Week 11 Notes: Disabilities
Oppression of People with Disabilities
● Determining mental capacity done differently in each state
● Some states leave decision to a judge, and other states have jury decide
Main Laws to Help Protect Discrimination Against People with Disabilities
● ADA = American with Disabilities Act
○ provide fair and appropriate employment, public transportation, public access,
and telecommunications
○ EMPLOYMENT: employers cannot discriminate against person based on
disability, and they must make accommodations for people with disabilities
○ PUBLIC SERVICES: public transportation and places of public access (schools,
stores, restaurants, libraries, parks, daycare centers, etc.) should be accessible
to people with disabilities; places must follow state-regulated building codes
○ TELECOMMUNICATIONS: telecommunication companies must provide services
for hearing and speech impairments; cannot be additional charges for these
services
● IDEA =Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
○ 1975: Ed. for All Handicapped Children’s Act passed
○ Created to ensure kids with disabilities would have access to free and
appropriate public education designed to meet unique needs
○ 1990: law was renamed Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
○ 4 Components of IDEA:
■ Nondiscriminatory & multidisciplinary assessment of educational needs:
● Test children in native language
● Use evaluations to prevent cultural/racial discrimination
● Use assessment tools validated for intended use
● Use multiple professionals to assess & make suggestions for
intervention
■ Individualized Education Program (IEP):
● Identify current level of educational performance
● Develop annual & short-term objectives
● Identify related services (PT, OT, etc.)
● Appropriate % of time in gen ed classroom
● Annual evaluation of progress towards goals & objectives
■ Least Restrictive Environments (LRE):
● students w/ disabilities should be educated in same classroom
as children without disabilities to max extent
● Appropriate; determined by multidisciplinary team including
multiple professionals and child’s parents
■ Parent involvement in education of their kids
● Parents…
○ must consent for evaluation