Disability on the Florida Senate’s 2013 Agenda
The most important would eliminate the requirement that students enroll in a traditional school before becoming eligible for a McKay scholarship. McKay scholarships allow students with disabilities to use the money for tuition at a private school of their choice. One, SB 226, creates a two-week “disability history and awareness” instruction program starting in the 2014-2015 school year. The bill creates a committee to help the Department of Education design program curriculum. SB 150 creates a “Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children’s Educational Bill of Rights,” and requires state and local school officials to recognize the needs of hard-of-hearing students. Another bill,
Feedback Loop: Autistic Student, Or Student With Autism?
Dean McIntosh criticized our describing Frost as a “student with autism.” The entire adult autistic community has been saying in one loud voice that “…with autism” is not acceptable. Myself and Lydia Brown are just two examples of autistic adults who wri
Social Media Helps Student With Autism Find His Voice
Henry Miles Frost and his service dog, Denzel, protest outside a downtown Tampa building during the Republican National Convention. Since he posted the photo to Facebook, he’s found global support in his effort to enroll in his South Tampa neighborhood s
StateImpact Florida A Finalist For Innovative, Investigative Journalism Award
From our investigation: Tres Whitlock types on the DynaVox tablet that serves as his voice. Whitlock, 17, has cerebral palsy and can’t speak on his own. He tried to enroll in a Hillsborough County charter school, but the school had concerns about the the
Creators of Halo & Star Wars Renew Student’s Dream after Charter School Rejection
Self-advocate Tres Whitlock on how the NPR story, "Florida Charter Schools Failing Disabled Students" has impacted him.
Florida Charter Schools Failing Students With Disabilities
Tres Whitlock is stuck in a public school where he feels ignored. He wants out. The 17-year-old would-be video game designer researched his options online and found his perfect match – Pivot Charter School. “It’s computer-based and I think I will do better,” he says. But when Whitlock tried to enroll the school he found a series of barriers in his way.
Charter Schools
Charter schools are an idea dreamed up by an obscure education professor in the 1970s which have grown into a primary alternative to traditional public schools. One in 17 Florida students attended a charter school last year, a number that has increased almost six-fold in a decade. The original charter school model focused on local leaders forming an oversight board and spelling out the school’s mission, goals and methodology in a contract or charter.
More on Students With Disabilities and the Law
By JOHN O’CONNOR Tres Whitlock is trying to enroll in a charter school. The school has said they can not provide needed services. Last week we ran a story talking to attorneys about what the law requires for students with disabilities. One expert we spoke with, Joy Zabala with the Center for Applied Special Technology, responded to clarify her position.
