Recognizing 47 Years of IDEA

November 29, 2022, marked the 47th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which was signed into law on November 29, 1975. At the time IDEA was passed in 1975 (originally named the Educational for All Handicapped Children Act, or Public Law 94-142), Congress found that children with disabilities were excluded entirely from the public school system. The signing of this law guarantees access to a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment to every child with a disability. In the last 47 years, we have learned a lot about how to design high-quality instruction, educate the whole child, and set high expectations. In response, Congress has amended IDEA several times to ensure it remains relevant and addresses current issues associated with equity and educational justice. In recognition of 47 years of IDEA, and to share the continued urgency of the work to improve outcomes for students with disabilities, Valerie C. Williams, director of the Office of Special Education Programs shared her perspectives on IDEA in a blog post titled 47 Years Later, Are we Delivering on the Promise of IDEA?

TASH Conference 2022

The 2022 TASH Conference was held on December 1–3, in Phoenix, Arizona, and the conference theme was Together We Rise!  Each year, the TASH Conference brings together professors and researchers from leading institutions; those involved in local, state, and federal governments and public policy; special and general educators, and school administrators; self-advocates, adult service providers; students, family members, and many others, to share resources and success stories, learn about field-driven best practices, and network within a community engaged in shared values. Washington state was well represented at the TASH conference and included a large coalition of educators, state leadership, administrators, self-advocates, family members, and community-based organization coordinators. After three days of presenting and learning alongside one another, reflecting on our learning, and debriefing key takeaways, our Washington state constituents have returned home with ideas for new innovations, and a continued commitment to work together to improve outcomes for every student.

January 4th: World Braille Day

World Braille Day, January 4th, is an internationally recognized day to celebrate the importance of Braille as a means of access, literacy, and communication and its contribution to the realization of human rights and social justice for individuals who are blind or low vision. January 4th is also the birthday of Braille inventor, Louis Braille.

Dr. Robert Irwin is the first person to graduate from the Washington State School for the Blind (WSSB), graduating in May 1901. Dr. Irwin, along with other prominent blind leaders like Helen Keller, played an integral role in the establishment of Standard English Braille for all English-speaking countries in 1932, about 100 years after Louis Braille had first invented the code.

WSSB’s Ogden Resource Center (ORC) is your resource for Braille. The ORC has a warehouse of previously transcribed braille textbooks available for loan as well as Braille transcription services at a reduced rate thanks to the generous support of OSPI. The ORC utilizes nationally certified Braille transcribers and proofreaders. Visit Ogden Resource Center | Washington State School for the Blind to learn more.

Thank you to Scott McCallum, Superintendent, Washington State School for the Blind (WSSB) for sharing about the importance of World Braille Day, the history of WSSB and information about resources available at the Ogden Resource Center.

Legislative Update

January 9th marks the start of the 105-day 2023 biennial legislative session. During the session, this section of the Special Education Monthly Update will provide news on bills that school districts will be interested in. To learn more about OSPI’s legislative priorities and requests, please see the agency’s letter to the Governor and Legislature and our legislative decision package page. To learn more about the request to fully fund special education services in Washington, please see our budget request briefing.

Please contact david.green@k12.wa.us with any comments or questions.

Team Member Spotlight, Alexandra Toney

What do you like most about your role in the Special Education division at OSPI?   

I love my role at OSPI as it affords me the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in policy, guidance, and technical assistance to the Washington state education system, which in turn can shift local policies and practices. Additionally, I am connected daily to colleagues that possess such a great wealth of expertise and collective passion focused on how to best support students to be ready for their post-secondary pathways, careers, and civic engagement.

What have you learned from your work in the field?

One of my favorite parts of my job is to discover and learn about best and promising practices from districts, schools, and educators in our state, and to capture this in guidance and technical assistance to support and inspire others. There is an incredible amount of collective expertise and passion among Washington state educators and administrators and making connections to the work that people do for others to learn and build off is exciting to me. Each year my own knowledge deepens as I learn the innovative approaches being used to support student progress, growth and belonging. It is through partnership and collaboration that we all grow.  

