Resources on Special Education

The following 100 Web sites are organized according to main purpose or topic. There is ample overlap, so some sites and links are listed in more than one category. While the sites are arranged by topic and primary audience, all of the sites are likely to be helpful to WEAC members and those they serve. Remember: Never simply accept something you read on the Internet as “fact.” Check it out, determine its source and its research basis, and form your own educated, well-informed opinion!

Individualized Education Plans (IEP)
Understanding Disabilities
Advocates for Children
Parents as Advocates
Legislative and Policy Advocacy: IDEA Reauthorization
Teaching Kids to Self-Advocate
Standardized Testing
Accountability, Standards and Reform
In the Classroom: Help With Behavior and Discipline
In the Classroom: Help with Teaching and Accommodating
Disability Rights: Laws and Policies
Legislative Advocacy: IDEA Reauthorization
Wisconsin Chapter 115 (Special Education Law for Wisconsin)
Americans With Disabilities Act/EEOC

Individualized Education Plans (IEP)

A Guide to the Individual Education Program (IEP) http://www.ed.gov/parents/needs/speced/iepguide/index.html?exp=0
This guide was created by OSEP/ US Dept of Education and is helpful for anyone who wants to learn more about the IEP process and the IEP.

Primary Audience: Parents, advocates, General Educators, Special Educators
Hosted by: US Dept of Education
Best Uses: Practical application
Ease of Use: High

Student's Guide to the IEP: http://www.nichcy.org/stuguid.asp#set1
What is your IEP? Why do you need to be part of your IEP team? How can you help write your own IEP? NICHCY's Student's Guide to the IEP gives kids the information they need. It includes handouts (easy to read) and taped information. Free!

Primary Audience: Students with disabilities, teachers, parents
Hosted by: NICHCY
Best Uses: Practical application
Ease of Use: High

Parents' Guide to the IEP: http://www.nichcy.org/parents.asp#pa12
This easy-to-read guide, available in Spanish and English, helps parents and teachers understand the components of the IEP and how to participate effectively in the IEP meeting.

Primary Audience: Parents, teachers, some students
Hosted by: NICHCY
Best Uses: Practical application
Ease of Use: High

Developing Individualized Education Programs & Individualized Transition Plans: http://www.vcu.edu/rrtcweb/techlink/courses/EDU651c/credit/contents.htm
This is an online “intro” course teaching about Individual Education Planning and transition planning related to service children and youth with disabilities. Training segments include how to develop goals and objectives, how to integrate transition into the IEP, and more.

Primary Audience: Parents, educators
Hosted by: Virginia Commonwealth University
Best Uses: General knowledge, practical application
Ease of Use: Medium
Other Comments: Much unrelated information (such as “how to use the web”)

Designing IEP Transition Plans: http://ericec.org/digests/e598.html
This ERIC digest covers the key issues of effective transition planning, including how to include the student and parents, questions to discuss and use for developing goals and objectives, and all the items that must be included in the transition IEP.

Primary Audience: Parents, educators
Hosted by: ERIC
Best Uses: General knowledge, practical application
Ease of Use: Good
Other Comments: A solid overview with some excellent and thoughtful questions that often go unasked and unanswered.

Writing IEPs for Success: http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/iep/success_ieps.html
Dr. Barbara Bateman is both a researcher and a practitioner who is well known for her work with helping educators and IEP Teams create effective, thorough, and usable IEPs. This site, hosted by LDOnLine, may be perceived by some to be too assertive, but suggestions are included to help IEP Teams that are unable to successfully focus on the individual needs of students to do so. Teachers and well as parents or students frustrated with wasted hours in IEP meetings may appreciate the options offered. The third section of the site focused more specifically on transition planning, which should begin as early as necessary for any individual student.

Primary Audience: Parents, educators, advocates
Hosted by: LD On-Line
Best Uses: General knowledge, practical application
Ease of Use: Medium
Other Comments: Much unrelated information (such as “how to use the web”)

Finding Local Resources for Inclusion in IEPs: http://www.wsti.org/poem.cfm
Although this site is actually intended for connecting with agencies, organizations, or other resources in relation to developing quality transition IEPs, the contacts are pertinent for the needs of students, their families, and educators at all age levels. The “POEM” or Point of Entry Manuals, are on-line for some, but not all, Wisconsin counties. However, new POEMS for counties are being added as they are created, so it’s worth a look! Also, some organizations listed serve more than just one county.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, advocates
Hosted by: Wisconsin Statewide Transition Initiative, Wisconsin DPI
Best Uses: Reference, specific information, general information
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: The main web site, www.wsti.org has many other transition related resources, including an excellent on-line training and downloadable PDF and information documents on transition and the IEP, transition requirements, and working with parents.

Understanding Disabilities

ERIC: http://www.eric.ed.gov/
Educational Resources Information Center is a national information system funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences to provide access to education literature and resources. This site offers a searchable database with articles on special education and other education issues or topics. The site is currently (2004) undergoing a major upgrade, but this link will allow you to access what is available and to stay on top of the changes.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, pre-service, advocates
Hosted by: US Dept of Education
Best Uses: General knowledge, basic research, specific knowledge
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Lists thousands of resources in searchable format. Is kept up to date.

Specific Diagnosis of Disabilities: http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/specific.htm
This easy-to-navigate section of the Family Village website offers hundreds of links to disability-specific information. If you want more general disability information, use the index at http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/general/general.htm instead.

Primary Audience: Parents, educators
Hosted by: University of Wisconsin
Best Uses: General and specific information
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Also many other excellent links pertinent to families and disability issues.

Glossary of Symptoms and Mental Illnesses Affecting Teenagers: http://www.aacap.org/about/glossary/index.htm
This glossary of brief definitions was developed by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry to help teenagers, parents, teachers, and others learn more about the major mental illnesses, symptoms, and mental health issues that affect teenagers. Includes links to organizations and other sites.

Primary Audience: Parents, educators
Hosted by: American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Best Uses: academic or specific research
Ease of Use: Medium
Other Comments: Some non-working links. Some definitions not extensive while others are.

NICHCY Fact Sheets on Various Disabilities: http://www.nichcy.org/disabinf.asp
NICHCY offers 14 fact sheets and 3 briefing papers on specific disabilities. Each defines the disability, describes its characteristics, and offers tips for parents and teachers. Each ends with a very helpful list of resources in print or video and disability organizations that can offer more information and assistance.

