11/19/2017
Parents with a Disability in the Special Ed Process Retrieved from http://www.ada.gov/effective-comm.htm
When dealing with students within the special education process, one might also have to take into consideration a parent with a disability need. This is especially true when the parent has a communication disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for Title II. According to ADA requirements published by the U.S. Department of Justice, this type of disability is defined as using different methods of typical communication; be it receiving information audibly, sign language, Braille, interpreter, or complexity of language.
Parents enter into the special education process via the companion definition of ADA. Entities, in which school districts are included, are required to provide effective communication for “an appropriate person” ("Eff. Comm.," 2014, p. 3). Parents, family, or their associate seeking information from the entity fall into this category. This is further clarified by the Department of Justice stating “school staff usually talk to a parent about a child’s progress” ("Eff. Comm.," 2014, p. 3).
Effective communication is only helpful if the person in question utilizes that mode typically. For example, a blind person might require an electronic screen-reading program with letter quality documents. Large print documents will not provide appropriate access to school information. Access to qualified readers, electronic readers, or large print documents should be chosen with the disabled person’s request as the primary consideration. People who are deaf might require a qualified note-taker, sign-language, or oral interpreter. With all options, the support provided by the district must possess the ability to communicate specialized vocabulary as well as being able to present information accurately and impartially.
Schools cannot require the disable person to provide their own accessibility. According to ADA requirements, effective communication is the school’s responsibility when given notice of need in a reasonable amount of time to react. Immediate needs should be honored to the best of the district’s ability.
The ADA Home Page provides access to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations for businesses and State and local governments, technical assistance materials, ADA Standards for Accessible Design, links to Federal agencies with ADA responsibilities and information, updates on new ADA requirem...
