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##  Issues in the Education of American Indian and Alaska Native                    Students with Disabilities. ERIC Digest.                                     

There are approximately 500,000 American Indian and Alaska                      Native (AI/AN) students attending K-12 schools in the United States.            Of those attending publicly funded schools, approximately 90 percent            attend public schools, 10 percent attend schools operated or funded             by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and tribes, and a small number            attend private schools. Data suggest that AI/AN students                        are "slightly over represented in the special education                         population" (U.S. Department of Education, 2000, p. xxxiii).                    Although AI/AN students represent less than one percent of the                  school-age population, they represent 1.3 percent of the special                education population. In addition, more than 10 percent of AI/AN                students in public schools (Pavel & Curtin, 1997) and more than 18              percent of AI/AN students in BIA and tribal schools are eligible for            and/or placed in special education (Bureau of Indian Affairs, 2000).            AI/AN students are most often identified as having a specific                   learning disability, mental retardation, emotional disturbance, or a            speech/language impairment. 
This Digest presents suggestions for              addressing selected issues in the education of AI/AN students with              disabilities. Issues include preparation and recruitment of special             educators and related service providers, the rights and                         responsibilities of parents, development and use of culturally and              linguistically appropriate assessments, and education in the least              restrictive environment. PREPARATION AND RECRUITMENT OF SPECIAL               EDUCATORS AND RELATED SERVICE

PROVIDERSThe 1997 amendments to            the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) include                  provisions for the awarding of personnel preparation grants to                  colleges and universities. Several of these grants have been awarded            for the specific purpose of training special educators to work with             AI/AN students (Office of Special Education Programs, 2000). Grant              recipients include the Reaching American Indian Special/Elementary              Educators project (RAISE) at Northern Arizona University (NAU) and              two projects at The Pennsylvania State University--the American                 Indian Special Education Teacher Training Program (AISETTP) and the             American Indian Special Education and Education Administration                  Doctoral Program. RAISE trains both Indian and non-Indian service               providers. Participants work with Navajo children in their local                communities and schools, thereby experiencing firsthand the                     language, culture, and traditions of their students. Graduates of               the RAISE project earn dual certification in special and elementary             education. At Penn State, AI/AN students complete course work in                special education and educational administration; attend seminars on            Indian education; present at national conferences (e.g., National               Indian Education Association, The Council for Exceptional Children,             the American Educational Research Association); and conduct research            aimed at improving the education of AI/AN students with disabilities            and the personnel who serve them. Graduates of the AISETTP provide              special education services for two years for each year of funding               they received. Graduates of the doctoral program work as                        researchers, faculty members, and school administrators. 
Personnel            preparation grants have also been awarded to tribal colleges and                universities. 
*  Dull Knife Memorial College (MT) will train 24               paraprofessional and professional special educators. 
*  Ft. Peck              Community College (MT) will grant 16 associate and 16 bachelor                  degrees in special education. 
*  Little Big Horn College (NE) will            train 24 American Indian special educators at the associate,                    bachelors, and master's degree levels. 
*  Sinte Gleska College and            Sitting Bull College (ND) will work collaboratively to prepare 15               special educators every 2.5 years. 
Personnel preparation grants               provide a unique opportunity to establish partnerships between local            communities, tribes, departments of education, and universities and             colleges for thepreparation and recruitment of special educators and            related service providers. THE RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF                 PARENTSSpecial education is a collaborative process involving               students, parents, and educators. IDEA defines parents as biological            or adoptive parents, legal guardians, and surrogate parents. IDEA               guarantees parents the right to serve on teams that conduct                     evaluations and develop individualized education plans (IEPs),                  review their child's education records, request that information in             the child's records be amended, and be notified of proposed actions             regarding their child's education. Parents also have the right to               have information presented in their native language or primary mode             of communication (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act                   Amendments, 1997). 