Primary Audience: Parents and educators
Hosted by: NICHCY
Best Uses: General information, basic research
Ease of Use: High

US Government: http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/
DisabilityInfo.gov is the comprehensive Federal website of disability-related government resources. Topics are very inclusive and include: employment, housing, education, transportation, health, income support, technology, and civil rights. This site pertains to adults with disabilities (as well as children/youth) so might be especially helpful for transition planning for adulthood and/or self-advocacy learning by students with disabilities.

Primary Audience: Parents, educators, policy makers, advocates
Hosted by: US government
Best Uses: General information
Ease of Use: Medium
Other Comments: Life-span focus (not just education); high reading level

Advocates for Children

NICHCY: National Center on Children and Youth with Disabilities http://www.nichcy.org/publist.asp
Federally funded information clearinghouse providing free information on disabilities and disability-related issues, including adaptations to students with disabilities. Provides booklets and resource listings on special education services. NICHCY's publications are all available here, for free.

Primary Audience: Educators and parents
Hosted by: NICHCY
Best Uses: General information, basic research, reproductions to handout
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: This is the index to all publications by NICHCY.

Disability Resources Monthly (DRM): http://www.disabilityresources.org/
Disability Resources is a nonprofit organization that monitors, reviews, and reports on disability related resources and disseminates information about them to libraries, disability organizations, health and social service professionals, consumers and family members. This site offers a wide range of links, pertinent for students, teachers, parents, and others. It includes the The DRM WebWatcher, touted as a “spectacular subject guide to the best disability information on the 'net.”

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, others
Hosted by: Nonprofit organization, Disability Resources
Best Uses: General information, specific information.
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Very comprehensive and multiple perspectives

Educators' Reference Desk: http://www.eduref.org/
This site allows you to access 2,000+ lesson plans, 3,000+ links to online education information, and 200+ question archive responses. The Educator's Reference Desk provides a search interface to the ERIC Database, providing access to over one million bibliographic records on educational research, theory, and practice.

Primary Audience: Teachers k-12 and special education
Hosted by: Information Institute of Syracuse
Best Uses: Reference, general and specific information, practical applications
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: The same organization also hosts http://www.thegateway.org/, which offers free and paid access to additional curriculum and lesson plans.

Join a Free Mailing List: http://www.ericec.org/maillist.html
Join one of hundreds of free mailing lists included on this list! The first article explains how to join a mailing list. Each of over a dozen sections lists options from “A to Z”.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, advocates
Hosted by: ERIC
Best Uses: general information, opinion, personal experience sharing
Ease of Use: Medium
Other Comments: Be sure to make note of how to get off the mailing list, as some send hundreds of messages a week! But, if the topic is interesting, it’s worth a try!

How to Write Letters to Your Child’s School: http://www.nichcy.org/parents.asp#pa9
This classic guide, complete with examples, helps parents understand how to write clear, appropriate, and responsible letters to their child’s special education administrator. Teachers find the information, which is available in several languages, offers an excellent handout to give to parents.

Primary Audience: Parents and use by teachers to assist parents
Hosted by: NICHCY
Best Uses: General and specific information, practical applications
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Helps educators facilitate resolution of problems by helping to empower parents to become active in the process.

Parents’ Guide to the IEP: http://www.nichcy.org/parents.asp#pa12
This easy-to-read guide, available in Spanish and English, helps parents and teachers understand the components of the IEP and how to participate effectively in the IEP meeting.

Primary Audience: Parents, educators
Hosted by: NICHCY
Best Uses: practical applications
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Excellent and easy-to-use reference for teachers as well as parents.

How to Increase Parental Involvement and Participation in School:
http://www.parent-institute.com/educator/resources/
Some of these ideas are common sense, but some are easy-to-do things that we forget to do! Articles on this site are aimed at both educators and parents, and include such titles as “44 Ideas Parents can Use,” and “68 Parent Involvement Ideas.”

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, others
Hosted by: The Parent Institute
Best Uses: General information, practical ideas
Ease of Use: Medium
Other Comments: Serves well to help with “thinking out of the box.” Some may feel that this site is slightly “anti-school,” yet ideas still seem practical and valid for many school situations.

What about transition from school to life-after-school? http://www.vcu.edu/rrtcweb/techlink/index.html
Supported by a U.S. Department of Education grant, Project TechLink is a site that disseminates information on successful best practices, curricula, and products that have been proven effective including students in social, vocational, and academic settings and activities. It includes free self-study courses (online) on topics such as person-centered planning, community based instruction, assistive technology, and more. There’s also a course, in the “Basic” section, that leads the user through the complex field of transition planning and the IEP.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, older students with solid reading skills
Hosted by: Project TechLink
Best Uses: Reference, specific information, general information
Ease of Use: High

Finding Local Resources for Students with Disabilities: http://www.wsti.org/poem.cfm
Although this site is actually intended for connecting with agencies, organizations, or other resources in relation to developing quality transition IEPs, the contacts are pertinent for the needs of students, their families, and educators at all age levels. The “POEM” or Point of Entry Manuals, are on-line for some, but not all, Wisconsin counties. However, new POEMS for counties are being added as they are created, so it’s worth a look! Also, some organizations listed serve more than just one county.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, advocates
Hosted by: Wisconsin Statewide Transition Initiative, Wisconsin DPI
Best Uses: Reference, specific information, general information
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: The main web site, www.wsti.org has many other transition related resources, too, including an on-line training on transition and IEPs!

Early Intervention/ Birth-Three Services: http://www.zerotothree.org/
Links for both parents and professionals connect users to a wide variety of resources for B-3 or early intervention. Includes parenting tips, links to articles, downloadable handouts on development, and more.

Primary Audience: Educators, Parents
Hosted by: Zero to Three
Best Uses: Practical applications, best practices, training
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: ZERO TO THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families is a national nonprofit organization based in Washington DC.

Educating Young Children with Disabilities: http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dltcl/bbfcsp/ecspedhm.html
This is the official Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website for “Bright Beginnings,” the state’s early childhood program. On it, find information about laws and policy, least restrictive environment, transition from birth-to-three to primary education, and links to other relevant web sites.

