Advocacy for K-12 Students with Disabilities: How to Get Everything except a Bad Rep

The Americans with Disabilities Act and IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1997) may say that students with disabilities have the right to accessibility and accommodations in the classroom, but that doesn't necessarily mean that students automatically get what they need. K-12 students with disabilities, their parents and service providers often have to lobby for the technology, support and services that are necessary to get what's promised to students by the law--a Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE). Students and parents often run into situations where the school administrators are not aware of the potential of students with disabilities, and further, are not aware of the types of technology and accommodation that are readily available today. And that's why advocacy is so important. Students with disabilities, their parents, and service providers have to know how to get the technology, physical accommodations, support and services the students need--and how to get those services quickly enough so that the student isn't held back in the educational process while waiting for the services. IMPORTANT AREAS FOR ADVOCATES Several issues face students with disabilities as they move through the educational process, and in each of the four areas discussed below, self-advocacy, parental advocacy, and service-provider advocacy become critical for educational success. NEGATIVE ATTITUDES Six years after the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, there's a great deal more awareness about the potential of people with disabilities than there ever has been. Unfortunately, there's still a great deal of negative attitudes among people who believe that students with disabilities can't the same things that other students can. How can a blind student do math, when he can't see the equation? How can a deaf student follow directions in a science lab, when she can't hear? How can a student with a learning disability analyze literature, when she can't keep the words straight on a page? How can a student in a wheelchair use a computer, when he can't fit his chair under the computer table? The fact is that students with all kinds of disabilities can do all kinds of things. Step one for an advocate is to help make school faculty and administrators aware of the potential of students with disabilities and equally as important--aware of the adaptations and accommodations that are necessary for students with disabilities to succeed in the school setting. MAINSTREAMING Although many people believe that mainstreaming students with disabilities into the general population is the only way to ensure an equal educational opportunity, the truth is that mainstreaming is sometimes contrary to the best interests of particular individuals. Whether or when K-12 students with disabilities are mainstreamed into the general school population is an issue that must be addressed for each child. Some students do just fine entering the general population at a young age. Others benefit by going to special classes for a few years and then moving into mainstream classes. The critical factor is whether mainstreaming is right for an individual student, rather than moving the student into a mainstreamed setting because it's a good idea in theory. This is another issue in which parent and student advocacy becomes critical. A student and his or her family have to step up and take responsibility for making a case to school administrators as to what is best for the individual. LOWERED EXPECTATIONS AND WAIVED REQUIREMENTS The perception that students with disabilities are not capable of doing the same work as their classmates is often reinforced by parents and teachers. Too often students with disabilities are not held responsible for the work that is being done by their peers, and teachers from preschool on will often have lower expectations for students with disabilities. …