Working With Special Needs Populations Chris Carter, Assistant Director, VSGC

Working With Special Needs Populations


Chris Carter, Assistant Director, VSGC

Nick Koltun, Educational Programs Specialist, VSGC

Mark Riccobono, Director of Education

Jernigan Institute National Federation of the Blind

Gail Henrich, Vision Teacher, Norfolk Public Schools


Disability Groups under the Individuals with Disabilities Education

Act• Hearing

Impairments Including Deafness

• Visual Impairments Including Blindness

• Speech or Language Impairments

• Mental Retardation

• Emotional Disturbance

• Orthopedic Impairments

• Autism

• Traumatic Brain Injury

• Other Health Impairments, Multiple Disabilities, Deaf-blindness, Specific Learning Disabilities, and Developmental Delay


Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, Data Analysis System "Report of children with disabilities receiving special education under Part B of the Individualswith Disabilities Education Act," 2004. Data updated as of July 30, 2005. https://www.ideadata.org/tables28th/ar_1-1.htm

•Children and youth served under IDEA by age group in the 50 States (2004)

•Ages 3 – 21

• 6,718,619

•Ages 5 – 18 (school age children and youth)

•5,716,119

Scope of Need


Inclusion of Students With Disabilities in Regular Classrooms

Percentage of Day in Regular Education Classroom

School year80 percent

or more40-79

percentLess than

40 percent

Not in aregular school

1994–95 44.5 28.7 22.4 4.3

1995–96 45.3 28.7 21.6 4.4

1996–97 45.8 28.5 21.4 4.3

1997–98 46.4 29.0 20.4 4.1

1998–99 46.1 29.8 20.1 4.1

1999–2000 46.0 29.7 20.3 4.1

2000–01 46.5 29.8 19.5 4.2

2001–02 48.4 28.3 19.2 4.0

2002–03 48.2 28.7 19.0 4.0

2003–04 49.9 27.7 18.5 3.9SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. (2003). Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Data from tables AB8 and AB10, unpublished tabulations. Retrieved February 7, 2005, from http://www.ideadata.org/arc_toc5.asp#partbLRE.


Students with Special Needs

English Language Learners

Auditory Learners

Visual Learners

Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners

Struggling Readers

Gifted

Multiple Intelligences

Diverse Learners in Classrooms


Access is the key

The GOAL of UNIVERSAL DESIGN is to create flexible goals, methods, materials, and assessments that accommodate learner differences.

Close captioning assists beginning readers, struggling readers, English language learners and the deaf

Science lectures and

dialogues help the

auditory learner and the

learners with vision

problems

Visual learners learn

best with

demonstrations and

reading Tactile learners perform best taking notes, hands-on

projects

Kinesthetic learners learn best being actively involved

Universal Design


•SERCH serves as a broker and facilitator of services between the region's educational community and researchers involved in SMD missions.

•Purpose is to promote space science awareness and enhance interest in science, math, and technology through the use of NASA's mission data, information, and educational products

•SERCH works with 14 Space Grant consortia (AL, AR, DC, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, PR, SC, TN, and VA)


• Exceptional Needs Workshops (ENWS)– 6 workshops

• Outcomes of ENWS– Special Needs Resource

Group (SNRG)– Exceptional Needs

Working Group (ENWG)– Tactile and Technology

Focus Group (TTFG)


ENWG-Outcomes

Identified need to adapt existing educational materials and to encourage NASA product developers to provide educational methods/products that will involve the exception student population.


Teaming

Science educators Special educators

Scientists Administrato

rs

Parents

Community

Product developers

Technology Specialists

Assistive Technology Specialists

Web developers

NASA Space Grant


VSGC Work in Special Needs

• One regional and two statewide conferences– For teachers of science to blind, visually impaired,

deaf and hard of hearing students

• Mission Space Science: The Tactile Frontier– Regional Conference– One-day– Held at VSGC offices– 30 teachers and educators


Space Science the Special Way(With a Twist from Assistive Technology)

• Seed Funding from SERCH– Additional funding from NASA LaRC, VA DOE,

Department of Blind/Visually Impaired and Department of Deaf/Hard of Hearing

• Statewide Conference held in February 2004 at Science Museum of Virginia

• 131 participants• Response was overwhelmingly positive!


Evaluation Summary

• 97% of participants ‘agreed’, or ‘strongly agreed’ with statements related to:– gained new information– changed the way I feel about assistive technology– motivated to share this with others– accommodations and agenda met my needs and

expectations

• “The energy, enthusiasm, and knowledge were wonderful! Great conference!”

• “I am so very impressed with the efforts and connections of the team!”


• Seed funding from SERCH• Additional funding from NIA/NASA Center for

Distance Learning, VDOE, Department of Blind/Visually Impaired, Department of Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Canon

• Conference held at VSGC in November 2005• For teachers of science to students who are blind,

visually impaired, deaf and hard of hearing

Teaching Earth and Space Science the Special Way


• Attended by 108 attendees• “The conference was inspiring as well as

informative. The best practices and hands-on technology workshops were helpful.”

• “Thank you for your effort to put together an informative, interesting, and engaging conference.”

• “I was impressed with the diversity of the people attending…information will be shared across the city with teachers! This was a wonderful conference for finding others with similar interest.”

Teaching Earth and Space Science the Special Way













• National Federation of the Blind (NFB)

• NASA Langley• NASA Johnson• TERC• Braille Authority of

North America

• Proposal to NOAA’s Environmental Literacy– Weather and Climate

Education for the Blind– Sonification and tactile

graphics

• Proposal to NEC, Inc. STEM Education Program– Adapting Visual Science

News for Blind Students

Partnerships Developed/Outcomes


• SERCH and partners awarded NSF Planning Grant– College of Charleston– South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland,

and Pennsylvania Space Grants• SMILE (Science and Mathematics Integrated in Lifelong-

Learning Experiences)• Broaden the Special Needs Initiative from the K-12 to

higher education. • Strengthen and expand network of educators, scientists,

and resource developers working to make STEM accessible to students with special needs.

Partnerships Developed/Outcomes


Virginia Students Attending SCIVIS

• Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students (SCIVIS).

• A week long camp at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville coordinated by teachers of the visually impaired.

• All materials and equipment are made accessible to allow students to fully participate.

• $3,200 contributed over 3 years to fund travel for 12 students

Documents

Working With Special Needs Populations Chris Carter, Assistant Director, VSGC