Hi and welcome to Carolina Classrooms.

I'm Laurie Ybarra.

Our topic today is special education, a term used to describe specially designed instruction, at no cost, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ensures these students access to a free appropriate public education.

We've brought together a panel of experts to discuss what that means for students and their caregivers.

Our first guests today include Jeff Maxey, Special Education Specialist in the Greenville County School District, and also the 2019 South Carolina Teacher of the Year; LaToya Wiley, Director of Special Programs for the Aiken County School District; Tracy Harmon, Special Education Department Chair for the Richmond County School District in Augusta, Georgia; Beckie Davis, Director of the Office of Special Education Services at the South Carolina Department of Education.

Beckie, we'll start with you.

What factors affect access to special education services?

<Beckie> The student has to qualify, which means meeting the criteria for that disability.

But just because the student has a disability does not mean that he or she is entitled to an IEP.

There are two prongs for eligibility and one is to have a disability.

The other is that because of that disability, there's an adverse impact on educational performance that creates the need for specially designed instruction.

And as far as factors that might impact that special education doesn't really acknowledge any factors, because it is the right of that child to have specially designed instruction if that's what he needs in order to access general education.

So when you look at socio economic status or rural versus urban, none of that really should be playing a role in whether or not that child has a right to specially designed instruction.

<Laurie> What accommodations are school districts required to provide if a student is diagnosed with a disability?

<Beckie> It depends.

That's an answer you will hear a lot in special education, 'it depends' because it truly depends on the individual unique needs that result from that child's disability.

So you may have two children same age, same grade with the same disability category, whose accommodations and specially designed services look very different because the disability impacts each child uniquely, and it's what puts the 'I' in Individuals with Education Improvement Act.

<Laurie> Ms. LaToya, describe the different roles of special education educators in a typical school district.

<LaToya> In a typical school district, we have a variety of education professionals who support students with disabilities ranging from a school bus driver who has specially designed training to support students with complex medical needs, to a bus monitor, to a paraprofessional.

We have classroom teachers who have gone to school for years to have that specially designed instructional techniques to help a student access their education.

We have speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists.

We have teachers who have specific trainings to support students with hearing impairments and vision impairments.

We have sign language facilitators for students who are non verbal, we have assistive technology consultants, who support students with access in their school environment through technology.

It really varies.

<Laurie> How is it determined whether or not a student needs assistive technology?

<Beckie> Typically districts have an Assistive Technology Team that's made up of a group of persons in the district that are knowledgeable about assistive technology, and that's part of an evaluation or reevaluation process with the student, because you have to gather all of the information you need, not only to determine eligibility or continued eligibility, but also to determine what that child's educational needs are, that are related or come from that disability.

And so assistive technology would look at what kinds of things from low tech devices, a pencil grip, to very high tech devices, like a voice over system the student needs in order to interact with and engage and access the general curriculum, but it's usually a team.

Just about everything we do in special ed is a team approach.

<Laurie> What's an IEP and 504?

And what are the differences between them?

<Tracy> So an IEP is... we call it an individualized education plan, because that plan is for specifically that unique student.

It is where the parents, the teachers, and the students, and of course, if we have other related services like occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy that may play, they come in, and we create a plan for that student.

And it's like a plan for success.

At that point, we are putting together what type of academic services are available, what related services are available.

If the child would need special transportation, that's on there.

Then we also look at testing, state testing, if that's a part of it.

Some students may require GAA, I'm saying GA, because I'm in Georgia.

They may require a different type of testing, like maybe it's sort of a hands on testing, or they may require just a regular state testing.

And then we look at the plan.

And we further look at transitioning, but that depends on the age of the student, where we're looking, what does the child want to do in the future?

So the IP is a, like I said, a success plan.

That's what I call it, because we're looking at what are the accommodations and modifications needed for this child to succeed?

Now, when you talk about the 504 plan, that's something that we look at before.

And we're not saying that if you have a 504, you're going straight into special ed.

Nope, that's a general ed service.

And they're doing the same thing.

They're looking at the physical, and the mental, and they may look at, if a child has asthma, then there's something that they may need to put in place.

Okay, this child needs to have an inhaler.

Or if they need water, a child that takes a certain type of medication, and they have to go to the bathroom often.

Those are some things that they put in place for in the 504.

<Laurie> Great, that's awesome.

Mr. Jeff, what's the process for determining whether or not a student needs an IEP?

And what would someone do if they feel like it's not being followed?

<Jeff> So a student would go through a educational psychological evaluation with a school psychologist, and then a multidisciplinary team would come together to review that data.

And if the student meets the criteria for special education services, they would develop an IEP.

