Multiple Disability "Multiple disabilities " or "MD" means concomitant impairments that have an adverse effect on the child’s educational performance, the combination of which causes severe educational needs that cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for one (1) of the impairments.

Concomitant Occurring or existing concurrently…..the combination of which causes severe educational needs that cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for one of the impairments

Multiple Disabilities does not mean deaf-blindness speech or language impairment in combination with another category of disability.

Multiple Disability Examples Functional mental disability-blindness Mild Mental disability-Deaf Autism - Blindness

Key Question What is it about the combination of the two disabilities that keeps the student from being appropriately educated in the program that would serve the student, but for the presence of the second disability?

Why not MD? Participants determine why the following disabilities are not likely eligible for MD – SLD & OHI – EBD-OHI – SLD-VI – FMD-EBD – MMD-EBD

MD Eligibility Problems Found in Folders 2 underlying eligibility forms completed but not the MD eligibility form Did not meet eligibility criteria for one of the underlying areas Conference summary did not document why the student cannot be served solely in a program for one impairment No documentation of interventions

MD Eligibility Problems Found in Folders Exclusionary causes were not ruled out when MD was determined for the following underlying disability areas – EBD-OHISLD-VI – FMD-EBDMMD-EBD Present Levels and Annual Goals in IEP provide little supporting evidence of the adverse affect of the disability

MD Eligibility Problems Found in Folders Transfer student did not meet MD eligibility criteria. District should have reevaluated No Eligibility Determination Forms completed Needed Evaluation Components were missing to support eligibility criteria. ARC determined student to be eligible anyway 2 Underlying Disabilities were mild and can be accommodated in a special education program solely for one of the impairments