Welcome to FRCD!
Chicago’s Metropolitan Area Parent Training and Information Center!
FRCD is here to help you:
- Learn about your Rights and Responsibilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
- Make informed decisions about your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP)
- Obtain appropriate services for your child
- Communicate more effectively with school professionals
- Come together with other parents who share your concerns and desires to make a difference
- Learn more about Early Intervention and transition services
- Effect positive change in your child’s school.
- Learn about what he or she needs to lead a productive and independent adult life
Have additional questions about FRCD? Browse our frequently asked questions or contact us at 312-939-3513.
Community Events
Community News
ED Releases ESEA Flexibility Brochure and Fact Sheets
Available today via our Department’s website are a set of materials that provide a substantive overview of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) flexibility process—also known as ESEA waivers—by which 34 states and the District of Columbia have applied for and received flexibility regarding certain provisions of ESEA. The intent of these materials—a brochure and five companion fact sheets—is to explain the rationale and intent of ESEA flexibility, as well as address its key components and highlight plan elements for a number of states approved for flexibility. continued….
Education Dept. Orders Sports Access for Disabled By MARY PILON
The guidance concerns Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a law that deals with the rights of disabled people who participate in activities that receive federal dollars. A school district “is required to provide a qualified student with a disability an opportunity to benefit from the school district’s program equal to that of students without disabilities,” according to the Education Department. Advocates for disabled athletes, some of whom have pressed legal claims against state athletic associations in recent years, praised the clarification of rules and said that as a result, participation for disabled athletes could rise. “This is a landmark moment for students with disabilities,” Terri Lakowski, chief executive of Active Policy Solutions, a Washington-based advocacy group, said. “It will do for kids with disabilities what Title IX did for women. This level of clarity has been missing for years. Continued…
Better Federal Coordination Could Lessen Challenges in the Transition from High School
GAO-12-594, Jul 12, 2012
Students with disabilities face several longstanding challenges accessing services that may assist them as they transition from high school into postsecondary education or the workforce—services such as tutoring, vocational training, and assistive technology. Eligible students with disabilities are entitled to transition planning services during high school, but after leaving high school, to receive services that facilitate their transition they must apply as adults and establish eligibility for programs administered by multiple federal agencies. Students with disabilities may face delays in service and end up on waitlists if these programs are full. Read Full Report.
Feds: Least Restrictive Environment Applies To Transition Too
By law, students with disabilities are supposed to be included in general education to the greatest extent possible. Now, federal officials say the same tenet of inclusion should apply to transition as well. Informal guidance issued recently from the U.S. Department of Education indicates that the requirement in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, that students be placed in the “least restrictive environment” extends beyond the confines of the classroom. Specifically, the concept should apply to work placements if such experiences are part of a student’s individualized education program, or IEP, officials at the Education Department said. work placements), must be based on these (least restrictive environment) principles and made by the IEP team,” wrote Melody Musgrove, director of the Office of Special Education Programs at the Department of Education. “The IDEA does not prohibit segregated employment, but the (least restrictive environment) provisions would apply equally to the employment portion of the student’s program and placement.”
News of Musgrove’s letter was first reported by Education Week. Read the entire article, “Feds: Least Restrictive Environment Applies To Transition Too” – Disability Scoop, July 10, 2012 by Michelle Diament.