And that IEP is reviewed every single year, because an IEP in special education is made to empower students.

And so every year that team comes together.

Included on that team is a representative from the school district, usually a principal or assistant principal, special education teacher, general education teacher, all the other providers that are providing services for that student and the parent, because the parent's a vital member of that team, and so every year, more frequently, if needed, the team comes together, very individualized for every single student, and comes up with what that plan is going to be, and if a parent or anybody else has a question about whether something is being implemented, they just call a team meeting, and the team comes together, they look at what services are happening.

Do things need to change specifically for that student?

Because every student's so different, and so we're looking at those unique needs that every student has, because we want them to be successful.

<Laurie> Let's talk about the stigma and biases attached to differences and disabilities.

Sometimes the parents have them, sometimes the students have them.

Let's talk about those a little bit.

Latoya, do you want to start?

<LaToya> Sure, we've worked really hard to ensure that all of our students feel welcomed, loved, and inclusive, regardless of the disabling condition that may impact their educational performance.

And that's where you get into the people first language, and you make sure that you're keeping that child at the center of everything that you do, so that you can help to break down any preconceived stigmas.

I think in the past, there were some significant stigmas.

But as a system, and as a state, we've worked really hard to overcome those and ensure that we're keeping our students at the center of everything that we do.

<Laurie> What is person first language?

And why is that important?

<LaToya> So for me, person first language is I'm putting that child first.

And so, for example, I would prefer if you called me by LaToya, a student with autism, as opposed to that autistic student LaToya, because my disabling condition doesn't define me.

It does not tell you who I am and what I'm about.

It is just something that I deal with and that I need assistance with to access my school environment appropriately.

<Laurie> Ms. Beckie, how do we hold special education services accountable?

<Beckie> Every year, the state looks at 17 indicators, and it's anything from graduation rate, dropout rate, performance on state assessments, discipline.

So 17 indicators, and we report on the state's progress as a whole every year to the US Department of Ed.

Similar to that, districts report their progress on those same indicators.

And so we're looking primarily at outcomes and results.

There are some compliance indicators.

But we we really believe that you can't be compliant unless you're improving outcomes.

You can have all your I's dotted, your T's crossed, your paperwork in order, but if you're not improving outcomes for that child and his family, then you're not really compliant.

So we look at what those outcomes are.

And typically they're anywhere from early childhood outcomes when we're dealing with our younger kids to academic outcomes that would be the typical core subjects.

We look at social emotional outcomes, because those are very important.

And then post secondary outcomes.

And Tracy had mentioned post secondary.

What does that student want to do when he or she leaves high school?

And how can we prepare him in order to do what he wants to do?

<Laurie> I'm gonna ask everybody, what is the piece of advice you would give families for their students?

We'll start with you, Jeff.

<Jeff> I think I would say don't be scared of the terminology in special education.

It's there to be family friendly.

Sometimes we bombard people with all the jargon.

But special educators are amazing teachers, and we've got some great teachers in this state that are loving on students, and we're seeing great student success.

So ask the questions that they need to know, so that those teachers have the opportunity to impact their children.

<Laurie> Ok, LaToya?

<LaToya> Mine would really center around prior to entering special education.

If you are a parent, and you have a concern about your student, reach out to the school district.

Whatever school district that you reside in, reach out to them and explain the concerns that you have, so that you can have the appropriate team to support you through that prior to school entry.

<Laurie> Great, Tracy?

<Tracy> And I'm going to piggyback on both you all.

Definitely ask the questions, because as we know in special ed, we have a lot of terms that parents do not understand.

OHI, ABD, SOD, and parents will sit there.

But ask the questions and be an advocate for your child.

Make sure that you're speaking up if there's concerns or if there's something that you want to address, be an advocate.

It's okay.

<Laurie> Great, Beckie?

<Beckie> It really is communication, just what everyone said.

It's making sure that you're asking questions if you don't understand, because in order to have good communication, there's got to be give and take.

The communication has to be two way, and if you don't understand, then you can't make good decisions for your child.

<Laurie> Wonderful.

Thank you all so much for being here with us today and sharing your knowledge.

Stay with us.

When we come back, we'll meet a group of educators working toward inclusion and helping students prepare for their future.

Joining us now is Dani Stroud, Lead Science Teacher of Gilbert High School and 2022 Honor Roll Teacher; Susan Williams, Science Teacher at Gilbert High School; Katie Godfrey, Special Education Teacher from Gilbert High School; and Barbara Oswald, Vice President of Programs, Special Olympics.

Ms. Barbara, we'll start with you.

How does the Special Olympics promote inclusion?

