1. Information, advice, and resources for disabilities in education
Special Education
Information, advice, and resources for disabilities in education

2. Table of Contents Blindness Deafness Cerebral Palsy Defined
Tips for Parents
Tips for Educators
Tips for Students
Technology Resources
Internet Resources
Deafness
Defined
Tips for Parents
Tips for Educators
Tips for Students
Technology Resources
Internet Resources
Cerebral Palsy
Defined
Tips for Parents
Tips for Educators
Tips for Students
Technology Resources
Internet Resources
References

3. Blindness and Vision Impairment Defined
Any degree of functional loss of vision from disease or trauma that cannot be traditionally corrected or repaired
Legally Blind status is reserved for people with less than 20/200 vision with corrective lenses
Partially Sighted status includes any vision problems
Low Vision designation is for severe vision impairment, including near- sightedness and far-sightedness
Totally Blind is the most severe designation
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4. Blindness and Vision Impairment Tips for Parents
Contact the school administration to determine what adaptive resources exist for students with vision impairment and what resources could be pursued in the future
Contact the educator to inform him/her of what type of assistance in previous classes has ensured the student’s success
Contact your municipal or county officials to learn of any financial or equipment assistance or services that may be offered for children with vision impairment
Encourage your child to be vocal about sharing his/her needs with the educator and with his/her peers
Encourage your child to openly discuss his or her experience with vision impairment to educate and inform his/her peers
Pursue the assistance of a psychologist or therapist trained to work with children with vision impairment to assist in any emotional obstacles your child may encounter
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5. Blindness and Vision Impairment Tips for Educators
Offer to give a tour of the school, the classroom, and its resources to develop familiarity for the student
Do not take the student by the arm because a totally blind student may use his/her arms for balance – instead, vocally offer your arm to lead the student
Ask the student what kind of accommodations would be helpful for the student before the class to create a comfortable learning space
Contact the parents before the class to learn of what accommodations can be made to help the parents ensure the student’s comfort
Educate the other students in the class with sensitivity training regarding the visually impaired student and encourage them to collaborate and assist in any ways requested of them
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6. Blindness and Vision Impairment Tips for Students
Express any needs or challenges you are experiencing in the classroom to your educators and parents that hinder your learning
Express any needs or challenges you are experiencing at home to your parents and educators that hinder your learning
Openly communicate with your peers regarding your vision impairment so that they may learn from it
Ask your educator if there are braille alternatives to the assigned textbooks and resources
Ask to have an assigned partner after each class to help you navigate between classrooms and to get you to/from your school transportation
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7. Blindness and Vision Impairment Technology Resources
Refreshable Braille Displays – device that connects to a computer to electronically raise and lower pins to transcribe text to braille
Speech Synthesizers – software to translate text to speech
Braille keyboards – device to connect to a computer to take notes, type papers, and communicate on the internet
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8. Blindness and Vision Impairment Internet Resources
National Federation of the Blind website
Disability.gov
Montgomery County Disability Services
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9. Deafness and Hearing Impairment Defined
The loss of hearing, whether partial or total, attributed to disease or trauma
Beyond inability to hear, deafness can significantly impair language and speech development
As of 2004, 65 million people had developed partial or total hearing loss as children
American Sign Language (ASL) is used to communicate by as many as million people in the United States
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10. Deafness and Hearing Impairment Tips for Parents
Contact the school administration to determine what adaptive resources and technology exist for students with hearing impairment and what resources and technology could be pursued in the future
Contact the educator to inform him/her of what type of assistance in previous classes has ensured the student’s success
Contact your municipal or county officials to learn of any financial or equipment assistance or services that may be offered for children with hearing impairment
Encourage your child to communicate with peers using shared communication platforms like , instant messaging, and texting
Learn ASL and offer to teach ASL or share ASL resources for your child’s peers
Ask that ASL training be offered as an after-school program
Pursue the assistance of a psychologist or therapist trained to work with children with hearing impairment to assist in any emotional obstacles your child may encounter
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11. Deafness and Hearing Impairment Tips for Educators
Ask the student in advance of class what kind of accommodations would be helpful for the student to ensure meeting his/her learning objectives
If using an interpreter, communicate looking directly at the student rather than at the interpreter
Educate the other students in the class with sensitivity training regarding the hearing impaired student
