SPED 618: Lifelong Integration

Brad Witzel, PhD

Winthrop University

What is Life long Integration?

• Integration of services for a student (career, vocational, etc.) are presumed to be included in and part of the academic setting in order to make it easier for the student to utilize them more effectively.

• Effective integration affects curricula, pedagogy, instructional delivery options, transitional considerations, and IEP team collaboration.

Following the Job Training Partnership Act (1982)

• Workforce Investment Act (1998) lists vocational evaluation, career planning, job placement, and employer contacts to be among services to be integrated.

• What other services may be needed?

What else???

• Special Education services through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA, 2004).– Push for inclusion– College preparations

• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 may provide certain protections for children who may not be considered eligible for special education.

Why is this important?

• While the focus of education has turned to academic, students’ need for functional, life skills has continued (Wehman, 2005)

• Low employment rates• Under-employment rates• High numbers of students identified with

disabilities• High numbers of students identified as

being at-risk for dropout or repeated failure

Employment rates of students with disabilities (Census data)

• National stats (excluding institutions and college dorms)

21 to 64 years: 62,908,234

With a disability: 7,409,904 11.8%

Employed 3,257,787 44.0%

Not employed 4,152,117 56.0%

No disability 55,498,330 88.2%

Employed 47,928,612 86.4%

Not employed 7,569,718 13.6%

2000 Census on Students with Disabilities

• http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/c2kbr-17.pdf

• Page 2 provides details of students with disabilities.

• Page 7 compares states. Focus on which states are above 21% for ages 5 and older.

Employment rates of students with disabilities (Census data)

• SC stats (excluding institutions and college dorms)

21 to 64 years: 781,308

With a disability: 105,697 13.5%

Employed 45,016 42.6%

Not employed 60,681 57.4%

No disability 675,611 86.5%

Employed 593,736 87.9%

Not employed 81,875 12.1%

In SC, things are worse…

• Highest dropout rate in the country

• Low overall reading levels and high illiteracy rates

• Low math scores

• High Teacher Dropout

• More…

What can we do about it?

• Special Education service delivery options– Team teaching / Inclusion– Consultation (Deno described this is as the

first service delivery option)– Resource room– Study hall / Homework room– Afterschool options– Therapy (ies)

Inclusion

• Pros– Alternative to

unsuccessful pull out programs and continued high dropout

– Social skill observations

– More– More– More

• Cons– Need for

administrative support in planning

– More special educators are needed if classes are going to be truly diverse

– More– More– More

Our charge

• This course will focus on the study of integration and transition across the life span, collaboration and team building and delivery of family-centered services.

• How will each of these components contribute to us “solving” the above stated problems?