Weeks of 5/11 and 5/18

This week we had the opportunity to learn about the law as it applies to special education, especially focusing on IDEA and how that helps our students with disabilities. We spent time learning about the six principles of IDEA, which include, zero reject, non-discriminatory evaluation, FAPE (free and appropriate public education), LRE (least restrictive environment), procedural safeguards, and parent and student participation. These things are all very important that we understand when we become teachers because they will be used in IEP meeting and to prepare for those meetings. These can also help us to become effective advocates if we are aware of what the student needs and what they are entitled to. With this unit on the law we also talked about court cases and how specific cases eventually lead to the principles in IDEA. One example is the Rowley case which discussed FAPE and the difference between the best education and what it appropriate for the student. Another is the Mills case that discussed the principle of LRE and what is included with that and introduced more guidelines to help specify what schools are allowed to do. 

In these weeks we also discussed the history of special education that helped me to realize how far we have come and how lucky we are to live today versus even 50 years ago. We discussed the institutions more and how they originally started as something good and then after years the ratios got larger and the institutions became less successful and then eventually not many years ago institutions were ended and the children with disabilities have been more integrated into schools since then. We talked about the case law that helped lead to this social change and along with that statutory was introduced like Section 504 in the Rehabilitation Act, which helped to lead to IDEA. Which like mentioned above has helped students with disabilites to be able to get the services that they need because of the funding that IDEA is backed with. I know that these weeks have helped me to realize how blessed we are to live and teach in a time where there are so many great programs for students with disabilites.