programs or activities receiving Federal financial assistance, or from the activities of Executive agencies or the United States Postal Service. Agencies are required to amend their regulations to adhere to the requirement of inclusive activities, and any altered regulations need to be submitted and approved by the appropriate authorities.

The Section explicates the terms "program" and "activity" as pertaining to the operations of the following entities:

State departments, agencies, special purpose districts, or other governmental institutions;

State or local government entities that distribute or receive Federal assistance;

Colleges, Universities, or other higher education institutions;

All pre-tertiary educational and school systems;

All corporations and partnerships that receive assistance in their capacity as a sole proprietorship or as a whole, and uses this towards providing education, health care, housing, social services, or parks and recreation to the public.

The Section does not require small providers to make significant changes to improve the accessibility of their facilities if they can provide alternative means of service availability.

This Section of the Act therefore provides that disabled persons should have access to all services and activities for which Federal funding is provided. If access to facilities are impossible for disabled persons, this should be improved by structural modifications, and official regulations should also be in place to accommodate and support persons with disabilities. As such, all persons within the country should have access to the services they qualify for.

2) Differentiated instruction was established on the basis of the finding that not all children respond to all learning situations, materials, and teaching methods in the same way. What is therefore effective for a particular child or group of children, might not be effective for others at the same level and in the same classroom. Differentiated instruction then means that, while the curriculum goals remain uniform for the entire grade level, specific methodologies within the classroom are varied to address the specific needs of each individual child. Ideally, such instruction creates different pathways for students to choose from, in order to reach the same ultimate goal.

In creating these pathways, a teacher can vary the content, processes and product for different group divisions in the class. With more experience, teacher can use differentiation at all three levels to address the needs of the more proficient students. The essential classroom goal is to provide all students with challenges that are appropriate to their level of learning, without frustrating students who are at a higher level of learning and understanding.

Students with specific needs/weaknesses should be presented with learning activities that offer opportunities for developing needed skills as well as opportunities to display individual strengths. More advanced students may work on activities with inherently higher level thinking requirements and greater complexity.

On the level of content or topic, for example, instruction can be differentiated by providing higher-level students with the opportunity to apply concepts to solve problems without first receiving instruction, while less able students receive instruction first. On the level of process, graphic organizers, maps, diagrams or charts can be varied in difficulty level to give students the opportunity for manipulating the concepts learned in order to demonstrate their comprehension. This process involves students in their learning on an empowering level.

3) the decision-making process in terms of Special Education is an ongoing process that occurs in three steps. In the first step, the institution needs to investigate the background and legal context of these services. This means that existing policies and definitions should be identified. Collaboration opportunities with parents, the community, and professional institutions should be investigated. Students themselves need to be approached to determine their needs in terms of participation in education programs and the specific support that they need. The context of these needs can then be identified in terms of the existing options in Special Education. The second step is to determine the specific services needed, along with how these services will be made available. The final step is to implement and evaluate the impact of the services provided. Data collected can be used to assess how effective the program is, as well as whether adjustments are needed to improve the provision of services in the future.

The decision-making process for Special Education in New York public schools is implemented by District 75, which targets the special education needs of public schools in New York City. All three stages of the process are incorporated in the mission and vision statements of the District. Students are for example assessed in order to make decisions regarding the specific help they need. As such, the estimated 23,000 students with anything from moderate to severe challenges are provided with services that target their specific needs.

Furthermore, the District also works with students and families on a collaborative basis in order to maximize the students' maximum potential. Furthermore, the District also collaborates with learning institutions and colleges in order to investigate and identify the best learning instruction practices to help learners with special needs achieve their goals. In this, the District focuses on areas such as Literacy, Mathematics, Autism, and Positive Behavior Support. These are specifically targeted towards challenges that many of these students face.

4) "Due Process" refers to the steps followed in order to resolves concerns or disputes within the Special Education system. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act provides the procedures to follow in order to resolve any disputes relating to this field. Family involvement in due process is encouraged.

When disagreements arise, the process of resolution follows three stages of increasing formality: dispute resolution, mediation, and due process hearings. Dispute resolution occurs on an informal basis, with the parents and representatives of the Department of Special Education, the child's school, and the school system in attendance. When the dispute is still not resolved, mediation is the next step. This step involves the services of an Administrative Law Judge, who acts as a mediator between the disputing parties.

A due process hearing is the final and most formal stage of dispute resolution. In Special Education matters. An Administrative Law Judge hears the case, and each party is represented by attorneys. After the proceedings, the Judge delivers a formal decision, after which each party has the right to appeal to federal or state court. After receiving the Due Process notice, all parties involved are obliged to meet within 15 days to discuss the issues, during which the school is given the opportunity to resolve the problem via Dispute Resolution. The hearing is then held within 20 days of the receipt of notice.

It is generally discouraged to use formal due process hearings in Special Education, as it is often a costly and time-consuming process. Time and money are commodities that tend to be in short supply for parents with Special Education children. Hence it is normally recommended that Due Process hearings be used only after all other resources have been exhausted to the satisfaction of all parties.

5) Multiculturalism and bilingualism are issues that face all educational institutions to some degree. The challenge related to these is that each student must be given an equal opportunity for optimal learning. The problem is that many cultures and languages within a single classroom can prove inherently problematic and cause conflict among students and between teachers and students. With the extra challenges related to Special Education, these issues particularly need attention.

One of the unfortunate ramifications of American history is that countless numbers of people have been discriminated against because of their cultural background, language, or inability to speak English properly. In the school system, this often still manifests itself in children from other language groups being placed in special education. This is not necessarily deliberate, but rather the result of historically cultivated misunderstandings between cultures, and the language barriers often experienced by these cultures. In addition, those children from ethnic minorities who do have learning disabilities are impacted both by their minority status and their disability.

Teachers with multicultural and bilingual students need to be particularly and sensitively aware of the issues facing these students. By targeting these students with effective teaching methods, instructors can help multicultural children without learning disabilities rejoin the mainstream education classroom, while helping those who do have disabilities to integrate themselves with the rest of the learners.

Awareness is the most important issue to address in multicultural Special Education classrooms. Such awareness will help to eradicate racially-based placements, help multicultural learners develop healthy relationships both with themselves, their fellow learners, and the society within which they live.

6) Collaboration among students, their families, educators and the general community is vital in any educational paradigm. This is particularly so for Special Education. Parents especially can help educators to understand their children's special education needs. Furthermore, special education teachers should also collaborate with other staff at their schools in… READ MORE

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