Message From OSEP Director,
Ms. Valerie C. Williams

Dear Friends!

We had an anniversary celebration last week. Fifty years ago on Sept. 26, 1973, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was signed into law. The Rehabilitation Act was a major legislative milestone in the history of ensuring equity and greater access for Americans with disabilities. 

In Congress’ own words, some of the purposes for passing the Rehabilitation Act include:

• Develop and implement comprehensive and continuing state plans for meeting the current and future needs for providing vocational rehabilitation services to handicapped individuals and to provide such services for the benefit of such individuals*, serving first those with the most severe handicaps, so that they may prepare for and engage in gainful employment;
• Initiate and expand services to groups of handicapped individuals (including those who are homebound or institutionalized) who have been underserved in the past.
• Promote and expand employment opportunities in the public and private sectors for handicapped individuals and to place such individuals in employment;
• Provide assistance for the purpose of increasing the number of rehabilitation personnel and increasing their skills through training; and
• Evaluate existing approaches to architectural and transportation barriers confronting handicapped individuals, develop new such approaches, enforce statutory and regulatory standards and requirements regarding barrier-free construction of public facilities and study and develop solutions to existing architectural and transportation barriers impeding handicapped individuals.

Not mentioned within Congress’ purposes was the creation the Rehabilitation Services Administration, our colleagues in OSERS, or the final provision of the Rehabilitation Act, “Nondiscrimination Under Federal Grants,” what we all know as Section 504.

Looking ahead, we need to reaffirm our work that empowers individuals with disabilities to live their lives to the fullest. While the unemployment rate for individuals with disabilities has gone down by nearly 50 percent since 2009 (from 14.5% to 7.6%), only 23% of Americans with disabilities are in the nation’s labor force — compared with 68% of people without a disability. 

One flourishing approach that can play a meaningful role in supporting young adults with disabilities that was not contemplated in 1973 are Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary Programs (CTPs). CTPs are college programs where students with intellectual and other disabilities have the opportunity to extend their education beyond high school in an inclusive post secondary environment. There are 328 programs in 49 states, with New York and Florida leading the way. We need to continue innovating and supporting new ideas. I’m looking forward to highlighting CTPs in our Expect, Engage and Empower: Successful Transitions for All! Initiative.

Happy Anniversary to all!

In solidarity,

Valerie­­­­

*PS — It is important to note how 50 years ago Congress used the term "Handicapped Individual" to denote any individual who: has a physical or mental disability which for such individual constitutes or results in a substantial handicap to employment and can reasonably be expected to benefit in terms of employability from vocational rehabilitation service. Congress used the term “Handicapped” when it passed the predecessor to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), hence Public Law 94-142 was called the Education of the Handicapped Act. We have used the term “child with a disability” since 1990.
 

New OSEP Fast Facts on Children Identified With Intellectual Disability

OSEP recently released a new OSEP Fast Facts:  Children Identified with Intellectual Disability, which explores Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 618 data. This Fast Fact takes a closer look at data on children whose primary disability is intellectual disability.

Highlights from this Fast Facts:

• In School Year 2021-22:
• The percentage of students with disabilities identified with intellectual disability was 6.02%. States reported a range from 2.29% to 14.82% of students with disabilities identified with intellectual disability.
• Students identified with intellectual disability were more likely to be an English Learner than all students with disabilities (13.16% and 11.8%, respectively).
• Students identified with intellectual disability were more likely to be served inside a regular class less than 40% of the day than all students with disabilities (47% and 13%, respectively).
• When compared to all students with disabilities, Black or African American students were more likely to be identified with intellectual disability (25.62% and 17.01%), and white students were less likely to be identified with intellectual disability (37.61% and 45.43%, respectively). 
• Students identified with intellectual disability, ages 14-21, exiting school were more likely to receive a certificate (34% and 10%, respectively) and less likely to graduate with a regular high school diploma (48% and 75%, respectively) than all students with disabilities.

Save The Date!

The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) will host the first session for the 2023-2024 OSERS Symposium Series, Belonging: Building and Sustaining Environments that Support High Expectations, Engagement, and Empowerment for All!, virtually on Oct. 25, 1-2:30 p.m. ET! 

About the Event

The 2023-2024 OSERS Symposia Series will provide an opportunity for the field to join OSERS in the challenge to raise expectations, engage families earlier, and fully empower all individuals who support transition services to improve postschool outcomes for children and youth with disabilities and their families. OSERS believes that education and vocational rehabilitation services can work seamlessly to deliver high-quality transition programming that will prepare youth with disabilities for lifelong success. Such effective delivery under IDEA and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) relies on purposeful collaboration between educators, vocational rehabilitation professionals, service providers, and especially youth and families.

