Online Resources Library

There are several options that might be appropriate for this student or others in a similar situation.  Some scanners come with software enabling the user to scan directly into a PDF document; however, it is more likely that you will have to purchase either Adobe Acrobat or third-party software that will allow you to convert scanned documents into PDF.

Converting the scanned image would enable you to maintain the original layout of the document and still work with Natural Reader since it is capable of reading PDFs as well as MS Word documents.  Having the capability to convert documents to PDF could also be beneficial for other students, as the newer versions of Adobe Reader have improved read out loud capabilities.  This could be helpful for students who don't have access to a screen reader at home.

Start with Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic website or Bookshare.org; they often have textbooks available when you may not be able to find them elsewhere.  If a student has a documented disability, he/she can access any books from RFDB or Bookshare.org.

If the textbook you are looking for is not available through the above noted resources, or you think you'll need to scan and convert texts on a more regular basis, you may want to consider purchasing a scanner and accompanying text-to-speech software.  What you end up purchasing will depend on your needs and how much you are able to spend.  Solutions for having text read aloud range from the incredibly simple scanning in text and using built-in voices to read, to the more complex scanning in text and using human sounding narration and converting to an MP3.

Adobe Acrobat Reader and Microsoft Word both have very simple text-to-speech capabilities.  If you prefer something with more natural sounding narration, you might need something with more features.

Providing accessible text to students with disabilities has received a lot of attention in recent years as both technology tools and publisher standards have modernized.  The increasing availability of digitized texts from a variety of sources make it easier than ever before to find most materials available in multiple formats.  For harder to find texts, software and hardware options are available to help you convert texts into formats more readily accessible by individuals with print disabilities.

If you are trying to find electronic text and audio books, there are several free options available for students with documented print disabilities:  Bookshare and Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic are both popular options for finding texts for students, and may be a good place to start if looking for academic texts and grade-level literature.  Project Gutenburg is another option for free eBooks, and Librivox has free audio books available for download.  Both websites offer books in the public domain, so they may not always have everything you are looking for.

For students who are blind, you may be interested in purchasing a Braille printer or refreshable Braille displays.  Check out the customized Tech Matrix on Braille for suggestions.

Many libraries provide their patrons with online resource lists, in addition to offering a wide variety of accessibility options within the library building.  Some accessibility options for patrons my include helpful links on the library website, and pointing users to both local and national disability groups.  Within the library it is important to note that media is accessible - books on tape, audio books, captioned videos, descriptive videos, magnifiers and large print books all help ensure that a variety of media is available to patrons.  Many libraries also provide assistive software and hardware where needed.  This may include reading and writing software, software capable of reading text aloud (text-to-speech), software that can enlarge text on the screen or Braille embossers for the blind.

For further ideas, check out the American Libraries Assocaition (ALA) disability-specific Tip Sheets on Learning Disabilities, Children with Disabilities, Autism & Spectrum Disorders, as well as many others.

There are now a number of fairly inexpensive ways to provide struggling readers with access to printed materials by providing text digitally, and for assistance with this see An Educator's Guide to Making Textbooks Accessible and Usable for Students with Learning Disabilities.  Once you have digital text, you may have many options.

Many publishers now offer their textbooks on CD-ROM and teachers can easily scan printed materials into their computer to create digital versions of texts.  One of the easiest (and least expensive) ways to provide students with recorded text is to use text-to-speech features built into your computer's operating system to read digitized text.  These simple programs can read text files aloud for students and are freely available with all Windows and Macintosh operating systems.  Although they lack more sophisticated control options and choices for speaking voices, they may be an appropriate solution for helping students read short pieces of text.

Another free option for helping students access text is to download books from a website such as Project Gutenberg or LibriVox.  The books available from these sites are in the public domain, so you will not be able to find newer books here.  However, they are freely available to all and may be a good solution for providing electronic versions of popular classics.  Files are usually available in HTML, PDF or Text format, which can then be read aloud using any text-to-speech program.  The Adobe Reader has a built in Read Out Loud feature which allows the user to have any part of a PDF file read aloud.  You could also use this feature with any hard copy text that you scan and save as a PDF.

A third option is to obtain audio books from Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic.  Membership is required in order to access audio books and a special player or software is necessary to play the books.  Another site, Bookshare provides digital talking books for students of any age with disabillities.  Students with qualifying print disabilities can now access the entire Bookshare collection free of charge.  Additionally, audio books can be ordered from websites such as Amazon, Audible, or Barnes & Noble.  This option will likely be more expensive than the cost of a RFB&D membership.

