[nfbmi-talk] schools must follow all three civil rights laws

[Terry D. Eagle]

I have long believed this is an area of special and mainstream education
where NFB of Michigan could do outreach and education to parents and
children about accommodation requirements.  This is why it is important to
obtain accurate contact informationand do follow-up with parents of children
who attend NFB youth programs.   

-----Original Message-----
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Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2014 11:55 AM
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Subject: [nfbmi-talk] schools must follow all three civil rights laws

Schools Must Offer Communication Supports, Feds Say

By

Michelle Diament

 

November 13, 2014 Text Size

ASchools must ensure that students with disabilities have the tools they
need to communicate effectively, federal officials say. (Thinkstock)

 

Schools must ensure that students with disabilities have the tools they need
to communicate effectively, federal officials say. (Thinkstock)

 

The Obama administration is reminding schools of their wide-ranging
responsibilities to students with disabilities who struggle with speech and
other communication

difficulties.

 

In

guidance

issued Wednesday, federal officials said the nation's public schools have
obligations under three separate laws to "ensure that communication with
students

with hearing, vision and speech disabilities is as effective as
communication with all other students."

 

While requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,
Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
vary,

schools must comply with all three laws to meet individual needs. That can
mean providing assistance ranging from communication boards or Braille
materials

to sign-language interpreter services and portable speech-generating
devices, according to documents sent jointly from the U.S. Department of
Education

and the U.S. Department of Justice.

 

In cases where assistance is needed, schools should give "primary
consideration to students and parents in determining which auxiliary aids
and services

are necessary to provide such effective communication," the federal guidance
said.

 

Nonetheless, schools are not required to provide anything more than is
needed to "ensure effective communication," officials indicated.

 

The guidance comes in response to a federal court decision last year in a
case known as K.M. v. Tustin Unified School District which clarified
schools'

obligations under the various laws when addressing students' communication
needs.

 

Denise Marshall at the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, a special
education advocacy organization, said her group welcomes the guidance to
schools,

but she worries that it is not clear enough and could lead to further
hurdles for students.

 

"Our members have seen a lot of schools try to force a student to use a
communication aid or service that is clearly not appropriate just to rule it
out.

This causes significant delays and makes many students feel like laboratory
test subjects and robs them of their dignity," Marshall said.

 

Source:

http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2014/11/13/schools-communication-supports/198
45/
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