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High School of America is an alternative education for those students who need a different way to learn
Children with physical and mental disabilities have many academic hurdles that they face daily. Not only might they feel like they don’t fit in and have trouble learning, but their teachers also may not be prepared or trained on how to help them.
Through government regulations such as IEP, or Individualized Education Program, and Section 504, efforts have been made to ensure that disabled children have access to a public education that compares to the education of non-disabled students. We’ll talk about what these programs mean for disabled children, how to help them receive a better education while making a difference for the next generation, and an alternative for those who need a different way to learn.
Many teacher-education programs offer just one class about students with disabilities to their general-education teachers, ‘Special Ed 101,’ as it’s called at one New Jersey college. It’s not enough to equip teachers for a roomful of children who can range from the gifted to students who read far below grade level due to a learning disability.”-The Atlantic
Academic Hurdles
Children with disabilities include a wide range of children, from those with physical limitations to slight learning disabilities. Here are just a few of the hurdles these special needs children can face on a daily basis in a standard schooling environment.
- Being Included
- Lack of resources
- Not enough trained teachers
- Not enough trained substitutes
- And many more barriers
No matter what it is, it can be the cause of daily struggle for students and exhausting for their parents. One major hurdle for these students is inclusion. Often peers and teachers alike can be slow to include disabled children in activities or learning groups. A lack of disability resources can get in the way, as well. Something as simple as not having a wheelchair ramp can greatly affect a child’s education. As mentioned earlier, many teachers don’t receive proper training in how to educate children with special needs. If they do have the training, a few days of vacation for the teacher means a few days of a substitute teacher who does not. Barriers to education are difficult because they often involve financial hurdles and lengthy processes. Though we are moving in the right direction to provide a better education for disabled children, the slow processes mean more and more students getting overlooked and left behind in the meantime.
Plans and Measures to Help
Though public schooling has some measures in place to help special needs students, sometimes it isn’t enough. It is those times that High School of America can help!
There are laws and regulations that have been put in place to help each individual student to get the best out of their public education. These steps help set your child aside as an individual and address his or her needs in a more specific way. A couple of these plans are called an individualized education program and a 504 plan. Let’s take a more in depth look into these.
Individualized Education Program
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) created by the U.S. Department of Education, allows students to receive special education if their disability is one of the qualifying conditions. If they fall under this category, they must have an individualized education program (IEP). IEPs are customized plans for one specific student. They are designed to help that student learn in the best way possible for him or her depending on the type of disability they have. Teachers and parents should work together to create the optimum program for the child.
504 Plan
If a student does not qualify for an IEP, they can still receive help through a 504 plan. This law is a civil rights law, which ensures that children with disabilities are accommodated with the resources they need. This can include resources for children with ADHD who are limited by their ability to learn. In their case, special accommodations covered by a 504 plan may be extra time to finish their work or shorter assignments.
What to Do
The best thing we can do to help speed up the process of more specialized education in public schools, as well as better trained teachers, is to spread awareness. Many people who have no experience with disabilities take simple things for granted that can be major hurdles for disabled children. Talk to your school board or PTA president about how you can improve the school. Can you add a wheelchair ramp? Or fundraise to provide teachers with special education training? Children with disabilities want to feel just like everyone else and should have access to the same quality of education as their peers. If you can’t make any concrete changes, at least spread the word and help make people more aware of the daily challenges for these children.
The best thing we can do to help speed up the process of more specialized education in public schools, as well as better trained teachers, is to spread awareness.
High School of America and Helping Your Special Needs Child
Get a high school diploma online with High School of America.
Perhaps an alternative to regular high school could help children who have faced academic hurdles during elementary and middle school catch up to their peers. A quality online education through a school like the High School of America is a great option for students who just aren’t getting the specialized help they need.
Students can select which courses and how many they would like to take and can study at their own pace and in their own time. This means that if your child learns at a slower pace or has difficulties with certain subjects, he or she will be able to take more time on problem subjects. Perhaps your child has the opposite problem and is gifted and finds typical classes boring and not engaging enough. Our courses here at High School of America are created so that a student can move through subjects that they know as quickly as they can while understanding the material.
With a highly qualified staff and a student forum, they will feel included and not have to worry about how to get around or what others are thinking of them. This feature of our classes not only ensures inclusion, it means more one on one time for your student with a teacher. It will also likely lead to more positive interactions with other students about the classes and subject matter that they are working on.
With enough courses, students can earn their high school diploma online. This means that your child can get their diploma from the accommodating atmosphere you are able to provide them in your home. They will be able to feel included and like they are worth the teacher’s time and attention. They will be able to learn at a pace that best fits their needs and still be able to get a high school diploma.
Though the world of education is becoming more accommodating, it is taking time. If you or someone you know needs alternate routes to high school success, online high school may be the answer. Reach out to our friendly and knowledgeable administrators here at High School of America. We would be glad to go over how our classes work and what we have to offer regarding your child and their needs. We can help you come up with a plan to help your child get the education that they deserve.
