by Gail Leslie National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness Often people believe that literacy is something that starts to percolate in kindergarten and first grade when children begin to learn to read. In fact, literacy, like communication, begins early in life. Children grow up understanding that the world is full of colorful signs, letters, and numbers that have meaning. For children with disabilities, especially those with complex needs and sensory … [Read more...]
Welcome to NICHCY's blog page! Here we'll feature information and perspectives related to serving students with disabilities in schools. We hope to represent a variety of viewpoints and helpful resources. If you are interested in writing for our blog, please contact us at nichcy@fhi360.org.
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Top 10 Most Ridiculous Comments Heard at an IEP Meeting
February 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
by Dennise Goldberg Cross-posted from The Friendship Circle Blog, courtesy of Special Education AdvisorIn my job as a special education advocate, and my other job as a parent of a child with special needs, I have been involved in too many Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings to count. During these numerous IEP meetings I have met some wonderful, caring, knowledgeable, well-meaning teachers and school personnel.I have also, at times, heard … [Read more...]
My Story
January 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment
by guest blogger David Egan Distribution Clerk at Booz Allen Hamilton and Advocate for People with Disabilities Cross-posted with permission from Disability.gov I recently shared my story as a speaker at the Alliance for Full Participation Summit in November, and today I would like to post some of my thoughts and experiences on Disability.Blog. My name is David Egan, and I have been an employee of Booz Allen Hamilton for 15 years. I believe … [Read more...]
Finding What Works for Children with Special Needs
January 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment
by the What Works Clearinghouse Educators working with children who exhibit emotional and behavioral concerns are interested in new techniques that will help them meet the needs of their students. But we shouldn’t expect teachers to have the time to examine the voluminous number of articles on this topic.The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) takes on this task by providing an independent examination of education research in order to provide central, … [Read more...]
Implementing Inclusion in Charter Schools
December 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
by Dr. Chloé MarshallDr. Chloé Marshall is Principal of Imagine Hope charter school's Tolson campus, serving students in pre-K through 8th grades in Northeast Washington, DC. She has committed her life to advancing the academic and social agenda of all students. In this guest blog for NICHCY, she describes the ways in which she supports inclusive practices in one urban charter school.Imagine . . .Imagine a landscape of dancing lilies, billowing … [Read more...]
“No Boundaries” Education
December 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment
by Patricia K. Ralabate, Ed.D., Director of the National UDL Center, and David Gordon, Director of Communications at CAST and co-editor of A Policy Reader in Universal Design for Learning (with Jenna W. Gravel and Laura A. Schifter, Harvard Education Press, 2009). This post is adapted from disability.gov’s disability.blog.In reading and reflecting on Disability.Blog’s No Boundaries Employment Series, we are inspired by the many stories of individuals … [Read more...]
Inclusion in Action: Good Morning!
November 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment
by Nicole EredicsNicole Eredics is an inclusive elementary educator, a parent advocate and community support group leader. She currently hosts Inclusive Classrooms on the Talking Special Needs Network on blog talk radio. Nicole has developed and discovered many valuable resources for parents, teachers and schools that focus on the inclusion of special needs children in the classroom. Adapted from http://inclusiveclass.blogspot.com/I have spent a considerable … [Read more...]
Who Can Help?
November 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment
by Elaine Mulligan Here at the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY), we like to think of ourselves as your central source of information and resources on special education. We work hard to give you the most accurate and accessible information about: • the laws and procedures that guide the special education process • the best practices for serving students with disabilities in … [Read more...]
Forming Inclusive Classrooms
November 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment
by Gayle Hernandez Adapted from a blog posting on The Inclusive Class, this post is the result of a conversation between Gayle Hernandez and her colleague and friend Nicole Eredics. We asked Gayle and Nicole if we could share it as an excellent description of the kinds of thinking, planning, and communication that are second nature to truly inclusive teachers. Gayle teaches in Canada, so some of the administrative titles and wording may seem … [Read more...]
All About the IEP
October 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment
by Elaine Mulligan Think you know all you need to know about your child’s IEP – or that her teacher does? Maybe not! Too often we fall into the bad habit of “trusting the process” without making sure that we understand the process. School districts develop forms, checklists, and procedures and we don’t always feel comfortable asking why we’re doing what we’re doing. Why does it matter? The IEP should identify your child’s strengths … [Read more...]
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