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Teaching Students with Disabilities
Effective strategies and resources to help students with disabilities succeed. This page features free resources to equip teachers with the right tools to help ALL students reach their potential.Resources for Students with Disabilities
Assistive Technology
Explore Assistive Technology resources on our new Educational Technology: Tech Tools for Teaching page!
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) - Speech | ASHA.org - Children and adults with severe speech or language problems may need to find other ways to communicate besides talking. There are many types of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) they can use.
Braille Resources - BrailleBug- Braille based resources for the home and classroom.
DCF | Assistive Technology Links | Tips, strategies and resources for using Augmentative Communication with children.
Do2Learn | Educational Resources for Special Needs - An online program that lets you create customized teaching aids for visual learners.
CoughDrop - Every voice should be heard - Bringing out the voices of those with complex communication needs through powerful open-source technology that easily adapts to the individual and supports everyone around them trying to help them succeed. (Subscription service with free trial).
My PECS | PECS Card Categories - An online PECS catalog accessible to all.
Pyramid Education Consultants | Free Materials - Free materials for professionals and caregivers to support your efforts with your learners.
SET-BC | Search for Classroom & Training Resources - Helping to provide the support needed to better educate students with complex needs.Differentiated & Accessible Lessons
9 Reasons to Use Visuals | Where It's AT
Adapted Literature and Lessons | Paul V. Sherlock Center on Disabilities - Nearly 500 classic, popular, and/or educational works of literature adapted for students with special needs. The works include digital books, movies, videos, music, and PowerPoint presentations that aim to help students with visual and other disabilities.
AEM: Accessible Educational Materials - The AEM Center provides support for the use of accessible educational materials in early learning, K-12, higher education, and workplace settings.
Bookshare | An Accessible Online Library for people with print disabilities - An online library of digital books for kids with print disabilities. Bookshare membership is available to kids who provide proof of their print disability, such as blindness or low vision, a learning disability, or a physical disability that makes it difficult or impossible to read standard print.
BridgingApps | Apps for Special Needs - Bridging the gap between technology and people with disabilities.
Described & Captioned Media | Learning Center -We're here to educate students with sensory disabilities, along with their parents and teachers. Our major network-produced, educational content is carefully customized to serve the needs of K-12 students, as well as adult students studying to meet the needs of blind and deaf students.
Do2Learn: Educational Resources for Special Needs - Provides thousands of free pages with social skills and behavioral regulation activities and guidance, learning songs and games, communication cards, academic material, and transition guides for employment and life skills.
Embedded Supports to Differentiate Instruction for Struggling Students | Power Up What Works
Freckle Education | Differentiation Platform for K-12 - Freckle empowers teachers to differentiate instruction across Math, ELA, Social Studies and Science.
Immersive Reader | What is the Immersive Reader? - Microsoft Immersive Reader is a free tool, built into Word, OneNote, Outlook, Office Lens, Microsoft Teams, Forms, Flipgrid, Minecraft: Education Edition and the Edge browser, that implement proven techniques to improve reading and writing for people regardless of their age or ability.
Lesson Planet | Differentiated Lesson Plans - A collection of differentiated lesson plans and activities across content areas and grade levels.
Resources for Supporting Learners with Disabilities | Digital Promise - A curated list of special education resources and edtech products to support learners with disabilities in a distance learning context.
Special Education and Accessibility Resources for Remote Learning | Microsoft - The diversity of learning needs demands school systems provide inclusive, accessible learning environments that inspire confidence and encourage independence differently for each student. Learn about how to create a personalized and engaging remote learning experience for all of your students
TextHelp - Education tools integrate easily into Google Classroom providing teachers the ability to build resources and instantly set assignments, discussions or provide learning materials.
Tool Kit on Teaching and Assessing Students With Disabilities | OSEP Ideas That Work - Offers a compilation of information that will move states forward in improving results for all students with disabilities.
Tool Kit on Teaching and Assessing Students with Disabilities – Parent Materials | OSEP Ideas That Work - Resources in this Tool Kit answers some of the most common questions parents have related to teaching and assessing students with disabilities.
