LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT INITIATIVES
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates that to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are not disabled. To the maximum extent appropriate, students with disabilities should be educated where they would be educated if not disabled. Special classes, separate schools or other removal of students with disabilities from the regular educational environment should occur only when the nature of severity of the disability of the child is such that education in general education classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily. A student with disabilities may not be removed from the age-appropriate general education classrooms solely because of needed modifications to the general education curriculum. This is commonly referred to as the least restrictive environment (LRE) mandate.
Corey H. Lawsuit
In 1992, a class action lawsuit was filed against the Chicago Board and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) alleging that students with disabilities in the Chicago Public Schools were not being educated in the least restrictive environment as mandated by IDEA. This lawsuit is commonly referred to as the "Corey H." lawsuit. The Chicago Board settled the lawsuit in January 1998. The ISBE proceeded to trial, and in February 1999, the ISBE was found to have violated the LRE mandate of IDEA. The Chicago Board's settlement agreement in Corey H., in concert with other CPS initiatives and the ISBE's Corey H. settlement agreement, provides schools the opportunity to progress toward the realization of the LRE commitment for students with disabilities. The court has appointed a monitor to oversee the Chicago Board's and ISBE's compliance with the settlement agreements.
LRE Resources
LRE resource and instructional materials to support staff training are available to teachers, staff and parents in the Teacher Resource collection in the library. These materials are available for teachers, staff and parents to check out from the library. Please see Ms. Hicks, in the library/media center, room 207/209, if you are interested.
We encourage all teachers, staff and parents to utilize these materials.
What is the difference between accommodation and modification for a student with a disability?
The term "accommodation" may be used to describe an alteration of environment, curriculum format, or equipment that allows an individual with a disability to gain access to content and/or complete assigned tasks. They allow students with disabilities to pursue a regular course of study. Since accommodations do not alter what is being taught, instructors should be able to implement the same grading scale for students with disabilities as they do for students without disabilities. An accommodation addresses the questions of how a student will learn. Examples of accommodations include:
:: sign language interpreters for students who are deaf;
:: computer text-to-speech computer-based systems for students with visual impairments or
Dyslexia;
:: extended time for students with fine motor limitations, visual impairments, or learning disabilities;
:: large-print books and worksheets for students with visual impairments; and
:: trackballs and alternative keyboards for students who cannot operate standard mice and
keyboards.
The term "modification" may be used to describe a change in the curriculum. Modifications are made for students with disabilities who are unable to comprehend all of the content an instructor is teaching. For example, assignments might be reduced in number and modified significantly for an elementary school student with cognitive impairments that limit his/her ability to understand the content in general education class in which they are included. A modification addresses what a student will learn: instructional level, content, and performance criteria.
For more examples of academic accommodations, consult Working Together: K-12 Teachers and Students with Disabilities [1] or Working Together: Faculty and Students with Disabilities [2] or view the video Building the Team: Faculty, Staff, and Students Working Together.
References
[1] Working Together: K-12 Teachers and Students with Disabilities
http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Academics/working.k12.html
[2] Working Together: Faculty and Students with Disabilities
http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Academics/teachers.html
Educational Rights and Responsibilities: Understanding Special Education in Illinois
IL
State Board of Education, Notice of Procedural Safeguards for Parents
/Guardians of Students with Disabilities (As of January 2008) [pdf]
Illinois Part 226, Special Education
Illinois School Code
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
Section 504
Section 504 FAQ's
A Guide to Disability Rights Law
NCLB and IDEA: What Parents of Students with Disabilitites Need to Know and Do
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
When I’m 3, Where Will I Be: A Family’s Transition Workbook [pdf]
Chicago Public School (CPS) Early Childhood Education
Programs for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilitiites: Ages birth through two
Illinois STAR NET Region II
Illinois Early Intervention Clearing House
National Head Start Association
Research and Training Center on Service Coordination
Division of Early Childhood
National Association for the Education of Young Children
Zero to Three
Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL)
Commonly asked questions about child care centers and the Americans with Disabilities Act
Understanding the Special Education Process [pdf]
Special Education: EVALUATION [pdf]
Evaluation: What Does It Mean for Your Child? [pdf]
Just for Parents: Learning about Special Education Evaluation [pdf]
IEP Overview
IEP Goals [pdf]
Planning Your Child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP): Some Suggestions to Consider [pdf]
Just for Parents: Your Child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) [pdf]
School Accommodations and Modifications [pdf]
Transportation and Children Who Have Disabilities [pdf]
Prior Written Notice
Illinois Assistive Technology Program
Ability Hub Assistive Technology Solutions
The Family Center on Technology and Disability
Illinois State Board of Education Sample Transition Plan [pdf]
Illinois Department of Human Services Disability & Rehabilitation
CiS Junior Illinois Career Resource Network
Illinois Work Net Center
Transition Services for Youth with Disabilities (DHS STEP) [pdf]
Transition to college for students with intellectual disabilities
Going to College, A resource for teens with disabilities
Think College! College Options for People with Intellectual Disabiliites
ODEP Office of Disability Employment Policy/Youth
National Collaborative on
Workforce and Disability, Navigating the Road to Work, Making the
Connection between Disabilities & Employment
Middle and High School Students, preparing yourself for life after high school
Rights of Students in Postsecondary Education
Illinois Positive Behaviors Interventions & Support (PBIS) Network
SAMHSA Child and Adolescent Mental Health
The National Alliance on Mental Illness
The National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities
The National Organization for Rare Disorders
Kids Against Bullying
Teens Against Bullying
Disability.gov
The US Department of Education
The Office of Special Education Programs(OSEP)
National Network of ADA Centers
National Association for Bilingual Education
CADRE, the National Center on Dispute Resolution
The Inclusion Network
This
is an umbrella group that raises awareness of inclusion, recognizes
exemplary inclusive efforts, and provides technical assistance and
links.
Inclusion - Produced by the Renaissance Group
This
web site is designed for general education teachers, special education
teachers, parents, and school staff to help provide some answers about
how inclusive education can be accomplished.
Project CHOICES
Project CHOICES is a "least restrictive environment" initiative funded by the Illinois State Board of Education.
Project Participate
This
web site provides families, educators, administrators and therapists
with simple strategies to increase the active participation of students
with disabilities in school programs.
SuperKids
SuperKids
is for parents and teachers. It provides reviews and ratings of
educational software, news about important educational issues, and
views of visionaries and policymakers.
Kids Together, Inc.
This web site contains inclusion bulletins, a listserv to join, and information and links by parents.
Family Village
Family
Village provides many resources for persons with cognitive and other
disabilities. This URL within Family Village contains a wide range of
information on inclusion, such as instructional resources and legal
issues.
Early Childhood Inclusion
The
Circle of Inclusion web site is for early childhood service providers
and families of young children ages birth through age eight.
Council for Exceptional Children
This
is the website for one of the largest international professional
organization's dedicated to improving educational outcomes for students
with disabilities.
ISBE LRE Clearinghouse and Special Education Resources
The
LRE Clearinghouse is a resource for families and educators on issues
related to educating students with disabilities in the regular
classrooms.
James Madison University has an online resource for teaching and learning strategies that is quite extensive.
Classroom Management Strategies