This four part web broadcast series is aimed at supporting early intervention (EI) and early childhood special education (ECSE) systems leaders with building capacity in personnel and families to develop trusting partnerships. The series features discussions of the role that data play in strengthening family-professional partnerships. Suggestions and resources for designing personnel and family development activities to support partnerships are also shared.

U.S. Department of Education funded Technical Assistance Center - resources are free for online viewing.

This product was developed with preservice teacher needs in mind. Preservice teachers are often nervous about working with students with disabilities. The resources shared here are ideas that can be generalized to multiple classroom settings, for all different ages.

ObjectivesBy the end of this session, we will be able to:● Partner with administrators to develop a realistic,scaffolded action plan for beginning to align CSCPstaff use of time with 5030 and the ASCA NationalModel● Consider how the CSCP will begin to shift this yearto incorporate preventative, proactive,developmentally appropriate Tier 1 activities for ALLstudents

In this second video in our Accessible Learning Across the Lifespan series, you’ll be introduced to a variety of accessibility features that are built into t...

Federal ADA Regulations and Standards
The ADA statute identifies who is a person with a disability, who has obligations under the ADA, general non-discrimination requirements and other basic obligations. It delegates fleshing out those obligations to federal agencies. The agencies issue regulations and design standards. The regulations have the details on the rights of people with disabilities and responsibilities of employers, state and local governments, transportation providers, businesses and non-profit organizations. The design standards specify how many entrances need to be accessible, how many toilet rooms and the design for those elements. To know what the ADA requires, you need to read the law, regulations and design standards.

Federal Agencies and Resources
Many federal agencies issue regulations, provide technical assistance and enforce different sections of the ADA. For example the Department of Justice is responsible for title II, which applies to state and local governments, and title III, which applies to businesses and non-profit organizations. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission handles all things related to the ADA and employment. Below is a list of the relevant federal agencies.

The Library of Congress is adopting amendments to its regulations regarding loans of library materials for blind and other print-disabled persons, as authorized by Title XIV of the Library of Congress Technical Corrections Act of 2019, to amend terminology, the description of services, and certification requirements, and to memorialize existing practices in the Library of Congress's National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS).

This website provide a list of all the AEM State Contacts in the United States.

Framing the Future of Learning with Technology
The goal of the Center on Inclusive Technology & Education Systems (CITES) is to empower school districts to create and sustain inclusive technology systems that serve all students, including students with disabilities who require assistive technology or accessible educational materials. To do this work, we are creating and disseminating a framework of evidence-based practices to enhance the successful use of technology by all students. We provide technical assistance to districts, educators, and families to ensure that students with disabilities are able to use the technology tools they need to foster learning and life success.

Students describe the impact of technology on their learning. They share specific examples of accessibility tools and highlight how each has supported their engagement and learning in school in powerful ways. This video is a great tool for highlighting the importance of making sure that instructional materials are accessible to all students. It is easier to ask instructional material providers before adopting curriculum rather than trying to retrofit materials (if that is even possible) after adopting materials.

Get Started

Sometimes the hardest part of making change is getting started. The CITES framework offers districts a step-by-step process for identifying and removing any barriers to student or staff success caused by learning disabilities by planning for and implementing inclusive technology practices. The process requires a coordinated effort by district teams to move forward seamlessly with the framework and its practices.

To get started with the terms and concepts we use throughout the CITES framework, visit our Glossary.

On Thursday, March 9th, in celebration of Open Education Week, the #GoOpen National Network presented the session, OER & Digital Accessibility, featuring Cynthia Curry of the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials for Learning (AEM Center) at CAST, in conversation with Vanessa Clark, Aujalee Moore, and Matt Hiefield of the Oregon Department of Education, and facilitated by Amee Evans Godwin of ISKME and #GoOpen.Learn more about accessibility and open educational resources (OER), including shared definitions, benefits, guidelines, and implementations so that educators can better support learners with disabilities and learning preferences.

Student Primers, Instructional Strategies, Study Strategies and Recommended Apps, Games, Activities, etc. geared towards helping students develop skills for Focus and Attention. Optional links to thousands of teacher-reviewed resources. 

The purpose of the National AEM Center’s Quality Indicators with Critical Components for Higher Ed is to assist institutes of higher education, both at the system and campus level, with planning, implementing, and evaluating systems for providing accessible materials and technologies for all students who need them. Higher Ed institutions, both universities and community colleges, will find the Quality Indicators useful for implementing statutory requirements that mandate equitable access to learning opportunities for students with disabilities, including equal access to printed materials, digital materials, and technologies.

High-Incidence Disabilities are disabilities that are more often seen in the regular education classroom. This resource is intended to be used by pre-service teacher who are learning about disabilities in the classroom and how to make accommodations for all learners. 

This is a unique subject area in which there can be numerous variables. The Emergency School Bus Evacuation for Special Needs Students Reference Guide and Test, instructional plan gives an introduction and preparation guidelines. It prepares the learner in procedural steps, lists several scenarios and has an evaluation with an answer key.

Inclusion of all learners in classrooms begins with access to curriculum. Diverse learners include those who have a perceptual or reading disability, are blind, visually impaired or are unable to hold or manipulate a printed book. Federal and Oregon regulations require all materials for these eligible persons to be made available in alternative formats such as digital or recorded text, braille, or large print, captioning and video description to ensure Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) are provided in a timely manner and at the same time as non-disabled peers. Accessible versions of educational materials can turn learning barriers into learning opportunities. This guide was developed to assist IEP, 504 and other student support teams in Oregon to determine whether a student requires accessible formats of their educational materials, ways to acquire and provide them and strategies for their use across educational environments.

Checklist of best practices for creating accessible resources.The Accessibility Checklist is adapted from BC Open Textbook Accessibility Toolkit, CC-BY 4.0 International License.

In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology (EIT) accessible to people with disabilities. The law (29 U.S.C § 794 (d)) applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Under Section 508, agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information comparable to the access available to others.