To facilitate parent involvement, it is                    recommended that educators: 
*  encourage family-oriented                      activities and be prepared to interact with the entire family                   unit 
*  be nonjudgmental 
*  be knowledgeable of federal, state,             and tribal agencies from which the family receives                              services (Ramirez, et al., 1988) 
*  when possible, utilize the                services of Indian school liaisons who are trained to act as                    advocates for AI/AN children and their families (Stuecher, Grossman,            Hakala & Kozlowski, 1985) 
* be responsive to parents' needs and               concerns, which may impact the level and extent to which parents are            involved in their child's education (e.g., transportation,                      childcare) 
*  be flexible when scheduling meetings 
*  establish             parent support groups or networks (Johnson, 1991) 
As parents                  become more involved in their children's education, it is important             to acknowledge, affirm, and encourage their efforts. Meaningful                 parent involvement also requires parents to be proactive. The                   Education for Parents of Indian Children with Special Needs                     Project (EPICS) (Manuelito & Johnson, 1995) encourages parents to               ask for clarification, share information, express their                         feelings (including what they like and dislike), and at the                     conclusion of meetings, review information and plans of action to               ensure that they are understood. 
EPICS is one example of resources            available to parents and educators through Parent Training Centers.             These centers are funded by the U.S. Department of Education and are            located across the country. The Native American Families Together               Parent Training and Information Center (NAFTPTIC) is another                    example. NAFTPTIC, operated out of Moscow, Idaho, is a collaborative            effort in which community members are recruited and trained to                  provide support and assistance to AI/AN families of children with               disabilities. This project serves AI/AN families nationwide (OSEP,              2000). CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY APPROPRIATE                              ASSESSMENTSIDEA mandates that all students be evaluated using               non discriminatory evaluations and multiple forms of assessment.                IDEA also requires that students be assessed in their native                    language or other mode of communication. If tests are not available             in the student's native language, interpreters should be used. For              students identified as limited-English proficient, tests should                 focus on assessing the impact of the child's disability on his or               her educational performance rather than assessing the child's                   English language skills (IDEA, 1997). When assessing AI/AN students,            educators are advised to: 
*  use a combination of formal and                  informal assessments (e.g., norm-referenced, curriculum-based,                  dynamic assessment, ecological inventories, observations,                       self-reports, interviews, task analysis) 
*  involve parents and               families in the assessments 
*  be aware of and responsive to                  cultural and linguistic differences 
*  interpret the results of               standardized tests with caution (e.g., Banks, 1997; Johnson,                    1991) 
It is also important to identify and use tests that include             culturally and linguistically diverse students in their norms.                  Recognizing that there are few tests that meet this criterion,                  Gallup-McKinley County Schools (New Mexico), has begun developing               Navajo norms for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children -                 Third Edition (WISC-III) (Tempest, 1998). This process not only                 allows educators to compare the performance of Navajo students to               their peers, it assists educators in differentiating cultural and               linguistic differences from learning difficulties. EDUCATION IN               THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENTAfter a student has been                   evaluated and determined eligible for special education, the IEP                team must select an appropriate educational placement. IDEA requires            that students with disabilities be educated in the least restrictive            environment to the maximum extent appropriate. The Kayenta Unified              School District (KUSD) (Arizona) has responded by adopting an                   inclusive model of education in which general education teachers                assume responsibility for the education of all students (Dreisbach,             Napier, Russell, Franklin, Bizardi, & Yellowhair, 1995). General                educators are assisted by a team of special educators or support                facilitators. Support facilitators 
*  help general education                  teachers write IEP goals and objectives 
*  modify the general                 education curriculum 
*  provide information and resources to                  general educators 
*  provide individual and small-group                       assistance 
*  collaborate with home liaisons to ensure that                   parents understand their rights and responsibilities 
*  coordinate            related services 
KUSD utilizes a variety of instructional and                 planning tools to include students with disabilities in the general             education setting. Techniques used include "A Circle of Friends," an            empathy training program in which all students are encouraged to                actively participate in the classroom. The purpose of this program              is to build community within the school. The McGill Action Planning             System (MAPS) is used with students with more severe disabilities.              MAPS is based on the principals of integration, individualization,              teamwork and collaboration, and flexibility. MAPS is a collaborative            effort involving the student with a disability, non-disabled peers,             friends, family members, and general and special                                educators (Vandercook, York, & Forest,                                          1989). CONCLUSIONAlthough this Digest does not attempt to                 address nor to resolve all issues in the education of AI/AN students            with disabilities, it does provide suggestions for increasing the               number of qualified special educators; facilitating parental                    involvement; conducting non-discriminatory evaluations; and                     educating students with disabilities in the least restrictive                   environment. In preparing this Digest, the authors recognize the                need to publicize effective approaches in the education of AI/AN                students with disabilities. Too often, one reads about the failures             or limitations of our students, their parents, and those who educate            them. This prompts one to ask what are we doing successfully? As we             identify, develop and implement effective practices, we must make               others aware of our successes. Use of these and other effective                 practices will help to ensure that AI/AN students with disabilities             receive the free and appropriate education guaranteed by                        law. REFERENCESNote: This list includes several Web links that            were operative at the time of publication. Web links in the on-line             version of this Digest will be continuously                                     updated (http://www.ael.org/eric/indians.htm). 
