NICHCY Connections...
to U.S. Education Laws

NICHCY is pleased to connect you with sources of information and assistance on our nation's education laws affecting children with disabilities. We hope that you'll find information here that's helpful in addressing your individual concerns. You can also take a look at our other Connection pages---more will be coming soon.

The list below isn't intended to be exhaustive of the resources available. We'll be adding to this page constantly, so you may wish to check back monthly to see what's new! New entries will be marked with a .

• Looking for the statute, as passed by Congress in 1997, or the regulations published by the Department of Education in 1999?
  Visit the IDEA Practices Web site, at: www.ideapractices.org/law/index.php
  
  
• Looking for accurate materials about the law's requirements?
  The "vetted" list is for you! This is a list of all the publications on IDEA reviewed by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) for consistency with the statute and its implementing regulations. Take a look at: www.nichcy.org/idealist.htm
  
  
• Need a quick overview of how the special education system under IDEA operates?
  www.nichcy.org/ideapubs.asp#lg1
  Read NICHCY's Questions Often Asked about Special Education Services. It'll take you from "I think Johnny has a problem" through evaluation, writing the IEP, and providing services, all in 8 pages. And it's available in Spanish as well.
  


• Want the details of IDEA for school-aged children?
  www.nichcy.org/newsdig.asp#nd21
  We're pleased to offer Questions and Answers about IDEA, a 32-page deeper look at the in's-and-out's of the nation's special education law.
A Spanish version is also available.


• What about early intervention services for infants and toddlers?
  www.nichcy.org/parents.asp#pa2
  Try NICHCY's Accessing Programs for Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers for Disabilities in English, also available in Spanish . This guide briefly explains the early intervention system, how to connect with these important services, and what it has to offer very young children.



• Need training materials on IDEA?
  Try the OSEP Training Package on IDEA or any of the overheads we've prepared for training on specific topics.
See what's available at: www.nichcy.org/ideatrai.htm


• Interested in what's happening with IDEA's reauthorization?
  Congress is discussing amending the IDEA in the near future. Find out what's up with reauthorization at: www.nichcy.org/reauth/index.html
  
  

• Where can I find out about the law and its requirements?
  The Department of Education's Web site offers extensive information about NCLB, at: www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml
  


• For principals.
  The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and the National Association of Secondary School Principals offers K-12 Principals Guide to No Child Left Behind. Order the guide by calling the National Principals Resource Center (NPRC) at 1.800.386.2377, or online at the NPRC, at: www.naesp.org



• Any summaries for parents?
  The Department of Education offers a Parent's Guide to NCLB, at: www.ed.gov/parents/academic/involve/nclbguide/parentsguide.html



• Webcasts for parents, too!
  The Department of Education offers Education News Parents Can Use, a Webcast series about ways to ensure children's educational success. Learn more about the program, view previous Webcasts, see what's on the schedule for 2003-2004, and sign up at: www.ed.gov/news/av/video/edtv/index.html
  



• How does NCLB affect children with disabilities?
  This is an area of great concern to the disability community. The following resources will help you find out more about what the NCLB means for children with disabilities and the school systems who educate them:
  
• NCLB and Its Implications for Students with Disabilities
  by Dr. Judy Schrag, the Special Edge, Spring 2003, Volume 16, Number 2.
  http://www.calstat.org/publications/pdfs/edge_spring_03.pdf



• Implementing the No Child Left Behind Act: What It Means for IDEA.
  from NASDSE (National Association of State Directors of Special Education), June 2002. Available for purchase at:
  http://www.nasdse.org/publications.cfm



• A Parent's Guide to No Child Left Behind
  by Suzanne Heath, Research Editor, Wrightslaw.
  www.wrightslaw.com/info/nclb.parent.guide.heath.htm



• No Child Left Behind Act of 2001: A Technical Assistance Resource.
  from the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), October 22, 2003.
  www.cec.sped.org/pp/OverviewNCLB.pdf



• No Child Left Behind: What's in it for Parents?
  from NCPIE (National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education).
  www.ncpie.org/pubs/KeyLeveragePoints.pdf



• Check out our stand-alone NCLB page for more info.
  www.nichcy.org/resources/nclb.asp
  The links above were to get you started. If you want yet more information about NCLB, click the link and go to our stand-alone page completely dedicated to this vital law. Find out how your state's doing, find training materials on the law, connect with the statute and Federal regulations, and get all the details.
  