Primary Audience: Educators
Hosted by: Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction
Best Uses: Practical applications, best practices, training, policy
Ease of Use: High

Wisconsin Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR): http://www.dwd.state.wi.us/dvr/
DVR provides adults with disabilities needing assistance in entering the workforce. They also work with educators and high school age students and sometimes participate in IEP/Transition planning. This site offers information on DVR eligibility requirements, how the process works, and also links to various laws pertinent to employment and rehabilitation services.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, advocates
Hosted by: Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)
Best Uses: Specific information
Ease of Use: Medium
Other Comments: High reading level makes most of this site inaccessible to individuals who struggle to read. Site provides information pertinent to educators and parents via the menu on the right side of the page.

Parents as Advocates

Better Goals and Objectives in the IEP: http://www.oswegoboces.org/setrc/goals_and_objectives.htm
This page, maintained through the NY State Dept. of Education, offers links to information and “how to” articles for developing solid goals, objectives, present level of educational performance, and benchmarks. It also includes samples to assist the IEP team in discussing the child’s needs and how to design an individualized program to ensure FAPE. Scroll to the bottom of the page for additional links.

Primary Audience: Parents, educators
Hosted by: NY State Dept of Education
Best Uses: practical applications
Ease of Use: Medium
Other Comments: Awkward interface and lots of scrolling to find the good stuff.

Wright's Law: The Special Education Advocate: http://www.wrightslaw.com
Parents, advocates, educators, and attorneys use Wrightslaw for accurate, up-to-date information about special education law and advocacy for children with disabilities. Users can access articles, cases, newsletters, and resources about dozens of topics, can use advocacy libraries and law libraries, and can receive a free weekly e-mail newsletter.

Primary Audience: Advocates for kids
Hosted by: WrightsLaw Inc.
Best Uses: Reference, laws and legal information, advocacy strategies
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Typically high on the list of “best of” sites among parent advocates. Some educators and administrators dislike the style of writing and perceive it as adversarial, but parents typically indicates the style reflects their experiences.

EdLaw: http://www.edlaw.net/frames.html
In addition to a special education law library, with access to the texts of laws governing the provision of special education, this site offers users specially formatted texts of statutes, regulations, decisions and interpretive materials. Many of these materials are available free from other sources; however, frequently they are not available in a format that is conducive to downloading, easy reading or compatible printing.

Primary Audience: Advocates
Hosted by: EdLaw, Inc.
Best Uses: Reference, particularly laws, legal briefings, case law.
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Top-notch reference site for the actual wording of laws and legal decisions.

Parent Training and Information Centers and Community Parent Resource Centers: http://www.taalliance.org/centers/index.htm
Parent training centers in each state provide training and information to parents of infants, toddlers, school-aged children, and young adults with disabilities and the professionals who work with their families.

Primary Audience: Parents
Hosted by: PACER, MN
Best Uses: General information and listing of all parent training centers funded by the US Dept of Education.
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: List is kept up to date with new centers funded by USDOE. Hundreds of parent support and parent training programs that are not federally funded are not listed.

Primary Audience: Parents, Educators
Hosted by: Disability Resources, Inc.
Best Uses: Reference, general and specific information, links to other sites
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Excellent for research or for browsing!

Primary Audience: All
Hosted by: NICHCY
Best Uses: Reference, general and specific information, practical applications
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Master list of all NICHCY publications.

“What should I say when I am told…?” http://www.nclid.unco.edu/hvoriginals/advocacy/popup/popup.html
Click on the boxes to find responses parents (and teachers!) can use to effectively and positively/assertively respond to common "hurdle talk" - words and attitudes that keep the IEP meeting from being successful.

Primary Audience: parents, parent advocates
Hosted by: National Center for Low Incidence Disabilities
Best Uses: practical application, preparing for IEP meetings
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Interesting approach to alternative ways to reply to commonly heard IEP meeting commentary and suggestions. Also includes other information, training, assistance, and listings of organizations and agencies pertaining to low-incidence disabilities at the home page: http://www.nclid.unco.edu/index.html

Educators’ Reference Desk: http://www.eduref.org/
This site allows you to access 2,000+ lesson plans, 3,000+ links to online education information, and 200+ question archive responses. The Educator's Reference Desk provides a search interface to the ERIC Database, providing access to over one million bibliographic records on educational research, theory, and practice.

Primary Audience: Educators
Hosted by: ERIC
Best Uses: practical applications, general information
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Excellent insights for parents seeking to understand the educational arena.

Primary Audience: All
Best Uses: General information, specific information, opinion
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Be sure to take note of how to get OFF the mailing lists. Some lists generate dozens of messages a day, which may be overwhelming for some users. But, since the lists are free, you can always “un-join” them!

Primary Audience: Parents
Hosted by: NICHCY
Best Uses: practical application
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: A classic!

Parents’ Guide to the IEP: http://www.nichcy.org/parents.asp#pa12
This easy-to-read guide, available in Spanish and English, helps parents and others understand the components of the IEP and how to participate effectively in the IEP meeting.

Primary Audience: Parents, educators
Hosted by: NICHCY
Best Uses: general information, advocacy, practical application
Ease of Use: High

How to Become More Involved: http://www.parent-institute.com/educator/resources/
Some of these ideas are common sense, but some are easy-to-do things that we forget to do! Articles on this site are aimed at both educators and parents, and include such titles as “44 Ideas Parents can Use,” and “68 Parent Involvement Ideas.”

Primary Audience: Parents, educators
Hosted by: The Parent Institute, Inc.
Best Uses: General information
Ease of Use: High

Briefs for Families: http://cecp.air.org/familybriefs/default.htm
Download research-based handouts on such topics as behavioral planning meetings, promoting parental involvement, dealing with behavior issues at home, contingency management, and more.

Primary Audience: Parents, educators
Hosted by: Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice
Best Uses: Research, practical applications
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Designed for educators to print and give to families, these articles are also helpful for parents or others to share with IEP Team members.

My Child with a Disability and Alternatives to Standardized Testing (Wisconsin): http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlsea/een/doc/ass-waapar.doc
Most children with disabilities are included in Wisconsin’s required standardized tests. Some students with disabilities take adapted tests or participate in Wisconsin’s Alternative Assessment process. This site includes parent information to assist parents in understanding their options.

Primary Audience: Parents
Hosted by: Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction
Best Uses: General information
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: English only. See also Alternative Assessment information at http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlsea/een/assessmt.html, DPI’s Policies (Bulletins) on Alternative Assessments http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlsea/een/assmt-waa.html, and the downloadable PDF Administration Guidebook for the WAA for Students with Disabilities at http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlsea/een/pdf/waa-guide.pdf.