The most flexible option (and also the most expensive) would be to purchase software capable of converting text files into audio files.  A quick internet search will revewal several downloadable programs for running text to audio conversions.  For a school purchase, it would be wise to investigate programs that can be used for a variety of reading and writing task such as Kurzweil 3000, Proloquo, TextAloud and WYNN.  With these tools, you can convert any text file to a sound file; students can then listen to text using an MP3 player, their computer or CD player.  Using a scanner, you can easily scan any print material and create recorded text for your students for any book, textbook, handout, or article you use in your teaching.

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a multi-tiered approach to identifying and supporting struggling students.  In this approach, all students receive the same high quality instruction and assessments.  Students who do not respond to this instruction (as revealed by frequent in-class assessments) will then receive more targeted and intensive instruction.  Students who continue to struggle will receive further interventions, possibly in the form of direct one-on-one instruction.

For some students these tiered interventions may be enough to accelerate their learning and help them catch up with their peers.  For others, their lack of response to intervention may signal a need for an evaluation of special education services.  Because data on each student is collected at every stage, much of this data can then be used to help determine the presence of a specific learning disability.

Technology can play a key role in the response to intervention process, both as a means of assessment, and as a means of intervention.  It might be helpful to check out the CITEd webinar on the Role of Technology in Response to Intervention.  CITEd has an online module on differentiating instruction using technology that may help a teacher see how technology can assist in the teaching of different students at different levels; and they also include a discussion forum and a number of helpful resources.  There are two national centers providing technical assistance to schools and districts; the National Center on Response to intervention and the RTI Action Network.

The relative ease of using techology to track, monitor and graph student assessment data may be an enticing benefit for teachers.  It allows them to quickly determine student achievement and level without having to deal with data collection and recording themselves, leaving them more time to focus on teaching.  The National Center on Student Progress Monitoring has a helpful chart of tools and the content areas they cover.

Spelling can be challenging for students with learning disabilities, especially if they struggle with reading.  The types of tools you might want to try depend on difficulties with spelling and the importance of spelling to the task that your son is trying to complete.  For example, on a writing assignment, it may be more important for your son to get his words out on paper and express his ideas than to spell every word correctly.  In those situations, your son could benefit from a writing program with word prediction or the use of a contextual spell checker.  By using software to remove the need to know how to spell every word correctly, your son can focus on the act of writing as a way of demonstrating his knowledge.

You have the right to disagree with the school's decisions concerning your child.  This includes decisions about:

• your child's identification as a "child with a disability;"
• his or her evaluation;
• his or her educational placement; and
• the special education and related services that the school provides to your child.

In all cases where the family and school disagree, it is important for both sides to first discuss their concerns and try to reach consensus.  Decisions can be temporary.  For example, you might agree to try out a particular plan of instruction or classrooom placement for a certain period of time.  At the end of that period, the school can check your child's progress.  You and other members of your child's IEP team can then meet again, talk about how your child is doing, and decide what to do next.  The trial period may help you and the school come to a comfortable agreement on how to help your child.

Always remember that you and the school will be making decisions together about your child's education for as long as your child goes to that school and continues to be eligible for special education and related services.  A good working relationship with school staff is important now and in the future.

Yes.  Under IDEA, your child must be re-evaluated at least every three years, unless you and the school agree that a re-evaluation is not necessary.  The purpose of this re-evaluation is to find out:

• if your child continues to be a "child with a disability," as defined within the law; and
• your child's educational needs.

The re-evaluation is similar to the initial evaluation.  It begins by looking at the information already available about your child.  More information is collected only if the IEP team determines that more information is needed or if you request it.  If the group decides that additional assessments are needed, you must give your informed written permission before the school system may collect that information.  The school system may only go ahead without your informed written permission if they have tried to get your permission and you did not respond.

Although the law requires that children with disabilities be re-evaluated at least every three years, your child may be re-evaluated more often if you or your child's teacher(s) request it.  However, re-evaluations may not occur more than once a year, unless you and the school system agree that a re-evaluation is needed.

Yes.  If you and the school want to change your child's IEP after the annual IEP meeting, you and the school may agree not to convene an IEP meeting.  Instead, you and the school will develop a written document that will amend your child's IEP.  If your child's IEP is changed, all IEP team members will be informed of the changes, and if you request it, the school must give you a copy of the revised IEP.

Yes.  At least once a year a meeting must  be scheduled with you to review your child's progress and develop your child's new annual IEP.  But you don't have to wait for this annual review.  You (or any other team member) may ask to have your child's IEP reviewed or revised at any time.

During the meeting to revise the IEP the team will talk about:

• your child's progress toward the goals in the current IEP;
• what new goals should be added; and
• whether any changes need to be made to the special education and related services your child receives.

