Web Resources for School Personnel Serving Students with Disabilities

ASSESSMENT

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) education.umn.edu/NCEO/
NCEO addresses the participation of students with disabilities in national and state assessments, standards-setting efforts, and graduation requirements.

BEHAVIOR INTERVENTIONS AND SUPPORTS

Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders (CCBD) www.ccbd.net
CCBD is committed to promoting and facilitating the education and general welfare of children/youth with behavioral and emotional disorders.

Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice (CECP) air.org/cecp/
Excellent resources and extensive links related to emotional and behavioral problems in education, families, mental health, juvenile justice, child welfare, early intervention, school safety and legislation. Good materials on new IDEA requirements related to functional behavioral assessments and behavior intervention plans.

Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) www.pbis.org/main.htm
OSEP sponsored website dedicated to providing schools capacity building information and technical assistance for identifying, adapting and sustaining effective school-wide disciplinary practices.

Dr. Mac's Amazing Behavior Management Advice Site www.behavioradvisor.com
A wild, witty and highly practical site for educators challenged by student (mis)behavior. A definite mental health destination for teachers at their wits end in managing challenging behavior. Also provides online opportunities for teachers to help other teachers with student behavior issues!

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) ojjdp.ncjrs.org
Provides national leadership, coordination, and resources to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and victimization. Nationally acclaimed publications including Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools are available at this website.

The Behavior Home Page www.state.ky.us/agencies/behave/homepage.html
The purpose of this site is to provide a format that allows school personnel, parents, and other professionals to gain access to information and to share effective practices concerning the full range of behavior problems and challenges displayed by children and youth in school and community settings, as well as other behavioral issues that may affect their success in school.

EARLY CHILDHOOD

National Early Childhood Technical Assistance System (NECTAS) www.nectas.unc.edu
Provides technical assistance to states and others to improve services for young children with disabilities and their families as well as information on national early childhood policies, research and practices.

FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT EDUCATION SITES

Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE) www.ed.gov/free/index.html
A searchable collection of web pointers and references to federally supported education resources.

New York City Board of Education (NYCBOE) www.nycenet.edu/default.aspx
See especially a special education initiatives page.

New York State Education Department (NYSED) www.vesid.nysed.gov
New York State Education Department's Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) website provides on-line access to a variety of SED publications as well as information about ordering paper versions.

Texas Education Agency www.tea.state.tx.us/special.ed/
Final IDEA Regulations with analysis of Comments and Changes, Appendix A (Questions and Answers) and Potential Benefit and Cost Analysis (i.e., commentary on the regulations) presented side-by-side to the applicable regulation. A "killer" download, but well worth it if you need to have detailed information on the IDEA regulations.

U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/index.html
The Office for Civil Rights enforces five Federal statutes that prohibit discrimination in education programs and activities that receive Federal financial assistance. Discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin — Title VI; sex discrimination — Title IX; discrimination on the basis of disability Section 504; and age discrimination — Age Discrimination Act. The Department of Justice also has delegated OCR responsibility for enforcing Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/index.html
OSEP's mission focuses on the free appropriate public education of children and youth with disabilities from birth through age 21. In addition to providing the full text of IDEA and the regulations, OSEP's website provides information about OSEP-sponsored IDEA implementation activities, studies and projects, training materials on IDEA '97, funding allocations and grants, state monitoring reports and a variety of publications including OSEP's Annual Reports to Congress on the Implementation of IDEA.

IDEA IMPLEMENTATION

IDEA Practices www.ideapractices.org
This site is devoted to providing information about IDEA and its implementation.

National Education Association (NEA) home.nea.org/books/idea/
The NEA recently published The New IDEA Survival Guide.

LEARNING DISABILITIES

Learning Disabilities Association (LDA) www.ldanatl.org
LDA is a national, non-profit organization devoted to the advancement of the education and general welfare of children and adults or normal or potentially normal intelligence who manifest disabilities of a perceptual, conceptual or coordinative nature.

National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) www.ncld.org
NLCD is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting public awareness and understanding of learning disabilities as well as enabling children and adults with learning disabilities to achieve their full potential and enjoy more fulfilling and productive lives.