Primary Audience: Parents, educators, advocates, some students
Hosted by: Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)
Best Uses: Specific information
Ease of Use: Medium
Other Comments: High reading level makes most of this site inaccessible to individuals who struggle to read. Site provides information pertinent to educators and parents via the menu on the right side of the page.

Legislative and Policy Advocacy: IDEA Reauthorization

Council for Exceptional Children: http://capwiz.com/cek/home/
The legislative advocacy website from CEC, Council for Exceptional Children, a membership organization for teachers and other professionals serving children with disabilities. This site offers live links and ideas for emailing or writing letters to legislators. It also offers CEC’s perspective on what needs to be changed in the federal IDEA statute, as well as on other federal legislation (such as NCLB/ESEA).

Primary Audience: Special educators, members of Council for Exceptional Children
Hosted by: Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
Best Uses: Legislative advocacy, issues, opinion
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Find your federal or state legislators and send them a letter or email in a few easy clicks! It is easy to modify or even write your own letter/ email to legislators using this site. The content provided reflects the opinion or organizational stance of the Council for Exceptional Children. Site offers opinions on a variety of issues, not just IDEA.

National Center for Learning Disabilities: http://capwiz.com/ld/home/
The legislative advocacy website from NCLD, National Center for Learning Disabilities, a membership organization whose goal is to strengthen public policy in relation to issues impacting individuals with learning disabilities. This site offers live links and ideas for emailing or writing letters to legislators on IDEA as well as on No Child Left Behind (NCLB or ESEA legislation) and other issues pertinent to learning disabilities issues.

Primary Audience: Parents, educators, advocates
Hosted by: National Center for Learning Disabilities
Best Uses: Legislative advocacy, opinion, issues
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Write or contact your state or federal legislators with a few easy clicks! The opinions reflect the particular stance of NCLD, but the tool used to contact legislators easily allows users to modify provided content or create their own. This site makes voicing your opinion and telling your legislators what you want them to do very easy!

DAWN: Disability Advocates: Wisconsin Network: http://www.dawninfo.org/
DAWN is a statewide grassroots cross-disability network of people who care about disability issues. DAWN supports legislative change in the programs and systems affecting people with all disabilities. DAWN focuses on the most important issues affecting all people with disabilities. It includes people with disabilities, family members, friends, service providers and others who are committed to enhancing the lives of people with disabilities.

Primary Audience: Advocates in Wisconsin
Hosted by: Wisconsin Council on Developmental Disabilities (WCDD)
Best Uses: Advocacy, general information on legislative issues
Other Comments: Focus is on “lifespan” issues (birth through aging), not just education issues. Look here for current information on disability initiatives, the Wisconsin state budget, activities of the Wisconsin Legislature, and links to national disability issues.

Teaching Kids to Self-Advocate

Student’s Guide to the IEP: http://www.nichcy.org/stuguid.asp
What is your IEP? Why do you need to be part of your IEP team? How can you help write your own IEP? NICHCY's Student's Guide to the IEP gives kids the information they need. It includes handouts (easy to read) and taped information. Free!

Primary Audience: Students with disabilities, advocates
Hosted by: NICHCY
Best Uses: Self-advocacy, teaching students to self-advocate, general information
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Free information, easy to incorporate into instruction at home or in school.

Kidzone at LD Online: http://www.ldonline.org/kidzone/kidzone.html
Plenty of easy-to-read, high interest, kid-friendly information about learning disabilities, ADD and ADHD, coping in school, and more. Also, links to additional information about students’ rights, planning for life after high school. Most pertains to LD, ADD, or ADHD, but much is easily applicable to the needs of students with other types of disabilities.

Primary Audience: Students with disabilities
Hosted by: LD On-Line
Best Uses: General information, self-advocacy, advice
Ease of Use: High

Starbright: http://www.starbright.org/
The STARBRIGHT Foundation offers a variety of projects and resources that “empower seriously ill children to combat the medical and emotional challenges they face on a daily basis.” STARBRIGHT projects do more than educate or entertain: they address the core issues that accompany illness – the pain, fear, loneliness, and depression that can be as damaging as the sickness itself.

Primary Audience: Students with serious illness
Hosted by: Starbright Foundation
Best Uses: General information, practical application.
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Links to information, CD-ROMS, and videos on serious illness, diabetes, serious burn injuries, cancer, etc. for children between about 5 and young adulthood, and their families. Includes information on dealing with school re-entry.

"Just Because We Have A Disability Doesn't Mean We BYTE!" http://library.thinkquest.org/11799/
This site, developed by kids, for kids and others as part of a “Thinkquest” competition, helps users understand how it is to be different. It discusses both visual disabilities (the ones you can see, like cerebral palsy) and invisible ones (such as bulimia or ADD) and how they affect one's entire life. Simulations are offered to help users to step into another's shoes. There’s a lot of reading, but print is large and reading level is reasonable. Teachers or parents could easily use the concepts here to develop their own projects or explorations.

Primary Audience: Students with disabilities, peers of students with disabilities
Hosted by: Thinkquest
Best Uses: General information
Ease of Use: Medium
Other Comments: Somewhat awkward interface. Good “kid’s eye view” and generally accurate, non-technical information. Plenty of ideas for class or individual learning activities.

Youth to Youth: http://www.childrenwithdisabilities.ncjrs.org/kids.html
Part of the federally funded Children with Disabilities website (http://www.childrenwithdisabilities.ncjrs.org/) this site features links to various online resources for children and youth with disabilities.

Primary Audience: Children and youth with disabilities
Hosted by: US Dept of Justice?
Best Uses: General information, resource lists
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: This part of the site is for youth and children, but other sections of this web site are also pertinent to families, youth, advocates, and educators. One of the best features is the links to resources at local, state, and national levels.

Disability Etiquette Handbook http://www.sanantonio.gov/planning/disability_handbook/
disability_handbook.asp?res=800&ver=true San Antonio, TX prepared this “disability etiquette handbook” for its community members. It includes tips, information, and general advocacy tips related to living, working, and relating to individuals with disabilities. It would be a good resource for discussion and practice, particularly for older students, as they learn to self-advocate.

Primary Audience: Individuals (teen through adult) with disabilities, educators, parents
Hosted by: San Antonio’s city government
Best Uses: general information, practical application, self-advocacy information
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Downloads, “dos and don’ts”, tips, etiquette.