Watch the kickoff event for the Expect, Engage, Empower initiative.

The first session in this series will focus on the importance of building a sense of belonging for children, youth, and young adults with disabilities in school, college, and workplace settings. If you haven’t already, click the button below to register. 

Register Here

Additional updates on important resources, events, and information will be posted on OSEP’s Expect, Engage, Empower: Successful Transition for All homepage.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact the planning team at OSEP-EEE@air.org.
 

Differentiated Monitoring and Support 

OSEP monitors all IDEA Part C and B programs through its Differentiated Monitoring and Support 2.0 system (DMS 2.0). DMS 2.0 is a cyclical monitoring process that focuses on states’ general supervision systems. OSEP will be announcing the engagement months for those states in Cohort 3 and those states that will be in Cohort 4 in October.

To review monitoring reports, resources, and other support documents related to our monitoring activities (e.g., DMS 2.0, DMS Reports, and older monitoring reports), please refer to the DMS section on our IDEA website.

ED Games Expo

The U.S. Department of Education held its 9th annual ED Games Expo, Sept. 19-22. The annual event showcased game-changing education technology (EdTech) created through more than 50 programs, including those presented as part of the Special Education & Technology Showcase.

Research Highlights From the National Center for Special Education Research

The Institute for Education Science’s (IES) National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) funds research designed to expand knowledge and understanding of learners with and at risk for disabilities, from infancy through postsecondary settings.

Spotlight on FY 2023 Early Career Development Grant Awardees: Supporting Latine Transborder Caregivers and Their Young Children with or at Risk for Autism presents an interview with Dr. Ana Dueñas on her background, how she began this line of research, the unique challenges and needs of this study population, and the impact she hopes her research will have on society.

Behavior and School Discipline for Students with Disabilities highlights NCSER-funded research that aims to alleviate the behavior challenges leading to exclusionary disciplinary practices, which often disproportionately impact students with disabilities.

The Updated AEM Glossary Has Arrived!

Need some assistance in breaking down key terms aligned with accessible educational materials (AEM)? The national center on AEM announced that the AEM glossary, which provides definitions of key terms, has been updated. Consider bookmarking and/or downloading this resource! 

It is intended to be used as a reference by a general audience. Have a recommended term and definition for the AEM Glossary? Contact AEM at aem@cast.org.

CITES 2.0 Launches October 2023

Center on Inclusive Technology & Education Systems (CITES) is pleased to share that in Oct. 2023, the Center's next five-year round of funding launches and continues through 2028. CITES 2.0 will extend the existing Center’s work to provide state-aligned, intensive technical assistance support to four local educational agencies (LEAs) within two states (two LEAs in each state). As part of the work, CITES will leverage Active Implementation Frameworks to support sustained and scalable systems change tools to ensure alignment with state-adopted frameworks, such as Multi-Tiered System of Supports or Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, as well as state accountability systems.

Reach out to the CITES team with questions at cites@cast.org. 

Deficit Narratives: How We Can Change Our Perspective

Deficit narratives imply that the children, not the schools or programs, need to change in order to improve outcomes and experiences. So, how can we turn those statements around to place the responsibility on schools and programs to ensure equitable outcomes for all children, regardless of their identity characteristics, geographic location, socioeconomic status, or any other label? Read DaSy’s latest blog post Deficit Narratives: How We Can Change Our Perspective to learn about small steps on changing the perspective from a deficit narrative to a systems narrative.

Resources for Families of Children
Who Are Deafblind

Key Topics for Families on the National Center on Deaf-Blindness website have tips, strategies, and supports that families of children who are deafblind can use to help them navigate their child's services and their family's everyday life. The topics are arranged by categories that include early intervention, educational services, learning at home, and transition.

Coaching in Early Intervention

Early childhood coaching is a training and professional development strategy to support teachers and other professionals who work directly with young children and their families. The University of Nebraska’s Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools is promoting evidence-based practices among early intervention coaches, which improve infant and toddler outcomes.

Visit their webpage to read more or watch their two-minute video.

EdTech for All: Video Series 

In Tennessee an initiative called Teaching All Students is focused on increasing access to content and career readiness instruction to all students, particularly those with complex and cognitive disabilities. Teams that include a school administrator, district special education director, general education teacher, and special education teacher participate in shared training.

As a part of the training, school teams identify work streams, actions, and beliefs foundational to achieving their goals. The teams then commit to planning and scheduling identified actions first.

Read more about their project here.