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• Go to the centralized source of technical assistance on the ADA.
  The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) funds ten regional centers to provide information, training, and technical assistance to employers, people with disabilities, and other entities with responsibilities under the ADA. These are known as DBTACs--Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers. Enter the DBTAC network with a phone call to 1.800.949.4232 (V/TTY) or visit: www.adata.org/index.htm
  
  


• And then there's the ADA Document Portal.
  www.ADAportal.org
  The ADA Document Portal houses the ADA Collection, which consists of about 3,400 documents organized into the following categories: employment, state and local government, public accommodation, transportation, facility access, communications, interpretation, and enforcement. The Portal also provides links to additional collections (over 15,000 documents), including those pertaining to related legislation (such as the Fair Housing Act, the Air Carrier Access Act, IDEA, and Section 508); federally supported information services (such as the Job Accommodation Network, Project Action, Accessible IT in Education, disabilityinfo.gov); and ADA agencies.
  
  
  
• The Department of Justice can help, too.
  The ADA Information Line, U.S. Department of Justice, has information on ADA requirements affecting public services and public accommodations. Call at 1.800.514.0301 (Voice) or 1.800.514.0383 (TTY), or visit their Web site at: www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm
  
  
• Wondering about the ADA and public schools?
  The ADA National Access for Public Schools Project (ADA - NAPSP) may interest you. It helps public school districts implement the Americans with Disabilities Act. The project makes many resources available, such as Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act: A Self Evaluation Guide for Public Elementary and Secondary Schools, a video on ADA and public schools, a chart comparing ADA/Section 504/IDEA, fact sheets, and question & answer sheets on ADA and public school issues. Call the project at 1.800.893.1225 (ext. 28), or visit their Web site at: www.adaptenv.org/schools/index.php
  
  


• How about the ADA and child care centers?
  The U.S. Department of Justice offers Commonly Asked Questions about Child Care Centers and the ADA.
  www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/childq%26a.htm
  

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Section 504 is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. This law applies to, among other entities, public elementary and secondary schools. Children with disabilities may be eligible for special education and related services under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. That's because Section 504's definition of disability is broader than the IDEA's definition. Information on what the law requires of school districts can be found in the following resources:

• John Copenhaver's handbook called Section 504 - Procedural Requirements for School Districts explains basic procedural requirements for school districts relating to Section 504, followed by suggested implementation strategies school districts can consider to satisfy each requirement. The handbook is available from: Mountain Plains Regional Resource Center (MPRRC), 1780 No. Research Parkway, Suite 112, Logan, UT 84341, 435.752.0238 ext. 19, 435.753.9750 (TTY), scrane@cc.usu.edu (email), www.usu.edu/mprrc/ (Web).
  


• Office for Civil Rights:
  Section 504 is enforced by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. Visit OCR's Web site for information on the law.
  www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/index.html



• Contact information of OCR headquarters and its enforcement offices:
  http://wdcrobcolp01.ed.gov/CFAPPS/OCR/contactus.cfm
  
  
• OCR information on disability discrimination:
  www.ed.gov/policy/rights/guid/ocr/disability.html
  
  
• OCR also offers many technical assistance documents helpful when disability is involved.
  www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/disabilityresources.html
  
  
• LRP Publications offers Who's Eligible for Section 504? A Quick-Reference Guide for Proper Placement. Call 1.800.341.7874 for cost details, or order online at:
  www.lrp.com
  


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• In the coming months, look for the information we'll add to this Web page on other important laws, including: FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), the Tech Act (Assistive Technology Act of 1998), the Carl Perkins Act, the Freedom of Information Act, among others.
  
  
• Tell us what "Law" topics we should add to this list of Connections! Drop us a line at: nichcy@aed.org
  
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