Self-Advocacy: http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/transition/transition_self_advocacy.html
This article, written for educators, includes ideas and references related to increasing self-advocacy skills for teens and younger children.

Primary Audience: Educators
Hosted by: LD On-Line
Best Uses: Practical application, lesson planning, ideas for teaching
Ease of Use: Medium
Other Comments: Includes ideas for working with younger children.

Job Accommodations: http://janweb.icdi.wvu.edu/links/adalinks.htm
Many students with disabilities are never taught their civil rights, or how to advocate effectively for them. The Job Accommodation Network (US Dept of Commerce) offers a content-rich site on the ADA, with numerous links to additional information, including plenty of information related to accommodations in the workplace. Although the reading level is high (adult), the content could easily be adapted for classroom use with teens and preteens.

Primary Audience: Adults/ young adults with disabilities, educators, parents, employers
Hosted by: US government: Dept of Commerce
Best Uses: Specific information on ADA issues, general information on job accommodations and rights.
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Go to their main page for even more!

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): http://www.eeoc.gov/
This federal agency helps enforce federal laws related to discrimination on the basis of age, sex, disability, equal pay and compensation, race, etc. This site offers links to easy-to-understand resources. Links available in Spanish, Hmong, Korean, and other languages.

Primary Audience: Individuals with disabilities, employers, educators, parents
Hosted by: US government: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
Best Uses: civil rights, discrimination information, several languages
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: An excellent resource for teaching young adults about their rights, discrimination, and what to do if they experience discrimination. Reading level is quite high.

Guide to Disability Rights Laws: http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/disabilityrights.html
This guide, prepared by the National Council on Disability and the National Urban League, provides a summary of federal civil rights laws that ensure equal opportunity for people with disabilities. Summarizes and links for all the federal disability rights laws (ADA, IDEA, 504, Fair Housing, and more).

Primary Audience: People with disabilities (all ages)
Hosted by: National Council on Disability and the National Urban League
Best Uses: specific information
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Reading level is quite high. Content is excellent.

Self-Advocacy Guides: http://www.acdl.com/selfguides.html
The Arizona Center for Disability Law offers several self-advocacy guides covering different disability-related legal issues free of charge. Topics include housing, employment, education, fair housing and more. Written for adults, the materials (mostly PDF files) could be adapted to work with students unable to access the reading level.

Primary Audience: Individuals with disabilities, advocates
Hosted by: Arizona Center for Disability Law
Best Uses: Specific information, advocacy information, general information on legal rights.
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: PDF materials would have to be adapted for students unable to access them due to reading level; however, PDF materials cannot be conveniently edited without having to re-type them into a word processor.

People First Wisconsin: A Self-Advocacy Movement: http://www.peoplefirstwi.org/
Find out (and have your students learn) about People First, a growing self-advocacy movement. This site offers links to articles and information and allows students to join the organization. Educators and others can join as well, as “Friends of” members. Members receive the publication “On the Move” as well as other benefits.

Primary Audience: Individuals with developmental disabilities
Hosted by: People First Wisconsin, Inc.
Best Uses: Self-advocacy, general information
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Projects of People First, Wisconsin include training high school students and employers, developing guides on self-advocacy and more. Their “Resources” link offers access to a great number of additional sites and resources, including internationally.

Recreation, Sports, and Travel: http://www.icdi.wvu.edu/others.htm#recreation
Links to organizations and companies providing assistance and opportunities for travel and recreation for individuals with disabilities. This site will probably open the eyes of many educators, parents and students as to what really IS possible for individuals with disabilities of every type!
Primary Audience: Students, educators, parents

Hosted by: West Virginia University
Best Uses: General information, specific information
Ease of Use: Medium
Other Comments: The reading level is high. Unfortunately, some links are no longer working. For excellent information and ideas on extreme and conventional sports and individuals using wheelchairs, see: http://lenmac.tripod.com/. The site is called “A Celebration of Wheels.”

Standardized Testing

Evaluations via the Educators' Reference Desk: http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/res.cgi/Evaluation
Resource guides, question archives, and ERIC database searches.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents
Best Uses: specific information
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: The main page for Educators Reference Desk (http://www.eduref.org) is an outstanding resource for teachers, with lesson plans, research, articles, and more.

Testing Students Unable to Take Standardized Tests (Wisconsin): http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlsea/een/assmt_api.html
Wisconsin's Department of Public Instruction offers extensive information on how and why IEP Teams and districts use Alternate Assessment and Alternative Performance Indicators (APIs). This site also includes sample APIs, questions to consider when developing APIs, and a downloadable worksheet that IEP Teams and educators can use.

Primary Audience: Educators, administrators, advocates
Hosted by: Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction
Best Uses: Practical application, specific information
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: See also: Alternative Assessment information http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlsea/een/assessmt.html, DPI's Policies (Bulletins) on Alternative Assessments http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlsea/een/assmt-waa.html, and the downloadable PDF Administration Guidebook for the WAA for Students with Disabilities at http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlsea/een/pdf/waa-guide.pdf.

Diverse Opinions Regarding the Import of Standardized Testing: http://www.enc.org/topics/assessment/testing/
Read a wide variety of opinions and review current research regarding the impact and appropriateness of standardized testing on this website hosted by the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education. ENC's mission is to "identify effective curriculum resources, create high-quality professional development materials, and disseminate useful information and products to improve K-12 mathematics and science teaching and learning."

Primary Audience: Educators
Hosted by: Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education.
Best Uses: specific information, opinion
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: See also ENC's main page at http://www.enc.org for curriculum resources, professional development, lesson plans, etc. related to math and science education.

Guide and Caution on High-Stakes Testing: http://www.aera.net/about/policy/stakes.htm
American Educational Research Association (AERA) is "the nation's largest professional organization devoted to the scientific study of education." This position statement on high-stakes testing is based on the 1999 Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. The Standards "represent a professional consensus concerning sound and appropriate test use in education and psychology." They are sponsored and endorsed by the AERA together with the American Psychological Association (APA) and the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME). This statement is intended as a guide and a caution to policy makers, testing professionals, and test users involved in high-stakes testing programs.

Primary Audience: Educators
Hosted by: American Educational Research Association
Best Uses: specific information, research-based viewpoint
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: This statement sets forth a set of conditions essential to sound implementation of high-stakes educational testing programs. It provides both policy guidance and advocacy information for use by interested parties.

