A Brief Overview Full Article Students with disabilities who are bullied at school have legal protections, and schools have added responsibilities to ensure their safety and well-being. When acts of bullying involve discrimination based on disability, race, sex, or religion, federal agencies classify those acts as harassment. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Read More
Transcript of this video is below: When students with disabilities are bullied, schools are legally responsible to end the bullying. By law, schools must act to restore the safety and well-being of students who are harmed by harassment, intimidation, and bullying. Those words—harassment, intimidation, and bullying, make an acronym: HIB. This video is about HIB Read More
A Brief Overview Full Article A student with a disability is protected by multiple federal laws. One of these laws is the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This law is enforced by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Section 504 is part of the Rehabilitation Act and it helps protect students from being treated Read More
A Brief Overview: Full Article The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that each state education agency provide ways to solve disagreements between parents and schools regarding a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). These options ensure that parents and schools can work towards a mutually agreeable solution while protecting the child’s right to a Read More
Getting the right help for students with disabilities is made easier when families learn key vocabulary and understand how to use it. PAVE provides videos to support learning about student rights and how to work with the school to get individualized support. Video number 1: Pyramid of Rights Protections for Students With Disabilities The first Read More
A Brief Overview Full Article LGBTQ+ is an acronym that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or sometimes questioning), and others. The “plus” represents other gender identities including pansexual, Two-Spirit, non-binary, gender-fluid. Youth and young adults with disabilities may also have diverse sexualities and gender identities. LGBTQ+ identities are NOT disabilities, but students with disabilities Read More
A Brief Overview Full Article A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an injury that affects how the brain works. TBI can affect people of all ages and backgrounds. The exact definition of TBI, according to special education law, is referenced later. This injury can change how the person thinks, behaves, and moves. A traumatic brain Read More
A Brief Overview Full Article Everyone has moments when they hear something and pause to wonder, Is that true? Parents/caregivers in meetings with their child’s school can feel particularly confused when something doesn’t sound right. They might wonder whether it’s appropriate to question school authorities. They might not understand all the words being spoken. Fear Read More
A Brief Overview Full Article If a student is having a hard time at school and has a known or suspected disability, the school evaluates to see if the student qualifies for special education. A child is protected in their right to be evaluated by the Child Find Mandate, which is part of the federal Read More
A Brief Overview Full Article Disability History and Awareness Month in October provides an opportunity for policy makers, teachers, families and people throughout communities to reflect on the disability rights movement. Equity and access are protected by law, yet there is still work to be done to ensure that laws are upheld and that everyone Read More
A Brief Overview Schools are required to accommodate parents to ensure their attendance and participation at meetings where their child’s special education services are discussed. Those rights are affirmed in a court decision from 2013: Doug C. Versus Hawaii. A meeting that includes family is a higher priority than a renewal deadline. If a deadline Read More
A Brief Overview Children who are taught self-regulation are more resilient and learn better in academics and more. This article describes a few practical tools and techniques that are aspects of Social Emotional Learning (SEL). “Kids do well if they can,” says Ross W. Greene, a child psychologist and author. In a short YouTube video, Greene says, Read More
Brief Overview The National Education Association (NEA) recognizes that childhood experiences related to domestic abuse, trauma or divorce affect education. This article includes recommendations for teachers, family members or other adults who might advocate for a student who needs more help due to challenging life circumstances. Researchers agree that a trauma-sensitive approach to special education Read More