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Online Learning and Other Resources for the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic: Resources for Students with Disabilities

Additional Resources

Check out our companion Libguide: Assistive Technology for Distance Learning!

Online Instruction for Young Children with Disabilities During COVID-19

Assessing and Addressing the Needs of Young Children with Disabilities through Telecommunication

In partnership with the Division for Early Childhood (DEC).

The essential practices in early intervention for children birth to five years can happen through actual conversation, even conversations that are held virtually. In this webinar, Robin McWilliam, Ph.D. and Cami Stevenson discuss how we can find out who’s in the family’s ecology, what the child and family needs are, develop participation-based child goals and family goals, construct a routines-by-goals matrix, and provide support-based visits—all done remotely. 

Webinar: Strategies for Virtual Learning for Students with Dyslexia

The thought of accomplishing meaningful virtual learning for students is a daunting one. When you consider the complexities of providing intervention, accommodations, and other supports for students with dyslexia in a virtual learning environment, the task becomes even more intimidating. It doesn’t have to be though! Watch this edWebinar where we offer some tips, techniques, and strategies designed to keep your students learning. We make sure you know what they need in order to thrive, and leave you with a list of go-to resources that will prepare you to deliver instruction in a variety of virtual technology environments.

This is the ‘pep talk’ you need before jumping into the virtual learning world!

This recorded edWebinar will be of value to preK through high school teachers and school and district leaders.

Presented by Terrie Noland, C.A.L.P., Vice President, Educator Initiatives, Learning Ally

Sponsored by Learning Ally

New Strategies in Special Education as Kids Learn From Home

"In special education, teachers say that schedules, sensory supports, and close collaboration with families can help smooth the transition to remote learning during Coronavirus."

This article from Edutopia provides strategies for Special Educators to use while adapting to the realities of distance learning.

UConn Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities

The UConn Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities has provided a COVID Updates and Resources page that may prove helpful for those who have disabilities or support people with disabilities.

Described and Captioned Media Program

Funded by the Department of Education, DCMP continues to support families and educators with free Remote Learning resources by offering high quality captioning and description for educational media. DCMP is providing access to some of its resources for free through this link. DCMP has not currently pledged compliance with the Connecticut Student Data Privacy law. Please contact in-district personnel to set up the Data Privacy Pledge with this company.

Disability Rights Connecticut

On July 10, 2020, judgment entered in the case of A.R. v. Connecticut State Board of Education. This means the new law in Connecticut is special education eligibility continues until a student turns 22. Disability Rights Connecticut (DRCT) represented the plaintiff in the class-action lawsuit, A.R. v. Connecticut State Board of Education, and provides this fact sheet to share information about the Court’s decision with the public.

Where It's AT: Mrs. DiChiara's Assistive Technology Blog

Consider exploring this Assistive Technology blog created by Mrs. DiChiara, a 15-year elementary school teacher who also has several years of experience in Special Education, Literacy, and Assistive Technology.  The creator of the blog collects posters, webinars, and other resources that may prove valuable to educators or parents who are attempting to supports students' growth through Assistive Technology.

Webinar: Distance Learning + Special Education: Strategies for Success

Future of School website has provided a webinar that is led by education experts with the goal of supporting America’s teachers as they navigate the new distance learning requirements due to the Coronavirus.  The abrupt change from traditional teaching to “crisis schooling” has been difficult for many as teachers as they seek to support the students through true online learning. This webinar specifically addresses how to address and overcome challenges in distance teaching for the special education population of students.

**You must register on the website to gain access to the on-demand video.

Webinar: COVID-19 Considerations for Special Education Administrators

Provided on the Council of Exceptional Children website, join leaders in Special Education in a discussion of current information about COVID-19 and how Special Education administrators are navigating. Presenters will discuss what we know to date and provide some options for meeting the needs of families and students in your communities.

Presented by: Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE)

Airdate: April 3, 2020

Secondary Transition for Students with Disabilities

The website Novoresume has put together a career guide for people with disabilitiesIn this guide you will find information about the job search process, your rights in accordance with the ADA (Americans with Disability Act), advice on which careers to pick, an overview of job sites for people with disabilities, FAQ, and much more. Novoresume has not currently pledged compliance with the Connecticut Student Data Privacy law. Please contact in-district personnel to set up the Data Privacy Pledge with this company.

You can access the Career Guide on their website

SLPs are Quarantined Too: Keep Your Child Progressing!

From the speech therapy app, Speech Blubs, comes a simple guide for parents and caregivers on how to support their children and their continued progress in meeting their speech/language goals.

Accessible Math Tools for the Classroom

Provided by the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials, this page provides an overview of classroom tools for making math content more accessible with supports such as text to speech for reading math expressions aloud, handwriting recognition, sonification of graphs and more. Please refer to Connecticut's edTech Learn Platform to ensure that the resources you are interested in have signed the CT Student Data Privacy Pledge.

Webinar: Highlighting Resources For Teachers and Parents to Enhance the Continuity of Learning for Children with Disabilities

OSEP is hosting the first in a series of webinars focused on ready-to-use resources, tools, and practices from OSEP-funded grantees to support the educational, developmental, and social/emotional and behavioral needs of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities through remote and distance learning. With the extended school closures occurring across the country, many States, districts, and schools are now delivering instruction remotely while parents, families, and students are having to learn in entirely new ways and facing challenges when it comes to learning during these unprecedented times. It is important to provide continuity of learning and growth for all children and youth, particularly those with disabilities. This webinar offers an opportunity to highlight free resources, targeted at various stakeholders, aimed at exploring potential strategies and innovative approaches to address the critical needs of students with disabilities during the COVID-19 era.

Supporting Students with Learning Disabilities During School Closures

Experts from the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence offer several recommendations for supporting students with learning disabilities through the Coronavirus pandemic.

Provided by: Teaching Tolerance

Webinar: Addressing Special Education During COVID-19

Recorded 4/9/20 - Disability Rights New Jersey (DRNJ) Staff Attorneys, Robert Robinson and Andrea Parente, along with Mike Marotta, Director, The Richard West Assistive Technology Advocacy Center (ATAC) provide important information about addressing special education concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Visit drnj.org for more information

Autism and Speech Therapy at Home

Presented by the company 1 to 1 Kid Talk Speech Therapy, this video provides a look at activities parents can do with their child who has Autism or needs speech therapy support.

Bookshare - Learning at Home During COVID-19

Bookshare is a free online library that provides access to over 800,000 ebooks in easy-to-read formats. The following resources will help students with dyslexia, blindness, cerebral palsy, and other reading barriers to continue learning during school closures. Bookshare provides both a guide for educators and for parents/caregivers on how to access these materials. Bookshare has not currently pledged compliance with the Connecticut Student Data Privacy law. Please contact in-district personnel to set up the Data Privacy Pledge with this company.

Questions and Answers on Providing Services to Children with Disabilities during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak

Published in March 2020 from the U.S. Department of Education, this resource outlines the states' responsibilities to infants, toddlers, children and with disabilities and their families, and to the staff serving these children. This resource is targeted towards educators and their questions but may also prove helpful to parents and caregivers.