Supportive Legislation

There have been several laws and programs put into place to assist individuals with disabilities. As an educator I find it essential to address issues of special needs, and to express my desire and intention to comply with supportive legislation. I would like to discuss three acts that have been crucial in assisting disabled individuals.

The Assistive Technology Act (ATA) began as the Technology-Related Assistance Act of 1988, also known as "The Tech Act." The term "assistive technology" refers to technology and devices designed to aid individuals with various types of disabilities in all settings (home, work, school, etc.) The focus of this act is to improve access to and awareness of this technology. In 1998, the Tech Act became the Assistive Technology Act, and in 2004, it was re-authorized with amendments.

For more information, please see:
http://www.ataporg.org/atap/legislative?id=act1998
A site which provides information on technology available for disabled individuals:
http://www.abledata.com/
A colleague's explanation of the ATA with links to other sources:
Dawn Rupp http://www.aboutmeedtech202.blogspot.com/

Another of these laws is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA. This law requires that services be provided, nationwide, to children with disabilities. Under different sections of this act, all ages are addressed from birth to age 21.

For further information on IDEA, please see the following sources:
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/Policy/IDEA/index.html
http://idea.ed.gov/
A colleague's explanation of IDEA with links to other sources:
Christine Nichols http://iblog-christie.blogspot.com/2009/06/idea-legislation.html

Lastly, The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides protection to disabled individuals against discrimination from employers, labor unions, and government and private enterprises. Please see my blog entry titled "Americans with Disabilities Act" for further information on the ADA, as well as links to very informative websites.

Two colleagues who have also researched the ADA:
Tiffany Bailey http://tiffanyannbailey.blogspot.com/
Nate Evans http://nateevansblog.blogspot.com/

Each of the above acts has specific intentions. The ATA, to help provide valuable technological advances to those in need, IDEA, to help provide proper service in education to young students, and the ADA which protects disabled citizens from discrimination. These government interventions are very important to me because they ensure that all students receive what they need in the educational system. I will abide by all the above mandates in an effort to differentiate for each student and help him/her meet his/her goals. It is my goal that each student to be as successful as possible.

Please feel free to speak to me anytime about the above laws, or any issues associated with them.