We hope to encourage many special education advocates to include AT in their advocacy efforts. Finally, we hope advocates will consider section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act as an avenue for funding AT for children with disabilities who are in regular education. 1400 et seq . The provisions discussed in this article apply to students ages 3 through 21. Part H of IDEA, which we do not discuss, covers children from birth through age two.
Special education is instruction designed to meet a student's unique needs.
It includes assistance by a special education teacher to the student or to the regular education teacher. It can occur in a regular class, a resource room, a special class for all or part of the day, or in a special school. To qualify for services, a child must have a disability, such as a speech, health, orthopedic, hearing or visual impairment, mental retardation, or a learning or emotional disability, which interferes with the ability to benefit from a regular education program. Related services are developmental, corrective and support services required to assist a student to benefit from education. They include, among other things, occupational and physical therapy, speech pathology, counseling and health services.