Accountability, Standards and Reform

Educators' Reference Desk: Standards: http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/print.cgi/Resources/Evaluation/Standards.html
A collection of links to websites offering a variety of views on standards in education and the standards/reform movement. Articles include "classroom view" perspectives, as well as critique and analysis by such educator groups as the American Federation of Teachers, and an annotated list of websites with information on K-12 standards.

Primary Audience: Educators
Best Uses: specific information, opinion, research
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: The main web site for Educators' Reference Desk, at http://www.eduref.org, is well worth book marking. It includes lesson plans, and more!

National Center for Special Education Accountability Monitoring: http://www.monitoringcenter.lsuhsc.edu/
The National Center for Special Education Accountability Monitoring (NCSEAM), also known as the National Monitoring Center, is federally funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) of the U.S. Department of Education to assist states, local agencies, and OSEP in the implementation of focused monitoring and evidenced-based decision-making about compliance with federal law so that improved results are achieved for children with disabilities and their families. NCSEAM is housed at the Human Development Center at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans.

Primary Audience: Educators
Hosted by: National Center for Special Education Accountability Monitoring (NCSEAM) (US Dept of Education)
Best Uses: Specific information, policy development, planning
Ease of Use: Medium
Other Comments: Designed to assist states and districts, as well as OSEP, on issues related to special education accountability, this site offers educators a view from beyond the classroom walls.

Special Education in an Era of School Reform: Accountability, Standards and Assessment: http://www.dssc.org/frc/pubs/erickson.pdf
This is a 46-page PDF document written by Dr. Ronald Erickson for the Federal and Regional Resource Centers Network. It is part of a series on contemporary school reform and its impact on special education. While it is not "light reading," it is very informative and offers research-based information.

Primary Audience: Educators
Hosted by: Federal and Regional Resource Centers Network (US Dept of Education)
Best Uses: specific information, research, policy development
Ease of Use: Medium
Other Comments: Academic, researched-based reading

In the Classroom: Help With Behavior and Discipline

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: http://www.pbis.org/
This website is from OSEP and is extremely helpful for understanding what's meant by "positive behavior interventions" as a means of preventing and resolving behavioral issues.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents
Hosted by: OSEP (US Dept of Education)
Best Uses: practical application
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Offers educators a way to understand the requirements and the realities of positive behavioral interventions. Very practical and applicable.

Multimodal Functional Behavioral Assessment: http://mfba.net/
This site offers plenty of researched based information on FBA and BIP (functional behavior assessment and behavioral intervention planning, taken from the perspective developed by the Duquesne University School Psychology Program. This "multimodal approach" is slightly different (more comprehensive) than the general FBI information typically promoted by districts and state education agencies. The site includes forms for downloading and use as well as research based information.

Primary Audience: Educators
Hosted by: Duquesne University School Psychology Program
Best Uses: specific information, research, practical applications
Ease of Use: High

Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice: Functional Behavior Assessment: http://cecp.air.org/fba/default.htm
This well-organized site trains the user in the basics and practical applications of FBA. The three training segments include "how to" information. The documents in this series were written with some of the country's leading experts, were designed and reviewed by panels that have included teachers and administrators, parents, school psychologists, union representatives, researchers, policy makers and others, and were vetted by the U.S. Department of Education for consistency with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The site also includes a series on Addressing Student Problem Behavior is available to read online and to download as PDF.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents
Hosted by: Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice
Best Uses: practical application
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Online training and downloads teach you how to address student problem behaviors effectively using research-based techniques that are in-line with what the IEP process requires.

Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction's FBA Resources: http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlsea/een/sbfba.html
This site includes information from Wisconsin's Dept. of Public Instruction on functional behavior assessments: policy, procedure, IEP goals to address behavioral issues, and DPI created training materials on FBA and behavioral intervention plans in IEPs.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents
Hosted by: Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction
Best Uses: practical application, policy implementation
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: A study-guide offers professionals, parents and others specific, usable information and "how to" procedures.

"You can handle them all" http://www.disciplinehelp.com/
This is a tool to assist teachers and parents in deciding how best to respond to common misbehavior, as well as a way of understanding why inappropriate behaviors occur in many children. While it does not address behavioral issues that are specifically caused by a disability (for example, behaviors that are not a child's choice or are a direct result of a disability), the basic understanding of the link between meeting underlying needs and behavior is helpful. The site focuses more on the common types of class (and home) misbehavior that disrupt teaching and learning. It offers specific approaches or responses that adults can use to teach alternative behaviors rather than simply using ineffective and unprofessional punishment.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents
Hosted by: The MASTER Teacher, Inc.
Best Uses: Practical application
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Some will consider this a "cookbook" approach to dealing with behaviors, but if the user spends time learning the section on "Behavior Management Overview and Foundations" section before going to the "Solutions for Handling 117 Misbehaviors," you will understand that the approach is based in a specific way of understanding the functional meaning behind behaviors you see in your classroom (or home).

Functional Behavior Assessment and Behavioral Intervention Plans http://ericec.org/digests/e571.html
Understanding the relationship between learning and behavior must be a key ingredient in planning the individualized education program (IEP) for a student with disabilities. IEP Teams charged with developing IEPs are required to address the children's behavioral as well as learning problems. IEP teams must conduct a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) and implement behavior intervention plans that include positive behavioral interventions and supports. This digest explains how and why an IEP Team does an FBA and integrates their findings in the child's IEP.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents
Hosted by: ERIC
Best Uses: practical application
Ease of Use: High

Sometimes Children Can't Help How They Behave? http://www.emedicine.com/ped/developmental__behavioral.htm
Sometimes, it really helps to understand why a child with a disability is behaving in a certain way. Sometimes the behaviors we see in our classrooms (or homes) are manifestations of the disability itself. This site offers detailed information and explanations of various types of disabilities and disorders that typically have behavioral components. It will be helpful in understanding why certain types of commonly used classroom or home interventions simply won't work, since some behaviors have physiological or medical roots.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents
Hosted by: emedicine.com
Best Uses: specific information
Ease of Use: Medium
Other Comments: emedicine.com describes itself as "Nearly 10,000 physician authors and editors contribute to the eMedicine Clinical Knowledge Base, which contains articles on 7,000 diseases and disorders." This site is medically based and aimed primarily at health care professionals, so some articles are quite technical.