Banks, S.                      R. (1997). Caregiver and professional perceptions of assessment                 practices and validity for American Indian/Alaska Native families.              Journal of American Indian Education, 37(1), 16-44. 
Bureau of                 Indian Affairs. Division of School Program Support and                          Improvement. (2000). Special education eligibility document, PL                 105-17. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Interior. [on-line].                 Available:                                                                      http://www.oiep.bia.edu/eligibility_document.htm 
Dreisbach, M.,               Napier, S., Russell, S., Franklin, P., Bizardi, V., & Yellowhair,               B. (1995, March). A description of an inclusion model that is                   working in a rural area. In Reaching to the future: Boldly facing               challenges in rural communities, 353-357. Conference Proceedings of             the American Council on Rural Special Education. (ERIC Document                 Reproduction Services No. ED 381 331) 
Individuals with                        Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (IDEA), Pub. L. No.               105-17. 20 U.S.C. Section 1400 et seq. 
Johnson, M. J. (1991).                 American Indians and Alaska Natives with disabilities. Washington,              DC: Indian Nations At Risk Task Force. (ERIC Document Reproduction              Service No. ED 343 770) 
Manuelito, J., & Johnson, M. (1995,                   March). Communicating effectively with non-Indian service providers.            Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Council on                Rural Special Education, Las Vegas, NV. (ERIC Document Reproduction             Service No. ED 381 309) 
Office of Special Education                           Programs (OSEP). (2000). OSEP discretionary grant projects                      database. [on-line]. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.              Available: http://www.cec.sped.org/osep/search.htm 
Pavel, D. M., &            Curtin, T. R. (1997). Characteristics of American Indian and Alaska             Native education: Results from the 1990-91 and 1993-94 schools and              staffing surveys, NCES 97-451. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of               Education. National Center for Education Statistics. (ERIC Document             Reproduction Service No. ED 405 169) 
Ramirez, B. A.,                          Clark-Johnson, G., Valero-Figueira, E., Lee, L. Y., & Walker, J.                L. (1988). Culturally and linguistically diverse children: Black                children, Hispanic children, Asian children, and young American                 Indian children. Teaching Exceptional Children, 20(4),                          45-51. 
Stuecher, U., Grossman, E., Hakala, N., & Kozlowski,                   G. (1985). Training project for Indian school liaison and support               personnel in special education. Journal of American Indian                      Education, 24(1), 9-19. 
Tempest, P. (1998). Local Navajo norms for            the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Third Edition.                   Journal of American Indian Education, 37(3), 18-30. 
U.S.                      Department of Education. (2000). Twenty-second annual report to                 Congress on the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities             Education Act (IDEA). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing                  Office. 
Vandercook, T., York, J., & Forest, M. (1989). The McGill             Action Planning System (MAPS): A strategy for building vision.                  Journal of the Association of Persons with Severe Handicaps, 14(3),             205-215. 
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Susan Faircloth (Coharie) is a doctoral candidate            in the American Indian Leadership Program at The Pennsylvania State             University. 
John W. Tippeconnic III (Comanche) is Professor of                Education and Director of the American Indian Leadership Program at             The Pennsylvania State University. 
This publication was prepared              with funding from the Office of Educational Research and                        Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, under contract no.                   ED-99-CO-0027. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily                 reflect the positions or policies of OERI, the Department, or AEL.           **Title:** Issues in the Education of American Indian and Alaska Native                    Students with Disabilities. ERIC Digest.                                     **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** ERIC/CRESS, P.O. Box 1348, Charleston, WV 25325-1348; Tel:                      800-624-9120 (Toll Free). Full text at Web site:                                http://www.ael.org/eric/digests/edorc003.htm.                                **Descriptors:** Alaska Natives,  American Indian Education,  Disabilities,                      Disability Identification, Elementary Secondary Education, Higher               Education, Limited English Speaking, Mainstreaming,  Parent                     Participation, Parent Rights,  Preservice Teacher Education,                     Special Education,  Student Placement                                       **Identifiers:** American Indian Students, ERIC Digests                                       
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