Has adding someone to your family this year changed your perspective on your work?   

I have spent the culmination of my professional life working to understand how to better support individuals with disabilities to have the most opportunities and readiness to live the life that they desire to live. My family had our first daughter, Elinor, in July of 2022 and we love her very much. Having a daughter has added a greater sense of empathy and urgency to work that the special education has been engaged in. I am deeply motivated by the idea that when she experiences elementary and secondary school that perhaps she can experience a more meaningful, supportive, and inclusive environment that she feels is preparing her for her next steps after public education.

Eligibility Determinations for Children Suspected of Having a Visual Impairment Including Blindness under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

As a follow-up to OSEP’s November 17, 2022, National Technical Assistance Call regarding IDEA requirements when making eligibility determinations for children suspected of having a visual impairment, including blindness (VI), OSEP is reminding states of their responsibilities and available resources. All states are required to have policies, procedures, and practices that are consistent with the requirements under 34 CFR §300.8(c)(13). States are strongly encouraged to review their VI definitions and criteria to determine consistency with IDEA. In addition, states must utilize their general supervision responsibilities to ensure that their local educational agencies, individualized education program teams, and eligibility determination groups are utilizing VI criteria in accordance with IDEA. OSEP resources that provide more clarity around these requirements are OSEP Memo 17-05 and OSEP’s Letter to Kotler. 

Clarifications on Parent Procedures for Requesting an Initial Evaluation

In November of 2022, The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) published a policy letter in response to a request to clarify the requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) related to the procedures parents must follow when requesting an initial evaluation to determine their child’s eligibility for special education and related services. In this policy letter, OSEP provided some informal guidance to make clearer the existing requirements under the law or agency policy.

The policy paper explains that,

While IDEA requires every state to identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities who need special education and related services, it does not provide specific requirements regarding the manner in which a request for an initial evaluation of a child suspected of having a disability must be made. In the absence of specific provisions, states may develop their own procedures, provided they are not inconsistent with, and do not substantially limit, a parent’s right to request an initial evaluation under IDEA.

Read the letter in its entirety.

Invitation to Serve: 2023–24 Special Education State Design Team (SDT) – IEP Focus Group

The OSPI Special Education State Design Team IEP focus group will meet in 2023 and continues to recruit student, family, community, and education partners to participate. Partners will have an opportunity to provide feedback in multiple ways, including attending virtual meetings, phone calls, emails, review of draft documents, local meetings, etc. The next meeting will focus on IEP content and processes related to secondary transition and will occur Thursday, February 2, 2023, from 3:30–5 pm. If you want to be involved, please contact the special education Program Improvement Team.

This section includes hyperlinks to important information shared in previous monthly updates.

Safety Net Training

For a listing of training dates, see the Safety Net website. Questions? Contact the Safety Net team.

Save the Date and Call for Proposals: Pacific Northwest Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) Summit

The Pacific Northwest SLP Summit is a partnership between Capital Region ESD 113, the Washington Speech-Language - Hearing Association (WSLHA), and the University of Washington to provide opportunity for SLPs to learn together. This hybrid conference will be held on April 21–22, 2023, with in-person and virtual participation options. Proposal Submissions are due February 1, 2022. 

Save the Date for the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Fest 2023

WASA and OSPI are excited to announce that MTSS Fest 2023 will be held in person on August 3 and 4, 2023 in the Tri-Cities! We will also offer a Special Education Directors Preconference on August 2, 2023, at the same venue. Additional details and registration information coming soon.

Department of Health Respiratory Illness Communications Resources

Several respiratory viruses are creating increased incidence of illnesses and straining health care systems, as well as schools. Recommendations for protecting individuals against these viruses include:

• Vaccinating against influenza and COVID-19 for all eligible persons aged 6 months or over.
• Diagnostic testing to guide treatment and clinical management.

The Washington Department of Health has also created communications templates for sharing with families:

• RSV Email for Families
• RSV 90 Second Video Sample Script
• Flu COVID Infographic for Facebook
• Flu COVID Twitter
• Flu COVID Infographic for Instagram: English and Spanish
• Flu COVID Facebook & Twitter Spanish