<Barbara> Well, you know, Special Olympics has been around for more than 50 years now, and sports has always been the mission behind Special Olympics, to really be a catalyst for getting our population out into the community and recognized and included more.

But for the last 14 years, we've been able to partner with schools and districts through unified champion schools, to look for really unique ways in schools to provide meaningful inclusion every day, not just at certain events, not certain times of the year, but all the time.

And those are those types of activities and unique programs that are really changing a school culture to be more inclusive of all students.

And we love the fact that it really breaks down barriers between different student groups, but also among gen ed and special ed teachers too.

<Laurie> Great.

Speaking of inclusion, the science class offered at Gilbert High School brings together students of different levels of learning.

How do students benefit from being included in a class like this?

<Katie> So one thing that we see with our students at Gilbert High School is a need for them to interact with their peers consistently.

We have a lot of curriculum that's kind of coming at us and things we need to be teaching students throughout the school day in special education.

So what we've done is we have partnered with our science department and our social studies department.

So we have experts teaching the students the content.

And we've also partnered with some of the students' non disabled peers who come in and help support the learning that's happening in the classroom.

So the program is truly designed to meet the students, you know, where they are, and to be inclusive with the teachers and the students at Gilbert High School.

>> How did the unified science class collaboration start?

<Dani> Well, it was pretty much a water cooler conversation we had when the Department of Education decided that they were going to offer a South Carolina Employability Credential Program.

Just like students that don't have disabilities, there were a certain number of classes that these students needed to take in order to get this credential, and they included some of the core subject areas, and science and social studies were some of them.

And there was a need for teachers to teach the students that had more experience with that content.

And so Ms. Godfrey and I were talking in the hallway, and she approached me about teaching the science class to see if I was interested, and I said, yes, I was.

And I asked her how many students was she talking about?

And I was expecting the answer to be three or four students.

And she said, "12," and, and I got a little scared, to be honest with you.

As a general education science teacher, I was worried I didn't have the background to do this, and she assured me that I did.

But I wanted to make sure that we could include the laboratory activities and experiments, but we could be safe with them.

And I didn't know how I would do that.

And I knew we couldn't get a full time assistant in there.

So we started to brainstorm.

How do we get extra eyes and ears and hands in the classroom, so the kids can be safe, but also have those experiences that all students should be able to have in that setting in science.

So we decided to create a unified science class based on the Special Olympics Unified PE Program where students that do not have disabilities come in and help support the students with disabilities.

<Laurie> How does this inclusion like the unified science class and the Special Olympics affect school climate at Gilbert High School or any other school.

>> So we have seen that it really kind of comes from the top down and the bottom up.

So sometimes, it's not just administration that can set the tone for everybody being more accepting, more respectful to each other.

Sometimes, it's really the students that can have that kind of power.

And we really look for opportunities for kids to be able to lead unified champion schools, within their schools.

And it happens very organically.

When you give kids an opportunity to hang out together, to have meaningful inclusion, they become advocates for their peers that are a little bit different than them.

And it's a beautiful thing to watch, really, but I love when students really kind of set the tone for a school to really be very inclusive, very kind, more empathetic, more likely to, to befriend somebody that's a little bit different than them.

<Laurie> Sure, yeah.

Dani, can you talk about the importance of inclusion in the classroom and academic, social, and why it's so important to bring everyone together?

<Dani> Wonderful.

Yes.

One of the things that we firmly believe in in our community and out in Gilbert is that everything that we do in our school building should align with belonging, purpose and agency for our students.

And that goes for anybody that's in our building.

And so when we talk about inclusion, we need to really recognize the fact that students with disabilities are actually a minority in the United States.

And for a long time, we have been segregated, and those students have not been included in the classroom walls.

We were talking earlier about the fact that when we were growing up, we never even saw these students.

And for them to be a large percentage of our population, and for us not to know that they're out there causes our students without disabilities to actually be disabled, because they don't understand and can't have empathy for people that they may work with, people that they may employ in the future, people they interact with every day, they don't understand what's going on.

So we can't have these open conversations unless we address them.

So one of the things about our essentials in science in unified science class that made inclusion important, we saw it socially happen within two weeks.

We noticed that the students that were coming into the classroom to help, they started giving these kids high fives in the hallways.

We'd noticed that they would stop and talk with them in the lunchroom.

And in high school, you know, talking to somebody in the lunchroom is like scary.

And if you do get to talk to the star football player or the head cheerleader, or someone that's on stage for a program, it just really kind of helps your social status a little bit.

And so we saw that just kind of them light up when they knew people.

That was super cool, and seeing them Friday nights interacting with each other, it really created a community within our school.

<Laurie> Susan, as a parent, what has your experience been like?

