Differences between the rights and requirements of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Americans with Disabilties Act (ADA)

In my previous blog, I discussed the the reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities in college. Today, I will examine differences between the rights and requirements of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Americans with Disabilties Act (ADA). Watch this video for more information on ADA and the impact on the citizens of the Unites States of America.

Receiving service under ADA is a completely different from IDEA. Parents roles are greatly reduced while the student has a greater responsibility in receiving the appropriate accommodations. Colleges are required to make minor academic adjustments but are not required to make substantial modifications to their curricula or course requirements (Dell, Newton, Petroff, 2012). For example, students under IDEA in P-12 may receive extended time on test, distraction free environment, and modifications to the exam content under ADA colleges are not required to modify the content of the exam. the chart below will display the difference between IDEA and ADA.

	IDEA (K-12)	ADA (College)
Rights guaranteed by the law	Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)	Prohibits discrimination on the basis of a disability
Who is covered	Every child; concept of zero reject	Students who are :otherwise qualified”
Identification and evaluation of students with disabilities	District responsible for identifying students with disabilities, evaluating them, and covering cost.	Students must self-identify and provide appropriate documentation. If an evaluation is needed, the expense is the student’s responsibility.
Determining services	IEP developed by a team Curriculum modification and special programs are common	Reasonable accommodations, including auxiliary and services, must be requested by student. -Academic adjustments that equalize opportunity for participation are required; substantial modifications to curriculum and lowering standards are not required
Personal devices and services (wheelchairs, hearing aids, personal care attendants)	Provided by district if determined to be necessary (included in IEP)	Colleges are not required to provide these
Role of parents	Parent must be included in decision making	College student are older than 18 and are considered adults. No parent consultation is required
Appeals process	Right to due process as spelled out in the law	College grievances procedure and then a complaint with the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Right must be filled.

From reading the material, it seems the transition from high school to college for students with disabilities is extremely difficult. All the rules change and the must prepare themselves to fight for their education and needs. In a way, I think it is important to have the student take control of their life and allow for self management. It is the beginning of their adult life and prepares them for the real world. Parents will still support their child but just like nay college students they have to start to take responsibility for their own life.

This is my last blog for my Assistive Technology class. I hope you have learned as much information about assistive technology as I have. I am sure there is more to learn and will continue to read and grow as I gain experience with assistive technology. Thanks for learning with me!

  Reference: 

Dell, A.G., Newton, D.A, & Petroff, J.G. (2012). Assistive Technology in the Classroom. Boston: PEARSON.

Assistive Techonlogy for Students in College

In my previous blog, I discussed two resources, the Oregon Technology Access Program (OTAP) and University of Kentucky Assistive Technology (UKAT). Today, I will examine the assistive technology accommodations for students with disabilities in college. 

The video below is a bit long but very informative on college students with disabilities and how and when they receive services.

AT can be used to help college students during classes and testing situations and in completing assignments. In college, one of my sorority sisters was legally blind but had very low eyesight enough to read with a magnifying machine. Her eye sight started to deteriorate when she was in 5th grade and slowly decreased until she was unable to see at all. On most occasion, she used braille but there were other times she was able to utilize the magnifying materials. In classes, she used a tape recorder in the beginning and the professors provided visual copies of their notes. In senior year, she was given a device that recorded the lectures and transferred them onto her computer. She always took her test in a different environment from the class. Sometimes, she had a scriber or she wrote on her own. I was always interesting to study with her because she had to work ten times harder to receive the information but never complained about it. In the beginning of our friendship, I found her determination amazing and encouraging.  I saw her fight to be treated just as other students although she was treated as if she was incapable of completing any task occasionally. Another friend did not have any hands. He completed all his work on a specially designed laptop. He took his test with the rest of the class most of the time and recorded lectures also. He utilized text to speech software but the software was in its beginning stages while he was in college and did not always work appropriately. He decided to type on his own with the help of word prediction software. Those are some of the accommodations, I have witnessed for college students. Below is a list of accommodations for college students with disabilities linked to task required to college coursework.

Task	Typical Non-technology Accommodations	Technology Based Accommodations
Note Taking	Student note takers using carbonless paper	-Use of a portable note taker (Neo). -Smart Pen to record lectures and sync to notes Whiteboard capturing devices
Understanding Lectures	Sign language interpreters	-C-print captioning Assistive listening system
Taking test	Extended Time on tests Distraction free test environment	-Word processing application for essay exams -Use of spell check feature or handheld speller -Use of calculator -Text-to-speech software
Accessing Course Material	Sign language interpreter Arranging materials to be translate into Braille	-Captioned videos -Providing handouts in electronic format -Making course web sites accessible
Reading	Providing Readers	-Books in alternate formats (e-text) -Text to speech -Text readers -Audio Books -Video Magnifiers
Completing papers and other assignments		Screen magnification applications -Screen-reading applications -Text to speech word prediction software -Voice recognition applications -Graphic organizer applications
Accessing the Internet		Providing screen magnification, screen reading or text to speech applications -Making college web pages accessible
Registering for classes	Priority Registration	Making college web based systems available
Telecommunicating		Providing a telecommunication device for the deaf -Email -Text messaging -Instant messaging -Video Relay  system

Assistive Technology Implentation Resources

In my previous blog, I focused on integrating augmentative communications into the IEP and the importance of using them in the home and community. Today, I will discuss the assistive technology implementation resources.

 Provides training, information, technical assistance and resources regarding the uses of technology for children with disabilities. The website is was created for students in Oregon and sponsored by the Oregon Department of Education (ODE)  but these same strategies and resources maybe used for students with disabilities across the country. There were great resources on the website for teachers to use to assist their students using assistive technology. The Assistive Technology Implementation Plan helps teachers make decisions on the  right technology to use in the classroom. 

The teachers have student training questions to consider:

1.What will this student use the assistive technology device to do?

2. What specific  technology skills will the student need to learn?

3. How much training does the student require?

4. When will training be provided  to the child?

5. How will the child learn to use the device in customary environments?

6. What kind of direct supervision and help will need in order to use the device in a functional manner?

In previous blogs, I have discussed the different concepts to consider when deciding if assistive technology is important. Number 4, when will training be provided to the child is extremely important. Students need the training to use their devices and it is important to make sure the student fully understands how to use the device.

University of Kentucy Assistive Technology

The University of Kentucky Assistive Technology Toolkit is based on years and years of research and provides a systematic method to deliver AT  services to students in schools. There are two major premises:

-1st goal in special education is to improve a student's ability to successfully function in schools, responding to the demands presented by the general curriculum and school environment and

-No technology and low technology solutions should be considered before the high technology solutions.

The toolkit is very similar to the CastToolkit. The same information is given along with many of the same resources. I found the data collection materials very useful and you can find them here. It involved What Do We Need to Know (goals of the assessment), Planned Activities/What We Did (dates, locations, strategies), and What We Found (including student perception,medical information, & optimal positioning). Please look at the site for more information and view the the video below for more information on Assistive Technology.

 

Until Next Time!