A Teacher's View and Suggestions: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Styx/7315/subjects/behavior.html
Dr. Kay Davis, Ph.D., has compiled this long list of behavior related web resources specifically for educators. She has worked in the field of special education for over ten years as a special educator and an administrator of a special services cooperative. She has a master's degree in mildly handicapped education from Henderson State University, and a doctorate in special education administration and supervision from Virginia Tech.

Primary Audience: Educators K-12
Hosted by: A teacher who is also a Ph.D.
Best Uses: Practical applications.
Ease of Use: Medium
Other Comments: Somewhat awkward user interface. The site was not designed by a professional web site designer, but the information is pertinent to educators' needs and clearly comes from classroom experience.

In the Classroom: Help with Teaching and Accommodating

Teachers' Book on Inclusion in Education: http://www.quasar.ualberta.ca/ddc/incl/intro.htm
While this is a Canadian site, set up as a "handbook" for teachers, it provides logical, easy to implement, and well-researched ideas, suggestions, and pedagogical perspectives on successfully teaching children with disabilities in the general education setting. The Handbook is the core of the site, with specific sections for elementary and secondary teaching. The section called Feedback contains more than 100 interviews with teachers who have experienced success including special needs children in their classrooms. Teachers will be able to relate to the experiences, and the wisdom and commitment represented here. The section called Resources provides original material and reprints from important books about inclusion. There is also a section for feedback, where users can ask a question, make a comment, or contribute information about your own success with inclusion.

Primary Audience: Educators
Hosted by: JP Das Developmental Difficulties Centre at the
University of Alberta, Canada
Best Uses: Practical application, opinion
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Connecting to real colleagues offers a two-way learning opportunity as well as an opportunity for mutual support.

Accommodation Checklist: http://rushservices.com/Inclusion/accommodations_checklist.htm
Found on the "Inclusion: Yours, Mine, Ours" website, from the Florida Inclusion Network (http://rushservices.com/Inclusion/homepage.htm), this printable checklist helps IEP teams identify possible accommodations for consideration based on a child's individual needs and abilities.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents
Hosted by: Florida Inclusion Network
Best Uses: Practical application, general information
Ease of Use: High

Inclusion: University of Northern Iowa: http://www.uni.edu/coe/inclusion
This Web site is designed for general education teachers, special education teachers, parents, and school staff to help provide some answers about how inclusive education can be accomplished. Resources for making accommodations and for successfully teaching children with disabilities in an inclusive setting are included.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents
Hosted by: University of Northern Iowa
Best Uses: Practical application
Ease of Use: High

Educators' Reference Desk: http://www.eduref.org/
This site allows you to access 2,000+ lesson plans, 3,000+ links to online education information, and 200+ question archive responses. The Educator's Reference Desk provides a search interface to the ERIC Database, providing access to over one million bibliographic records on educational research, theory, and practice.

Primary Audience: Educators
Hosted by: Educators Reference Desk
Best Uses: Practical applications, general information, specific information
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: An excellent central source of information to benefit educators' professional development and classroom teaching.

Technology Integration: Using Technology and Computers in Your Classroom: http://www.lburkhart.com/
Tips, interactive projects, integrating the Internet, using assistive technology, and more, written by a teacher, for teachers. The site is organized by elementary school, middle school, and special education needs, but ideas from each section can easily be adapted and used across age groups.

Primary Audience: Educators
Hosted by: Linda Burkhart (teacher in Maryland) and her colleagues
Best Uses: Practical applications, lesson plans, learning activities
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Also includes teacher resources, printable student pages, information on augmented communication, links to additional technology and special education resources.

NCIP: http://www2.edc.org/NCIP/
The National Center to Improve Practice (NCIP), located at Education Development Center, Inc., was funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs from 1992-1998 to promote the effective use of technology to enhance educational outcomes for students with sensory, cognitive, physical and social/emotional disabilities. This site includes a collection of resources pertaining to using assistive technology, on-line courses, and links on technology in special education teaching.

Primary Audience: Educators
Hosted by: National Center to Improve Practice
Best Uses: General information, practical applications, on-line training
Ease of Use: Medium

Classroom Tools: http://www.do2learn.com/index.htm
Teacher organizational tools, games for students with significant disabilities, downloadable picture cards to help you make your schedules, story strips, communication cards, and more are available for free on this teacher/parent friendly site. The site also includes other products you can purchase.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents
Hosted by: Do2Learn (company) with funds from National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health.
Best Uses: Practical applications, lesson plans
Ease of Use: Medium

Research Based Practices for Educators: http://www.fape.org/research/index.htm
This index includes dozens of articles identifying and explaining applications for current best-practices research in special education: juvenile justice, help with behavioral problems, early intervention, best practices in teaching reading, family involvement, dropout rates, and much, much more!

Primary Audience: Educators, administrators, research, parents
Hosted by: Families and Advocates Partnership for Education (US Dept of Education funded)
Best Uses: Research, applications, best practices.
Ease of Use: High

Resources for ParaEducators/ Paraprofessional Educators:
http://www.special-ed-careers.org/educator_resources/para_resources.html This site contains links to such resources for and about paraeductors and paraeducator professional development as: Paraprofessional Certification Checklist, National Resource Center for Paraprofessionals, National Clearinghouse for Paraeducator Resources, and more.

Primary Audience: Educators, Paraeducators, parents
Hosted by: National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education
Best Uses: Research, applications, best practices, training, policy.
Ease of Use: High

Early Intervention/ Birth-Three Services: http://www.zerotothree.org/
Links for both parents and professionals connect users to a wide variety of resources for B-3 or early intervention. Includes parenting tips, links to articles, downloadable handouts on development, and more.

Primary Audience: Educators, Parents
Hosted by: Zero to Three
Best Uses: Practical applications, best practices, training
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: ZERO TO THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families is a national nonprofit organization based in Washington DC.

Educating Young Children with Disabilities: http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dltcl/bbfcsp/ecspedhm.html
This is the official Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website for "Bright Beginnings," the state's early childhood program. On it, find information about laws and policy, least restrictive environment, transition from birth-to-three to primary education, and links to other relevant web sites.

