CORTLAND, N.Y. -- They have written about it in their books, and share a quiet pride in perhaps being an example to others, but never realized the common link between them. Tim Tebow and Rex Ryan, perhaps the Jets’ best-known personalities, have both overcome dyslexia, the learning disability that affects a person’s ability to read and process information.

For years orientation and mobility (O&M) researchers have studied the ways in which individuals with blindness and low vision get around, or navigate. Traditionally, says Dr. Lotfi Merabet, the assumption has been that blind people, especially early-blind children, have cognitive difficulties in representing spatial environments. These cognitive difficulties were presumed to result in impaired navigation skills. However, he notes, new research – involving the use of consumer-oriented audio technology, including gaming – is setting tradition on its ear.

Much discussion has focused on what this ruling means for the general public; however, little attention has been devoted to what it means for people with disabilities.  Below is a summary of the Act and how it affects individuals with special needs.

Five little words, made up of only sixteen letters that every parent has uttered at one point or another if their child has an IEP.  Who we said it to isn’t as important as the fact that we have all said it.  I have written in the past about my Top Ten Special Education Pet Peeves and the Top Ten Most Ridiculous Comments I Ever Heard at an IEP but it’s time to discuss a new topic.  Below are the top responses heard after I uttered the words, “but it’s in their IEP.” 

"We often talk about parents being partners in education. When we say that, we're usually talking about the healthy and productive relationships that can develop between the adults in a child's life at home and the adults who work with that child at school. I can't overstate how important this partnership is."

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study is one of the largest investigations ever conducted to assess associations between childhood maltreatment and later-life health and well-being. The study is a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente's Health Appraisal Clinic in San Diego. More than 17,000 Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) members undergoing a comprehensive physical examination chose to provide detailed information about their childhood experience of abuse, neglect, and family dysfunction. To date, more than 50 scientific articles have been published and more than100 conference and workshop presentations have been made. The ACE Study findings suggest that certain experiences are major risk factors for the leading causes of illness and death as well as poor quality of life in the United States. Progress in preventing and recovering from the nation's worst health and social problems is likely to benefit from understanding that many of these problems arise as a consequence of adverse childhood experiences.

Alcoholism. Respiratory disease. Cancer. Obesity.  We're told that these can be the results of genetics, stress and poor nutrition. But in recent years, an extraordinary, retrospective study reveals that childhood abuse may lie at the core of some diseases that show up in middle-aged adults. IDEAS producer Mary O'Connell talks to Dr. Vincent Felitti about the physiological results of psychological trauma.

Students with disabilities face several longstanding challenges accessing services that may assist them as they transition from high school into postsecondary education or the workforce—services such as tutoring, vocational training, and assistive technology. Eligible students with disabilities are entitled to transition planning services during high school, but after leaving high school, to receive services that facilitate their transition they must apply as adults and establish eligibility for programs administered by multiple federal agencies. Students with disabilities may face delays in service and end up on waitlists if these programs are full. In addition, while all five states GAO contacted have taken steps to coordinate their transition services and assist families with the transition process, officials said that it is still difficult for students and their parents to navigate and for providers to coordinate services across different programs. Officials and parents GAO spoke with also noted a lack of sufficient information or awareness of the full range of service options available after high school on the part of students with disabilities, parents, and service providers. In addition, state and local officials said students with disabilities may not be adequately prepared to successfully transition to life after high school. This may be due, in part, to limited opportunities to engage in vocational and life skills training or obtain work experience while in school.

How can special education teachers be more effective? The federal Education Department is funding a new center to find out. The department's office of special education said Thursday it will spend up to $5 million on the creation of the Center to Support the Development of Effective Educators to Serve Students with Disabilities. The new center—applications are due Sep. 4—will provide technical assistance to state education departments that are reviewing and reforming certification and licensing standards for teacher preparation programs. It will be expected to work with school districts and colleges and universities.

Wineman, of Cut Bank, was diagnosed with Pervasive Development Disorder, including borderline Aspergers Syndrome, when she was 11 years old. The diagnosis followed a two-year process that included counseling, an exhaustive battery of tests and at least one misdiagnosis.Wineman was often teased and bullied at school and said she usually avoided interaction with others when she was younger.“I felt so alone growing up, and I still do at times,” she said Thursday during a conference on autism at the Montana State University Billings downtown campus. “Nobody understood what I was going through. I separated myself from my classmates and spent most of my time alone. I stayed quiet to hide my speech problems. Due to these overwhelming and daily struggles, I looked at myself as a punching bag for others, and a burden to my family.”

One of the more common questions I get from people that give seminars, write journalism columns or otherwise somehow speak to many people at once is, “what advice would I give to parents that have just had their child diagnosed with autism?” Here it is, in 4 parts.

The DOE consistently ignores its own requirement that failing schools must develop ways to incorporate parents and the community in their turnarounds in exchange for progress waivers.

If you are looking for some great special needs resources the first place to start is Twitter. Even if you are not actively on the social network, Twitter is a great place to find special needs resources.

Our consortium was created to provide information to adults with autism, their families, academics, professionals, legislators, policy makers and others and as a portal to link to our member’s sites and other relevant resources. We want to educate people about the common characteristics and differences in agricultural communities in the United States. Our website also exists to dispel the incorrect notion that agricultural communities are institutional, segregated congregate care models when, in fact, our members, residents, and day program participants are strongly woven into the fabric of their respective communities. We are non-urban, low density community based integrated models.

Schraf is a child life specialist, a type of health care provider whose job is to help sick children and their families navigate difficult medical situations emotionally and psychologically while in the hospital. They do it largely through play—the basis of how a child learns and grows.

We live in a world of shrinking budgets, reduced staff and limited resources for Public Schools. Schools are fighting to survive let alone trying to educate our children. Add in the fact that 13% of the entire student age population has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and it’s no wonder that Special Education has once again become the scapegoat of the week. While eligibility, services and placement under an IEP are supposed to be based on need, and not money, that is not always the case. So the ability to motivate a School is one of the most important skills a parent can possess. Let’s start by defining what motivating a school in special education means. It means the ability to get the School on your side so that the IEP Team can tailor an IEP that meets your child’s unique needs and provides a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). 

Travelling with a child who has special needs is a huge challenge. When planning such a trip every detail needs to be carefully planned. Choosing your destination, finding a travel agent who understands, preparing for the flight, packing and… you get the point: Special needs travel is tough!

The U.S. Department of Education will host the third annual Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention Summit Monday-Tuesday, Aug. 6-7, 2012, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. The summit will focus on ensuring that anti-bullying efforts are coordinated and based on the best available research. Panels will highlight the connection between bullying and suicide, and ways to help students who bully others. Keynote speakers will include U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and the First Lady of Maryland Katie O’Malley. In addition, there will be a special discussion between White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and Cynthia Germanotta, mother of musician Lady Gaga. Additional details on the summit, along with the agenda, will be forthcoming.

Today, the U.S. Department of Education announced a new streamlined website and several social media tools that will make it easier for students and families to navigate the financial aid process and make informed decisions about paying for college. The launch of the new website, StudentAid.gov, follows a report from the U.S. Department of Education and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about consumer protection issues with private student loans and recommendations to improve the student loan marketplace.

Gary Mihelish, local dentist and mental-health advocate, said a long-standing fallacy involving mental illness in children is that the parents are somehow to blame. “There’s nothing worse than it being inferred that the family’s at fault for mental illness,” Mihelish said. “Families are not the problem – they’re part of the solution.” The participation of loved ones in a child’s care is vital, Mihelish said at the groundbreaking for a housing facility for families at Shodair Children’s Hospital on Thursday.