Section 504 "prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities by school districts receiving federal financial assistance" (First & Curcio, 1993, p.33). In public schools, eligible students receive an Individualized Accommodation Plan (IAP), guaranteeing a free appropriate public education (FAPE) and equitable access to educational opportunities (Bateman, 1996). Interest in Section 504 has grown among school personnel, especially in the use of this mandate for students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Additionally, the number of students with IAPs has increased nationally, in Virginia, and in the school district studied (Elementary and Secondary Schools Compliance Reports, 1994 & 1997). It has been hypothesized that these increases are attributable to ADHD. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore who these adolescents are and how they are served under Section 504 policy in two middle schools in southeastern Virginia. A comparative case study design was used to explore Section 504 policy implementation through within and cross-case comparisons of data from documents and interviews with administrators and teachers about the number and content of IAPs, and decision-making pertaining to the Section 504 process. Grounded theory was used to generate propositions relative to how demographic profiles and IAP content are affected by the implementation process. Results identified relevant themes and factors as awareness of procedures, time, costs, and school profiles. The findings of this study are intended to raise stakeholder awareness about Section 504 decision-making practices and their influence on services for students, and to inform Section 504 staff developers of training needs. / Ed. D.

No description available.

This study was designed to present descriptive data from a survey of 201 school psychologists. Psychologists completed a survey addressing current practices for determining placement for students with ADHD including the role of school psychologists in determining placement, how often and who monitors services, where students are served, and what services are provided in each setting. Findings indicated that psychologists were involved less frequently in placement decisions and evaluation for Section 504 than in Special Education. Students with 504 plans received less frequent follow-up than students in Special Education. Results indicated that schools were generally following federal guidelines and recommendations from researchers for placement decisions, at least when the school psychologist was involved. Overall, service patterns for Section 504 and Special Education were similar; however, all interventions were reported more frequently in Special Education. Data indicated that empirically supported interventions may be underutilized in both settings for students with ADHD.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires schools to make reasonable accommodations to allow students with disabilities equal access to the educational process without providing any funding to implement the statute and establishing no compliance mechanism. A survey of 47 elementary school site administrators was conducted to determine their attitudes and perceptions regarding implementation of Section 504. The responses received reflected a generally positive attitude about Section 504 with stated concerns about the lack of funding for implementing it. A discrepancy was noted between larger and smaller school districts regarding whether Section 504 was a burden to implement, with the larger districts indicating that Section 504 was less burdensome than the smaller districts. Administrators generally indicated they believe their knowledge of Section 504 to be superior to that of teachers. It was concluded that recommendations for administrators include enhancing the role of teachers and parents in identifying students that would benefit from Section 504 Plans and in creating said plans. It was also suggested that combining Section 504 training for administrators and teachers with training for the inclusion of students with disabilities in regular educational settings would be a means for reducing the costs of special education services and at the same time improving the educational process for students with disabilities.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires local education agencies to include parents as equal team members in the cultivation of their child’s individual education plan (IEP). Despite law, studies have shown that parents experience barriers to being included in the process. Barriers such as a lack of information, lack of understanding of the law, and feelings of unequal status or power as compared to school district team members have been noted. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions, feelings, and understanding of the initial IEP process as experienced by parents new to the world of special education. This study took the form of two research articles, each with a set of three research questions. Through the utilization of narrative inquiry, I was able to listen to the stories of parents as they tried to navigate their way through the initial IEP experiences, hear who supported their understanding along the way, learn how parents perceived their role during their journey, feel the emotions that parents shared feeling during their experiences, and find out if parents knew their procedural safeguard rights. The most impactful barriers for parents new to special education was the lack of adherence to legal timelines. Parent requests for special education assessment took up to two years for some parents. Lack of information and understanding of the IEP process and law was another major hurdle for participants. Without adequate information and understanding parents felt a power imbalance and feeling of being taken advantage of. Parents described a disconnect regarding how they viewed their parent role and how the school district viewed their role. A copious amount of praise was given to family resource centers for their support and trainings offered to parents.

