Grace Healey

Dr. Esposito
EDU366
23 November 2015
1. The language we use when referring to people with disabilities is so important
because we do not want them to feel like they are a tragic martyr and that we
pity them. We do not want to make judgments about the person with a disability.
It is important that we use person-first language when referring to a person with a
disability. This means that we say a person who is blind or a person with
Down syndrome instead of he/she is blind or he/she has Down syndrome.
2. The CCS for special education provides that speaking and listening should be
interpreted broadly to include sign language. Additionally, reading should allow
for Braille, screen-reader technology, or other assistive devices. Writing should
include the use of a scribe, computer or speech-to-text-technology.
3. Funding Special education is almost always the largest receiver of federal, state
and local K-12 budgets. Finding the necessary funding for special education
programs is especially hard and students have never received more than 20% of
promised funds. Federal funding for IDEA has fallen in recent years, which has
caused tension between special education programs and other K-12 programs
because school officials are constantly looking for ways to lobby for more federal
funding for IDEA by getting rid of other educational programs that are not
mandated. Teachers There is a need for efficient and well-qualified special
education teachers. The demands of a special education teacher are more taxing
than the demands of a regular education teacher, which is why so many special
education teachers leave the profession each year. It is also becoming increasingly
harder for teachers to become qualified, especially in the state of New York, and
that may be a deterring factor for many students who wish to become a teacher
but cannot pass the certification tests. Civil Rights vs. Education IDEA was a
huge success because it was the first time people with disabilities were guaranteed
a free and appropriate education. Since it is a civil rights law, IDEA has become
more focused on the process of providing special education and ensuring that each
students IEP is appropriate and carried out precisely as it should be. The
processes that must be followed have led to problems implementing the
educational services. With NCLB, many states are already overwhelmed and will
continue to be overwhelmed by the new requirements of IDEA. Identification
The label of special education not only affects a childs schooling but also their
daily life. It is important to only label and given education services to children
who truly need it. There is debate as to whether the overwhelming number of
children diagnosed as special education is because they actually have a disability,
specifically learning disability, or if it is simply because they did not receive the
proper education when they were young. The new IDEA tries to guard against
misdiagnosing by adding steps to the diagnosis process. Litigation Advocates
for and parents of special needs children often have disputes with the school
district that use up money, time, effort and other resources. The 2004 IDEA
attempted to lower the number of lawsuits by requiring states to offer mediation

to parents and school officials. Districts often settle the lawsuits, in order to avoid
confrontation, even when they have the chance to win. This means case numbers
would be even higher than they are today.