Special Education/IDEA

Access to a free, quality education is the key to the uniquely American promise of equal opportunity for all. This promise was formally extended to children with disabilities with the passage in 1975 of landmark federal legislation now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Public schools across the country today serve more than 6 million youngsters with a wide array of disabling conditions.

Nationally, over the last 10 years the number of U.S. students enrolled in special education programs has risen 30 percent. Three out of every four students with disabilities spend part of all of their school day in a general education classroom.

OEA Special Services Task Force
Created from a 2007 OEA-RA new business item, the OEA Special Services Task Force, consisting of OEA members and staff, has identified several implications of IDEA for educators:
- Service delivery models
- Accountability for providing services and accommodations
- Providing services to violent students

This task force has created model contract language available to UniServ staff to address these and other implications of IDEA for educators. The task force has addressed the charge of engaging OEA members in lobbying for changes in the law by starting with being sure all members are well informed about IDEA.

Additional resources for better understanding special education issues and the needs of these exceptional students:

Special Education: Oregon Department of Education
The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) has the core site for the processes that guide the instruction of special education students in Oregon. Sections include:
- IDEA Policy & Practice
- Data Collection
- Assessment
- Secondary Transition
- Advisory Teams
- Publications & Reports
- Funding
- Systems Performance Review & Improvement (SPR&I)
- Dispute Resolution

NEA: IDEA/Special Education
NEA's site covers a variety of topics about special education and IDEA, including:
- Position & Actions
- Background
- Take Action
- Research & Tools
- Articles & Multimedia

NEA Academy
Several online course offerings available for credit, with discounts granted to OEA/NEA members.

Council of Exceptional Children
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the educational success of individuals with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. Among the services CEC provides:
- Professional development opportunities and resources
- 17 divisions for specialized information
- Journals and newsletters with information on new research findings, classroom practices that work, federal legislation, and policies
- Conventions and conferences
- Special education publications