This annual IEP meeting, or any periodic IEP review you might request allows you and the school to review your child's educational program and change it as necessary.

Yes.  At any time after providing initial consent, you may revoke consent, in writing, for the continued provision of special education and related services.  Once you revoke the consent, the school system may no longer provide special education and related services to your child, and they may not use mediation or due process procedures to try to override your revocation of consent.

The school must obtain your informed written consent before the initial provision of special education and related services to your child and must make reasonable efforts to obtain that consent.

If you don't respond to the request for consent for the initial provision of special education and related services, or you refuse to give consent, the school system may not override your lack of consent and implement the IEP.  The school system is not considered in violation of its requirement to make a free appropriate public education available to your child.  Your lack of consent, however, means that your child will not receive special education and related services in school.

According to IDEA, your child's IEP must include specific statements.  These include:

• Present levels of academic achievement and functional performance.
• Annual goals.
• Special education and related services to be provided.
• Participation with children without disabilities.
• Dates and location.  The IEP must state (a) when special education and related and supplementary aids and services will begin; (b) how often they will be provided; (c) where they will be provided; and (d) how long they will last.
• Participation in state and district-wide assessments.
• Transition services
• Measuring progress.

It is very important that children who receive special education participate in the general education curriculum as much as possible.  They should learn the same curriculum as children without disabilities - for example, reading, math, science, social studies, and physical education.  In some cases, this curriculum may need to be adapted for your child to learn, but it should not be omitted.  Participation in extracurricular activities and other nonacademic activities is also important.  Your child's IEP need to be written with this in mind.  When your child's IEP is developed, an important part of the discussion will be how to support your child in regular education classes and activities in the school.

The acronym IEP stands for Individualized Education Plan.  This is a written document that describes the educational program designed to meet a child's individual needs.  Every child who receives special education must have an IEP.

The IEP has two general purposes:

1. to set learning goals for your child; and
2. to state the supports and services that the school district will provide for your child.

The next step is to write and implement what is known as an Individualized Education Program - usually called an IEP.  After a child is found eligible, a meeting must be held within 30 days to develop the IEP.

If the eligibility team decides that your child is not eligible for special education, the school system must tell you this in writing and explain why your child has been found "not eligible."  Under IDEA, you must also be given information about what you can do if you disagree with this decision.

Read the information the school system gives you.  Make sure it includes information about how to appeal the school system's decision.  If that information is not in the materials the school gives you, ask the school for it.  IDEA includes many different mechansims for resolving disagreements, including mediation.  The school is required to tell you what those mechansims are and how to use them.

Also, get in touch with your state's Parent Training and Information (PTI) center.  The PTI can tell you what steps to take next.  Your PTI is listed online at www.nichcy.org/Pages/StateSpecificInfo.aspx

The decision about your child's eligibility for services is based on whether your son or daughter has a disability that fits into one of IDEA's 13 disability categories and meets any additional state or local criteria for eligibility.  This decision will be made when the evaluation has been completed, and the results are available.

If your child is found eligible, you and the school will work together to design an individualized education program for your child.  The school will give you a copy of the evaluation report on your child and the paperwork about your child's eligibility for special education and related services.  This documentation is provided at no cost to you.

Under IDEA, a child may not be found eligible for services if the determining reason for thinking the child is eligible is that:

• the child has limited English proficiency; or
• the child has not had appropriate instruction in math or reading.

The infomation gathered from the evaluation will be used to make important decisions about your child's education.  All of the infomation about your child will be used:

• to decide if your child is eligible for special education and related services; and
• to help you and the school decide on what your child needs educationally.

Professionals will observe your child and may give your child written tests or talk personally with your child.  They are trying to get a picture of the "whole child."  They want to understand such aspects as:

• how well your child speaks and understands language;
• how your child thinks and behaves;
• how well your child adapts to changes in his or her environment;
• how well your child has done academically;
• how well your child functions in a number of areas, such as moving, thinking, learning, seeing, and hearing; and
• your child's job-related and other post-school interests and abilities.

IDEA gives  clear directions about how schools must conduct evaluations.  For example, tests and interviews must be given in the language (i.e. - Spanish) or communication mode (i.e. - sign language) that is most likely to yield accurate information about what your child knows or can do developmentally, functionally, and academically.  The tests must also be given in a way that does not discriminate against your child because he or she has a disability or is from a different racial or cultural background.

IDEA states that schools may not decide on a child's eligibility for special education based on the results of only one procedure such as a test or an observation.  More than one procedure is needed to see where your child may be having difficulty and to identify his or her strengths and needs.