EDUCATION
POLICY
STATEMENT
To
prepare them to participate in our democratic society, students with mental
retardation and related developmental disabilities
[1]
will receive a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) that includes
individualized supports and access to a general education curriculum in
inclusive settings with peers of the same age.
ISSUES
The
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that students with
disabilities be educated to the maximum extent possible with students who are
not disabled. Despite this law, many students within our constituency remain
segregated in self-contained classrooms in separate schools, with limited or no
opportunities to participate academically and socially in general education
classrooms and school activities. Segregation of students in schools perpetuates
the alienation of these students. Many do not have access to the same academic
and extracurricular activities and services provided to other students.
Frequently, these students leave school unprepared for adult life in the
community.
Additionally,
many schools lack sufficient and/or trained educators and support personnel to
provide an appropriate education. Despite some gains, special education programs
continue to be under funded, particularly by the federal government. Some
communities still oppose special education and seek to limit educational
opportunities for students in special education. Indeed the education of
students with disabilities has been under assault on numerous fronts by the
press, school officials and the public.
POSITION
Individual
Education Programs (IEPs) for students within our constituency must:
 | Be provided to the maximum extent possible with students who do not have disabilities. |
| Be constructed around an Individualized Educational Program that meets the student’s needs and offers the necessary supports to ensure adherence to the IEP. |
| Be sensitive to linguistic, cultural, gender, and socioeconomic differences as well as individual family circumstances. |
| Provide access to regular curricula and extracurricular services and experiences with peers of the same age without disabilities, including access to post-secondary education. |
| Provide necessary related educational support services to maximize the educational experience. |
| Provide students the opportunity to participate in all general assessments and evaluations. For those students unable to do so, even with appropriate accommodations, alternative assessments and evaluations must be provided. |
| Extend the school year when necessary to ensure continuing educational success but do so with an inclusive educational program to the extent feasible. |
| Be provided by properly qualified, prepared, and supported teachers, related services personnel, and other staff. |
| Include transition into employment or further post-secondary education. |
| Be
fully funded to meet identified needs of eligible children. |
The educational process must:
| Involve students, family members, their chosen advisors, and guardians in designing and monitoring the educational program. |
| Make students, family members, and guardians aware of resources that help them understand their rights. |
| Afford due process to students and their families. |
| Be actively monitored and enforced by local, state, and federal officials to ensure the mandates of IDEA are met. |
To
provide quality educational programs, school districts, colleges, and
universities must prepare teachers and related services personnel to help
students with disabilities access the general education curriculum, as much as
possible, in inclusive school programs.
The
Arc’s Congress of Delegates:
2004
[1] “[People] with mental retardation and related developmental disabilities” refers to our consitutency, i.e. those defined by the AAMR classification and the DSM IV. In everyday language they are frequently referred to as people with intellectual, cognitive, or developmental disabilities although the professional and legal definitions of those terms both include others and exclude some defined by DSM IV.
