February 12, 2018
By: Michelle R. Davis
Source: Disability Scoop Disability advocacy groups are rallying to fight against legislation they say would undermine longstanding accessibility protections in the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA Education and Reform Act, or H.R.620, is slated to come up for a full vote in the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday or Thursday. […]
February 9, 2018
By: Molly Sullivan
Source: Disability Scoop Three times a week, Kristen Lundstrom opens her laptop from her home in Carroll, Iowa and speaks to a speech therapist at the University of California, Davis’ MIND Institute about ways to help her 14-year-old son, Tyson, grow his vocabulary and better communicate. Tyson has fragile X syndrome, which […]
February 9, 2018
By: Hannah Covington
Source: Star Tribune Ten-year-old Kusa Xiong has looked out for his big sister for as long as he can remember. At school, he helps her unpack her things at her locker. At home, the siblings read together, make up games and practice counting. Kusa said 12-year-old Pahnuly, who has autism, inspires him […]
February 8, 2018
By: Michelle Diament
Source: Disability Scoop The U.S. Department of Education is making it easier to find out when a school is under investigation for violating the civil rights of students with disabilities. For the first time, the federal agency is posting information on its website about all pending claims against schools and colleges being […]
February 7, 2018
By: Shaun Heasley
Source: Disability Scoop In a first, this year’s Gerber baby is a young boy with Down syndrome. The iconic baby food company said Wednesday that it has chosen Lucas Warren, 18 months, as its “spokesbaby.” The Dalton, Ga. boy, who has the chromosomal disorder, was chosen from more than 140,000 entries, the […]
February 6, 2018
By: Michelle Diament
Source: Disability Scoop New research suggests that a quick questionnaire may be highly accurate at flagging children for autism. In 88 percent of cases, the so-called Psychological Development Questionnaire, or PDQ-1, correctly identified kids on the spectrum. The results held for children across all socioeconomic backgrounds, according to findings published recently in […]
February 5, 2018
By: John Keilman
Source: Chicago Tribune Evanston Township High School senior Aaron Holzmueller’s long quest to establish a place for para-ambulatory athletes at the state track meet suffered another setback last week when a federal appellate court ruled against him. Holzmueller, 17, has cerebral palsy, a condition that affects his balance, coordination and muscular control. […]
February 5, 2018
By: Maria Danilova, Associated Press
Source: U.S. News WASHINGTON (AP) — The Education Department is seeking to delay an Obama-era rule meant to counter racial disparities in special education, an official said Monday. In December 2016, the Obama administration said “students of color remain more likely to be identified as having a disability and […]
February 5, 2018
By: Marta W. Aldrich
Source: Chalkbeat Just five years ago, Tennessee students who were poor, minority, or male were disproportionately labeled as having a learning disability that would stick with them through their school career. Today, the rates of minority and non-minority students identified with disabilities are nearly equal statewide, while the gap between males […]
February 5, 2018
By: Linda Jacobson
Source: Education Dive Dive Brief: Up to 50 school districts will be able to blend federal, state and local funding sources to create a “student-centered funding” system under a pilot program announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Education. Districts have until March 12 to apply for the flexibility if they […]