Tool Kit on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) | OSEP Ideas That Work - A collection of resources on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) that will help policymakers, educators, and parents identify and implement policies and practices related to UDL.
Graphic Organizers/Visual Schedules
CORGI - Digital graphic organizers for building higher-order thinking skills
Free Graphic Organizers for Teachers| Education Oasis
Graphic Organizers to Help Kids With Math | Understood.org
Graphic Organizers for Teachers Grades (K-12) | Teacher Vision
Individual & Visual Schedules | PBIS World
Printable Graphic Organizers | Teach-nology
Professional Resources
8 Tips for Conducting Virtual IEP Meetings | edutopia - Educators, parents, and students usually gather in person at school for individualized education program meetings, but digital tools can be used for this work.
The 4 Digital Learning Tips Every Special Education Teacher Needs to Know - What does digital learning look like for students with disabilities?
15+ Recommended Resources to Help You Include and Support Students with Disabilities - Brookes Blog
Apps for Students With Special Needs—As School Buildings Shutter - The coronavirus creates a unique challenge for students with special needs—educators share recommendations for apps to support learning at home.
Autism and Neurodiversity in the Inclusive Setting with Dr. Amy Accardo | LRC-South PD Series Introduction - Explore topics ranging from basic language use and definitions, to strengths and differences of neurodivergent individuals, to developing support systems through universal design.
Autism NJ | Ambassador Resources & Tools - FREE digital tools to enhance your Autism awareness activities.
Autism New Jersey | Referrals - As a service for families, Autism New Jersey maintains a free referral database of autism service professionals in many different categories.
Brookes Blog | Tips and Takeaways for Teaching All Kids
Bullying and Youth with Disabilities and Special Health Needs - Children with disabilities—such as physical, developmental, intellectual, emotional, and sensory disabilities—are at an increased risk of being bullied. Any number of factors— physical vulnerability, social skill challenges, or intolerant environments—may increase the risk.
CAST: Home Center for Applied Special Technology - A nonprofit education research and development organization that works to expand learning opportunities for all individuals through Universal Design for Learning.
Center on Online Learning & SWDs National Associatioon of State Directors of Special Education | Center for Online Learning for Students with Disabilities documents to guide important stakeholder groups’ decisions regarding online instruction for students with disabilities.These documents provide the staff’s current views and intended for parents, state department staff, licensing agencies, and local school administrators.
Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) - CEC's Resources offer educators many aids to assist them in providing the best of special education services.
Digital Accessibility: How Schools and Teachers Can Support Students with Disabilities in Remote Learning - Ensuring equity for students with disabilities involves ensuring that all digital materials and platforms are accessible and work with the assistive technology tools available to students.
Educating All Learners | EALA - The Educating All Learners Alliance (EALA) is an uncommon coalition of organizations committed to resource sharing and community-building that supports the efforts of the education community to meet the needs of students with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Evidence-Based Practice Summaries - Research summaries covering instructional strategies and interventions offer information that includes level of effectiveness as well as the age groups for which a given strategy or intervention is designed.
How to Create an Inclusive Virtual Classroom - Distance learning can feel impersonal and inaccessible, but there are ways to help students feel a sense of connection and access academic material.
Finding Free Articles on Teaching Students with Disabilities by Ashley Lierman, the Instruction Librarian at Rowan’s Campbell Library.
How to Improve Distance Learning for Students With IEPs | Edutopia - Strategies for parental involvement and synchronous and asynchronous activities can help students with individualized education programs.
IRIS Center- The IRIS Center is a national center dedicated to improving education outcomes for all children, especially those with disabilities birth-21, through the use of effective evidence-based practices and interventions. Resources include PD modules, case studies, activities, evidence-based practice summaries, and more.
Learner Variability Navigator | Learner Variability Project - The best fit for learners isn't one-size-fits-all. Understanding learner variability helps you create products and lessons that support the full diversity of learners.
