Students Who Learn Differently
Thanks to the Internet, it is now relatively easy to find out what legal rights your learning-differently student has, no matter where in the world you might be living. In the United States, you can check out the US Department of Education (http://www.ed.gov/). Here you will learn that:
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates that all children have available to them a free and appropriate education designed to meet their unique needs. Changes in the percentage of total public elementary and secondary enrollment and the distribution of students with disabilities affect the level of effort required of educators and policymakers to comply with the current law and help them to forecast the need for future resources.
It is interesting to note that:
- The number of students participating in federal programs for children with disabilities has increased at a faster rate than total public school enrollment. Between 1977 and 1995, the number of students who participated in federal programs for students with disabilities increased 47%, while total public school enrollment decreased by 2%.
- Between 1977 and 1995, the percentage of children with specific learning disabilities as a percentage of total K-12 enrollment rose from 2 to 6%, while those with speech or language impairments or mental retardation decreased slightly.
Do more children learn differently today than in the past, or do these figures reflect the growing public awareness that many student's difficulties do not lie in inattention or laziness but in teaching methods that are not meeting their needs?
In June 1999 at the AHEAD Conference on Dyslexia and Third Level Education, Dr. Gerard Quinn presented a paper entitled, Maintaining Academic Excellence and Achieving Equal Opportunities - An Assessment of Litigation Involving Students with Learning Disabilities Against American Universities. Dr. Quinn's closing paragraph ends on a positive note for our students: In sum, it is submitted that the above review of the legislation and case law demonstrates that it is possible to reconcile the desire to maintain high academic standards with the achievement of equal opportunity for students with disabilities including those with learning disabilities.
In the UK you can find out about dyslexia and the disabled students allowance:
In 1998, the allowance was divided into three sections:
- A technical support allowance of up to 3420 pounds. This is for the purchase of major capital equipment, e.g. computers.
- An allowance for non-medical helpers up to a maximum of 4550 pounds. Non-medical helpers include interpreters for deaf students, proofreaders, etc.
- A general purpose allowance up to a maximum of 1140 pounds. This can pay for consumable goods such as cassettes, printer cartridges or photocopying.
To obtain the grant the student (or someone acting on the student's behalf) must apply to his/her Local Education Authority.
The European Children in Crisis site (http://www.ecic.be) has a section on Member State Provision, which lists possibilities in all 15 of the European member states.
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Students Who Learn Differently
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