<Susan> I think it's great that we're taking this segment of society which seems to be forgotten sometimes and bringing it into the mainstream and shining limelight on them and celebrating their talents and gifts, because every unique human has gifts and talents that make them have a purpose in this world.

And I think it's just very important for every student to belong.

Students with special needs are just like every other kid.

They need that sense of purpose and belonging and to have a peer group and make friends.

And I think that this class gives them the perfect opportunity to do that.

<Laurie> Do you have any advice for other parents?

<Susan> I think that if you are a parent, you should advocate for your student, and maybe talk to your administrators and teachers and see if they would be interested in having this kind of program at your school.

I think it's great for breaking down stereotypes and barriers and just having the interaction between non disabled peers and students that have some challenges.

<Laurie> Great, great.

All right, Ms. Katie, what is OCP and how does OCP help a student transition from high school to further on.

<Katie> So the OCP is the Occupational Credential Program.

And it is a program that is specifically designed to help students with disabilities move from high school into the working world, and to have competitive employment.

So we are specifically looking to help our students live independently and work independently when they reach adulthood.

So we do that in several different ways.

We do a job training piece to our program.

So part of the program is academically driven, which is what we discussed here today with the science and the social studies.

The reading, writing, and math is also a portion of that.

The other portion of the program is the job training piece of the program and the employability piece of the program, where we explore things like self advocacy, job interview skills, and also students go into the community and complete job training tasks.

We also partner with the Lexington Technology Center, which is located in our school district.

And students can take courses there in classes like building and construction, culinary arts, audio visual technology, you know, whatever they want to do, and can receive certifications in those as well.

So we try to partner with them and give them job training opportunities in what their interests are and what their goals are.

<Laurie> That's wonderful.

What kind of skills are most important for these students to learn?

<Katie> So hands down, the most important skill that they need is self advocacy.

The majority of the students that we work with have kind of what we refer to as an invisible disability, or they're kind of walking around, and it's not totally noticeable to everybody that they might be having some difficulties, particularly with their reading skills or their math skills.

So they're going to need to know how to go into the workforce and monitor and adjust and explain to people what they're encountering in the world with this disability that they have.

So the self advocacy piece of the program has been very critical to helping them understand their rights as far as employment goes.

What are the benefits for the student and an employer of hiring an OCP student?

<Katie> So our students have a tremendous amount of training involved.

So like, whereas a typical student has, you know, courses to prepare them to go to college and things like that, our students are receiving direct instruction on how to be employable.

So things like soft skills.

I have, you know, businesses tell me all the time, you know, I love your students coming out here, because they know little things like how to stay off their cell phone in the middle of job training, you know, or they know to ask me questions when they're confused.

You know, those are skills that we are directly teaching them through our program, because we want them to live and work independently.

That is our ultimate goal for the students.

<Laurie> What's the resource out there after they leave high school?

What's a resource out there that they might not know about?

<Dani> It's gonna sound kind of funny, but I think one of the best resources that parents need to remember and students need to remember is their teachers and their administrators that they've had throughout their career.

One of the things that we love most as educators is hearing from our students, whether it's on social media, or through an email, and just asking, you know, checking in with us telling us what they're doing.

But if you need a letter of reference, if you just want to bounce an idea off of us, if you just need anything at all, we would love to hear from you and help in any way that we can.

And we have connections in places sometimes.

So I think the resource is just remembering who you've been with along the way and letting them help you.

<Laurie> Susan?

<Susan> I agree with that.

I think that networking is a big part of going through school and all the connections you're making along the way.

Just don't forget who got you to this point, and make sure you keep those connections alive so that you can network and use those connections to maybe help you meet other people that might be able to help you along the way.

<Laurie> Katie?

<Katie> So one thing we do in our program is we partner with vocational rehabilitation, because we do want to let the students know that while we will not always be with them, there are resources available, and that is one very important resource that we use that they can take with them beyond graduation.

So we do encourage students to go ahead and sign up for Voc Rehab and get a case going with them so they can continue to receive services once they graduate.

<Laurie> Barbara?

<Barbara> So I'm gonna have a shameless plug here, but Special Olympics.

I'm so excited when we're able to introduce Special Olympics to our population at a young age, because they and their parents can know that Special Olympics is available to them for life.

So both our unified partners, our athletes, we encourage them to be plugged into their local Special Olympics programs.

You still make friends, you still have opportunities for physical fitness and sports and all the fun things that happen through Special Olympics sports communities.

<Laurie> Great!

Thank you all so much for joining us today and sharing all of your passion and knowledge with us.

We really appreciate it.

And thank you for watching.

We'll be back on TV on March 17.

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