Learning Disabilities Association of New Jersey- The Learning Disabilities Association of NJ (LDANJ) is the state affiliate of Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDAA). LDANJ is an organization of volunteers dedicated to providing information, support, and advocacy for children and adults with learning disabilities. Our members include individuals with learning disabilities, their families, and the professionals who serve them.
LD OnLine: The world's leading website on learning disabilities and ADHD - Help children and adults reach their full potential by providing accurate and up-to-date information and advice about learning disabilities and ADHD. Features hundreds of helpful articles, multimedia, expert columns, essays, resource guides, forums, and more.
NJDOE Office of Special Education - Responsible for supervising and monitoring the implementation of the federal requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) in local education agencies (LEAs) which include all school districts.
Power Up What Works | Powerup Your Teaching & Learning - Offers resources, strategies, and practical tips to personalize instruction with technology to meet the needs of struggling students.
Progress Center: Home - provides information, resources, tools, and technical assistance services to support local educators and leaders (kindergarten through transition age) in developing and implementing high-quality educational programs that ensure students with disabilities have access to free appropriate public education (FAPE) which allows them to make progress and meet challenging goals.
Supporting Students with Disabilities in K-12 Online and Blended Learning | Michigan Virtual
Supporting Students with Significant Disabilities: Five Ideas for Virtual Education
Strength-Based IEPs with Drs. Brent Elder & Michelle Damiani | LRC-South PD Series Introduction - Examine current practices of inclusive education through a lens of social justice. We provide a definition and examples of strength-based approaches to writing IEPs, including considerations that have emerged in light of COVID-19. Viewers are introduced to a variety of approaches and tools they can use in their own practice to promote strength-based approaches to writing IEPs.
TIES Center | Educators - Instructional materials, information about communicative supports, professional development materials, and other resources to support K-8 educators of students with significant cognitive disabilities.
UDL TechToolKit - A collection of online tools and resources to engage all learners
Understood.org - Families, Educators, and Young Adults programs created to serve the millions of people in the United States who learn and think differently.
Unified Classroom | Special Olympics - Bring Special Olympics to your classroom! These fun engaging activities highlight inclusion and are made for all grade levels!
Virtual Education & Students With Disabilities Resource Guide | Respectability.org - Includes resources that can help pave the best educational and social-emotional path possible during this pandemic.
Virtual IEP Meeting Tip Sheets | Center for Parent Information and Resources - A collection of tip sheets on planning for and participating in virtual meetings, including those related to a student’s IEP
Transition Services for Students with Disabilities
Autism NJ- Transition- Transition years (14 to 21) are a critical time that bridges the services provided by school with the adult system. Students and families should use this period to establish and set goals, understand the services and support that may be needed, and plan for the future.
Graduates-timeline.pdf - A timeline for students exiting school and turning 21
Exploring Pathways from High School to College for Students with Disabilities with John Woodruff - This video provides an overview of the college transition process, including the stages of transition planning, strategies for a successful transition and challenges students may face. Understand how college is different from high school. Learn about the importance of parent partnerships and transition tips for parents. Review the multiple paths to college that are available to students with disabilities.
Exploring Transition in NJ - The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities
Planning the Transition from School to Adult Life - Booklet designed to help parents and students navigate this important time in their school career.
Secondary Transition: Entitlement vs. Eligibility (IDEA, ADA, and Section 504) PDF | PaTTAN
Secondary Transition: Helping Students with Disabilities Plan for Post-High School Settings | IRIS
Transition Assessment Matrix - These simple tools allow you to capture transition-related services and activities happening in the classroom, during community-based instruction, in a career/technical education classroom/program, and throughout a student’s school year. Authentic assessments can help inform transition and Transition IEP decision-making.
Transition from School to Adult Life - NJDOE resources to assist students with disabilities to successfully move from school into the adult world.
LRC-South Family & Community Resources
Activities, resources and outreach opportunities to foster family involvement and engage parents with their children’s learning through hands-on programming and parent to parent connections. Learn More
Disclaimer
These links are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the Learning Resource Center-South of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation or organization or individual. The Learning Resource Center-South bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.
