The school year just ended, and you probably had an annual review meeting in April or May to update your child’s individualized education plan (IEP). Or perhaps the IEP team plans to meet in September or October, once the new school year is underway, to review your child’s educational progress and update the IEP accordingly.
The following post is part of a series of reflections and interview responses given by successful young adults with varying disabilities who have direct experience with the Connecticut Special Education system. Our interviewer and writer is Katie Feinstein, daughter of Attorney Feinstein, who is also a successful young adult living with disabilities.
Your child has special needs, and you’ve had those established by a medical provider. You want your child to go to school and have fun with the other children, but his or her education is important to you, too.
On November 9, 2017, thirty-seven parent advocates, attorneys, and surrogate parents submitted a letter to Commissioner of Education Dianna R. Wentzell to request that she remind Connecticut school administrators of their duty to appropriately educate students identified as having an Emotional Disturbance as defined by IDEA and State law. In many cases, Emotionally Disturbed students require intensive mental health services as part of their individualized education plans (IEPs).
When your child requires special education, it’s the school’s job to make sure he or she is not harassed by other students. A good educational facility makes sure students are kind to one another and understand differences. They should not tolerate abuse or harassment.
The recently approved ESSA Connecticut State Plan appears on the federal Education Department’s website in a format that is inaccessible to individuals with disabilities. In a letter signed by twenty-seven Connecticut parent advocates and attorneys, Connecticut Education Commissioner Dianna R. Wentzell has been asked to remedy this situation by making the PDF accessible in compliance with Sections 508 and 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.
It’s truly inspiring how far we have come to assist special needs children with their educations. The numerous advances have opened up the doors of universities across the United States to a wide variety of students with special needs.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law that applies to students between 3 and 22 years old that attend a public educational institution. In order to qualify for IDEA, your child must have a medically identified disability that negatively affects his or her learning.
Some students need assistance to learn the way others do. Perhaps they are blind or struggle to hear. It’s the school’s job to make sure these individuals can participate in the classes they’re in and have access to the same information and opportunities as other students.
If your child has special needs, you know that you need to do everything you can to protect him or her and to make sure he or she gets a good education. Special education is provided to children in Connecticut who need that assistance.