Primary Audience: Educators
Hosted by: Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction
Best Uses: Practical applications, best practices, training, policy
Ease of Use: High

Disability Rights: Laws and Policies

EdLaw: http://www.edlaw.net/frames.html
In addition to a special education law library, with access to the texts of laws governing the provision of special education, this site offers users specially formatted texts of statutes, regulations, decisions and interpretive materials. Many of these materials are available free from other sources; however, frequently they are not available in a format that is conducive to downloading, easy reading or compatible printing.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, advocates
Hosted by: EdLaw (private company and attorneys)
Best Uses: Advice, general information, specific information, advocacy
Ease of Use: High

An Overview of IDEA: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/Policy/IDEA/overview.html
An overview of P.L. 105-17, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1997) from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, advocates
Hosted by: US Dept of Education (OSEP)
Best Uses: General information, specific information, advocacy
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Overview only. See below to download the actual law itself.

A copy of IDEA: Download a copy of IDEA in pdf format from this OSEP site: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/Policy/IDEA/the_law.html

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, advocates
Hosted by: US Dept of Education (OSEP)
Best Uses: Specific information, advocacy
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: This is a large download, but a good way to have the actual law on-hand to review and highlight.

IDEA Regulations (and other IDEA materials created by OSEP): http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/Policy/IDEA/regs.html

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, advocates
Hosted by: US Dept of Education (OSEP)
Best Uses: Specific information, advocacy
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: The regulations are quite extensive. They clarify what the federal law says. Other materials are also helpful to understand national policy, which all school districts are required to follow.

IDEA Best Practices: http://www.ideapractices.org/
IDEA materials, best practices information, and information created by a federally funded OSEP project called IDEA Practices.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, advocates
Hosted by: IDEA Practices (US Dept of Education project)
Best Uses: General information, specific information, advocacy
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Includes training materials, fact sheets, and other useful items.

Federal Policy on IDEA: http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/leg/idea/memo.html
Memos from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) set policy for implementing IDEA. This federal site offers access to all OSEP memos and letters clarifying implementation of IDEA.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, advocates
Hosted by: US Dept of Education (OSEP)
Best Uses: Specific information, advocacy
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Not light reading, but the OSEP memos do form the basis for implementing policy across the US.

Legislative Advocacy: IDEA Reauthorization

Council for Exceptional Children: http://capwiz.com/cek/home/
The legislative advocacy website from CEC, Council for Exceptional Children, a membership organization for teachers and other professionals serving children with disabilities. This site offers live links and ideas for emailing or writing letters to legislators. It also offers CEC's perspective on what needs to be changed in the federal statute.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, advocates
Hosted by: Council for Exceptional Children
Best Uses: Advice, general information, specific information, advocacy
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: This is CEC's legislative website. Their organization's home page, with tons of information, advocacy, and professional development information is: http://www.cec.sped.org/

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, advocates
Hosted by: National Center for Learning Disabilities
Best Uses: Advice, general information, specific information, advocacy
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: This is NCLD's legislative website. The organization's home page, with information sheets on learning disabilities, information on "best practices" in teaching students with learning disabilities, etc. is at: http://www.ld.org/

Wisconsin Chapter 115 (Special Education Law for Wisconsin)

Special Education in Plain Language http://www.cesa7.k12.wi.us/sped/Parents/plainlanguageindex.htm
This user-friendly, interactive site explains both federal and state special education laws and state policies on implementing special education, IEPs, and rights. Users can also download a print version of the book Special Education in Plain Language.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, advocates
Hosted by: CESA # 7 and Wisconsin Dept of Public Instruction
Best Uses: Advice, general information, specific information, advocacy
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Bookmark this one as an easy-to-understand, collaboratively developed, accurate source for information on special education laws and policies in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin's Special Education Policies: Information Bulletins: http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlsea/een/bulindex.html
Wisconsin's Department of Public Instruction creates "Information Bulletins" to promulgate policy requirements to all school districts in the state. These policies have the force of law, and are based on Wisconsin's implementation of Wisconsin Statute (Ch. 115) and administrative code (P.I. 11). These offer specific, enforceable policy statements for educators, administrators and parents.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, advocates
Hosted by: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI)
Best Uses: General information, specific information
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: The home page for DPI's special education team is: http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlsea/een/index.html

Chapter 115: Text http://www.legis.state.wi.us/rsb/Statutes.html
This site offers the actual text of Wisconsin statute pertaining to special education.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, advocates
Hosted by: Wisconsin state legislature
Best Uses: Specific information
Ease of Use: Medium

PI 11: Wisconsin's Administrative Code governing special education: http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlsea/een/pi11_0701.html
PI 11 offers the official definitions of disabilities in Wisconsin special education, explanations of disabilities served by public education, and eligibility criteria for each area of disability in Wisconsin.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, advocates
Hosted by: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Best Uses: Specific information
Ease of Use: High

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction: http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlsea/een/hmtopics.html
DPI is the SEA, or state education agency, authorized to implement special education law in Wisconsin. This portion of their website includes an index allowing users to quickly access information on a variety of topics.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, advocates
Hosted by: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Best Uses: Specific information
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: A good place to find out "what does the state require" on issues or topics pertaining to special education. Also, the site has contact information for almost everyone at DPI.

Americans With Disabilities Act/EEOC

http://www.equity.appstate.edu/www_docs/depart/equity/ADA.htm
This site, by Appalachian State University, offers access to a variety of resources on the ADA. While children with disabilities in public school have their rights protected by IDEA, educators, staff, parents, and employees of school districts who have disabilities are covered under ADA.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, advocates, individuals with disabilities
Hosted by: Appalachian State University
Best Uses: Specific information, general information, research
Ease of Use: Medium

http://janweb.icdi.wvu.edu/links/adalinks.htm
The Job Accommodation Network offers a content-rich site on the ADA, with numerous links to additional information.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, advocates, individuals with disabilities
Hosted by: West Virginia University with funding from US Dept of Labor and US Dept of Commerce
Best Uses: Specific information, general information, research
Ease of Use: Medium
Other Comments: Employers and businesses would also find this site helpful.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, advocates, individuals with disabilities
Hosted by: US government
Best Uses: Specific information, general information, research
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: Employers and businesses would also find this site helpful.

Primary Audience: Educators, parents, advocates, individuals with disabilities
Hosted by: National Council on Disability and the National Urban League
Best Uses: Specific information, advocacy
Ease of Use: High
Other Comments: A "one-stop" web location for links to all the major federal legislation impacting individuals with disabilities. Could also be used with students to introduce them to their rights (although the reading level is high).

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