OTHER RESOURCES

American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) www.aypf.org
AYPF is a nonpartisan professional development organization that provides learning opportunities for policymakers working on youth issues at the local, state and national levels.

Center for Communicative and Cognitive Disabilities (CCCD) www.edu.uwo.ca/cccd/site2003/CCCDmain.htm
The Centre for Communicative and Cognitive Disabilities is a Canadian university-based centre of specialization, which was established in 1985 by the Secretary of State to improve educational opportunities for students with communication exceptionalities. CCCD is dedicated to assisting students with language and learning disabilities, deafness, and physical challenges to participate fully in society.

Elementary and Middle School Technical Assistance Center (EMSTAC) www.emstac.org
OSEP funded technical assistance center whose mission is to identify and meet the technical assistance needs of elementary and middle schools to improve educational outcomes for children with disabilities. Develops informational materials and web-based products to address the technical assistance needs of school-district personnel.

ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education (ERIC) ericec.org
ERIC is an acronym for the Educational Resources Information Center. ERIC gathers and disseminates the professional literature, information, and resources on the education and development if individuals of all ages who have disabilities and/or who are gifted.

National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY) www.nichcy.org
NICHCY is the national information and referral center that provides information on disabilities and disability-related issues for families, educators, and other professionals. NICHCY's special focus is children and youth (birth to age 22).

PROFESSONAL ORGANIZATIONS

American Federation of Teachers (AFT) www.aft.org
The AFT is the national affiliate of the United Federation of Teachers.

American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) www.aota.org
The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) is the nationally recognized professional association for occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants.

American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) www.apta.org
The mission of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is to further the profession's role in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of movement dysfunctions and the enhancement of the physical health and functional abilities of members of the public.

American School Counseling Association (ASCA) www.schoolcounselor.org
The American School Counseling Association is the national association that represents the profession of school counseling.

American School Health Association (ASHA) www.ashaweb.org
The American School Health Association unites the many professionals working in schools who are committed to safeguarding the health of school-aged children. The Association, a multidisciplinary organization of administrators, counselors, dentists, health educators, physical educators, school nurses and school physicians, advocates high-quality school health instruction, health services and a healthful school environment.

American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) www.asha.org/default.htm
The American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) is the professional, scientific, and credentialing association for more than 99,000 audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists.

Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) www.cec.sped.org
CEC is an international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and/or the gifted. One of CEC's goals is to help professionals obtain conditions and resources necessary for effective professional practice.

National Association of School Nurses (NASN) www.nasn.org
A major focus of the National Association of School Nurses is the prevention of illness, disability, and the early detection and correction of health problems.

National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) www.nasponline.org
The mission of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) is to promote educationally and psychologically healthy environments for all children and youth by implementing research-based, effective programs that prevent problems, enhance independence, and promote optimal learning.

National Association of Social Workers (NASW) www.naswdc.org
NASW is a membership organization that promotes, develops, and protects the practice of social work and social workers. NASW also seeks to enhance the effective functioning and well being of individuals, families, and communities through its work and through its advocacy.

New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) nysut.org/research/index.html
NYSUT's Division of Research and Educational Services produces several Information Bulletins and briefing Bulletins each year. Information Bulletins provide in-depth information on educational issues; Briefing Bulletins provide timely updates on those issues.

SPECIAL EDUCATION FINANCE

Center for Special Education Finance (CSEF) csef.air.org
Addresses fiscal policy questions relating to the delivery and support of special education services throughout the United States.

TECHNOLOGY

Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) www.cast.org
CAST focuses on the development of learning models, approaches, and tools that are usable by a wide range of learners.

National Center to Improve Practice (NCIP) www2.edc.org/NCIP/
Promotes the effective use of technology to enhance outcomes for students with sensory, cognitive, physical and social/emotional disabilities.

Technology and Media Division of CEC (TAM) www.tamcec.org
The goals of TAM include: promoting collaboration among educators and others interested in using technology and media to assist individuals with exceptional educational needs.

TRANSITION

National Transition Network (NTN) ici2.umn.edu/ntn/
The National Transition Network provides technical assistance and evaluation services to states with grants for Transition Systems Change and School-to-Work.