Learn and integrate basic ASL into the coursework to improve the learning environment for the hearing impaired student and his/her peers
Work with administration and colleges teaching ASL courses to get volunteers and aides to translate teacher and student communications to the hearing impaired child
Request that a transcriber be available to transcribe all vocal instructions and communications into a computer monitor accessible to the deaf child
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12. Deafness and Hearing Impairment Tips for Students
Express any needs or challenges you are experiencing in the classroom to your educators and parents that hinder your learning
Express any needs or challenges you are experiencing at home to your parents and educators that hinder your learning
Share your experiences and challenges with your peers so that they may learn from them
Request that your teacher make all essential information and assignment instructions available in print
Request your administration provide an ASL signer or interpreter, if not permanently, then for days in which real-time communication is most critical during class
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13. Deafness and Hearing Impairment Technology Resources
Hearing aids
Computer Aided Transcription Services (CART) software
Personal Listening Devices for those with moderate hearing impairment
Computer-Assisted Note Taking
Cell Phones
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14. Deafness and Hearing Impairment Internet Resources
National Association for the Deaf website
Disability.gov
Montgomery County Disability Services
Captioned Media Program
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15. Cerebral Palsy Defined
A developmental disability wherein damage is caused to the motor control centers of the brain before or up to several years after birth
Those affected by CP may struggle with coordination, walking, moving muscles, and/or speaking
CP is a lifelong disability that can be managed and treated with physical therapy and medication
Nearly 800,000 people in the United States have Cerebral Palsy
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16. Cerebral Palsy Tips for Parents
Contact the school administration to determine that the school’s classrooms, restrooms, and transportation can accommodate your child’s specific physical needs
Contact the educators before the class to verify that the specific classroom is situated in a way that your child can easily move through the room to access his/her desk and resources required for the class
Contact your municipal or county officials to learn of any financial or equipment assistance or services that may be offered for children with your child’s specific CP physical needs
Consults medical professionals about the advantages/disadvantages of physical therapy and medication for your child to manage his/her CP
Pursue the assistance of a psychologist or therapist trained to work with children with CP to assist in any emotional obstacles your child may encounter
Search online for local CP-oriented organizations in your locality that features physical activities and sports groups for children with CP
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17. Cerebral Palsy Tips for Educators
Contact the student and parents before class to learn of physical accommodations, such as seating or desk arrangements, that will make the child most comfortable in the learning environment
Contact the parents before class to learn of any necessary medications that the student is taking that you need to be aware of and monitor
Educate the other students in the class and their parents with sensitivity training regarding cerebral palsy and the specifics of this student’s disability
Contact the school administration to determine if any equipment, such as walkers or wheels chairs, can be made available in the school for your student
Speak with administration about providing an aide, should one be necessary for writing or typing assignments in class
Speak with administration and the student’s parents about the feasibility of an afterschool aide for writing- or typing-intensive homework assignments; otherwise, modify assignments to accommodate student’s needs
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18. Cerebral Palsy Tips for Students
Express any needs or challenges you are experiencing in the classroom to your educators and parents that hinder your accessibility and movement within the classroom
Express to your teacher any physical challenges that might be making certain homework assignments more difficult for you than other students
Openly discuss your experiences with CP to educate your peers
Inform your teacher of any therapy, whether physical or medicinal, that would require you to take breaks from classwork
Request that appropriate alternative assignments be offered for writing- or typing-intensive assignments that may prove too strenuous for you without the help of an aide
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19. Cerebral Palsy Technology Resources
Motorized Wheelchair
Elevators
Adaptive Writing Tools
Adaptive Computers with alternatives to standard keyboard, mouse, and monitor
Augmentative Communication services for children with affected speech
Ergonomic Desks and Computer Workstations
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20. Cerebral Palsy Internet Resources
United Cerebral Palsy website
Cerebral Palsy, Inc. website
Disability.gov
Montgomery County Disability Services
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References
Museum of disABILITY History website
Wikipedia
National Federation for the Blind website
National Association for the Deaf website
Nebraska Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing website
United Cerebral Palsy website
Cerebral Palsy, Inc. website
Bing Creative Commons Image Search
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