-
Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Signed and passed to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance, including federal funds. Section 504 provides broad nondiscrimination protection in employment, public services, and public accommodations (including many areas of colleges and universities), for individuals with disabilities. -
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan just 5 months after the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was signed the Office of Disabled Student Services of the college made history worth accommodations for their students. They were one of the first to establish an adaptive technology computing lab and together with the Provost’s office a fund to support mandated accommodations. This fund is one of the first of its kind and has become a model used nationwide. -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
Is a federal law enacted in 1990 and reauthorized in 1997 and 2004. It is designed to protect the rights of students with disabilities by ensuring that everyone receives a free appropriate public education (FAPE), regardless of ability. Depending on age some individuals with get funded. -
Techonolgy Resources
Richard Riley wrote a letter to the Chancellor of the California Community College System for new technologies and software options available that foster access to academic materials, such as text-to-speech, speech synthesizers, visual outliners, reading programs, textbooks on tape, print enlargers, visual tracking, phonetic spell checkers, and other emerging technologies. It is critical that technology on campus be reviewed and made accessible to students with disabilities around the country. -
Period: to
Statictics
25% of youth with disabilities participate in
post secondary education after high school. People with disabilities in colleges and universities account for 11% of overall enrollment, though 21% of veteran students. -
The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA)
Students with intellectual disabilities are eligible to apply for federal financial aid to help cover the cost of attending college. HEOA also authorizes a model demonstration program for the development and expansion of high quality, inclusive model comprehensive transition
and post secondary education programs to meet the rising interest and demand for this type of educational experience among students with ID and their families. -
Curriculum Adjustments
The federal laws and subsequent court decisions make it clear that colleges are not expected to make changes in the curriculum that compromise essential components of a program. In certain well-documented cases, a student may be unable to meet all of the requirements of a degree program. That's when a student with disability can petition a substitution to pass the course and gain a degree. Which is based on the policy of the university. -
Enrollment in Postsecondary Education
At the University of Washington the number of students with disabilities attending higher education has increased. In a recent study, the number of post secondary undergraduate students identified as having disabilities in the United States was found to represent 6% of the student body. -
Current Issues
Despite some gains, special education programs continue to be under funded. There is a significant shortage of special education teachers and related personnel (i.e. physical therapists, speech and language therapists). Approximately 40,000 teachers are not fully certified to teach special education and the turnover rate is high. This is a major concern because we have unqualified personnel teaching these students, making student academic progress very difficult.