No description available.

Although school counselors strive to address the needs of all students, children with learning disabilities are often overlooked (Bergin & Bergin, 2005; Dahir, 2004). Under federal requirements, all federally funded schools are required to provide services to students with disabilities. Further, the American School Counselor Association's (ASCA) model for school counseling programs stipulates that school counselors should ensure appropriate services are provided to all students (Milsom, 2002). Research has been completed regarding teachers' attitudes toward complying with the federal mandates (Bateman & Bateman, 2002; Rea & Davis-Dorsey, 2004). There is, however, considerably less information regarding school counselors' roles, and only minimal information on their attitudes and background experience regarding learning disabilities (Frye, 2005; Greene & Valesky, 1998; Milsom, 2002). School counselors from ASCA's southern region were asked to respond to the Attitudes Toward Learning Disabilities Instrument online survey. The findings of this study demonstrated that although school counselors overwhelmingly support ASCA's guidelines, few have the full credentials outlined by the ASCA model. A majority of the counselors in this study had little or no educational training and reported feeling unprepared to address educationally-based tasks such as developing classroom accommodations, or acting as a consultant to the school staff on learning disability issues. In contrast, one third of the participants in this study were certified teachers who reported feeling prepared and confident about all areas of academic and disability services. These results support the conclusions of previous research which indicated that counselor preparation and years of experience were found to be related to more positive attitudes toward inclusion (Greene & Valesky, 1998; Greer & Greer, 1995; Milsom, 2002; Milsom & Akos, 2003) Availability Unrestricted: Release the

This study explored the level of involvement of school social workers in the 504-Plan process as it relates to the administrative culture of school administrators, collaboration with school personnel, training on the 504-Plan process, and finally knowledge of Section 504. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder affects over six-million children in the world today that may benefit from the use of a 504-Plan. A total of 147 school social workers participated in this study. A self-administered survey was used, and data analysis was conducted on two levels: descriptive which employed frequency and percent distributions of respondents and analytical procedures. The Kruskal-Wallis H test utilized for this study which indicated a statistically significant relationship which rejected the null hypotheses of all four research questions. A second test was then performed, Mann Whitney U test, to determine where the significance of the hypotheses lied. Findings revealed that overall there is a low level of involvement of school social workers in the 504-Plan process of 64.8%. Twenty-nine and a third percent reported a moderate level of involvement. There was a low to moderate level of administrative culture, moderate level of collaboration, training and knowledge among the school social workers.

This research study was designed to determine the attitudes, and perceptions of Indiana high school principals concerning implementation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The sample consisted of Indiana high school principals who held membership in the Indiana Association of School Principals. There were 222 high school principals who were requested to complete an on-line survey; 105 principals responded, which generated a response rate of 47 %.The Section 504 on-line survey was modified from an instrument in California in which the researcher studied the attitudes and perceptions of elementary school administrators (Williams, 2003).The data were analyzed, depending upon the variable, with a standard analysis of variance (ANOVA) or t-test design. Demographical data and survey responses were subjected to statistical analyses based upon the research hypothesis being examined. Demographical data collected from high school principals were degree earned, type of license, years of experience, gender, size of the school, whether the principal was responsible for implementing Section 504 plans, and if the principal categorized his school as rural, suburban, or urban.Results showed significance for high school size and whether the high school principal was responsible for implementing Section 504 plans. As high schools increased in the number of students, there was a need for principals to have additional training in implementing Section 504 plans. Another significant finding was that principals believe students with disabilities benefit educationally from having Section 504 plans at minimalcosts to their school corporations. However, principals also have a slightly negative attitude towards implementing Section 504 plans. Possible reasons for these results were discussed and a need for further research was offered. / Department of Educational Leadership

No description available.