Self-Advocacy and The IEP

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Self-Advocacy and The IEP

• Nicole Held Special Education Teacher

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Nicole Held

• Graduate UW-Oshkosh in 2004 with a double major
  in Special and Elementary Education
• Masters in Education from Olivet Nazarene
  University in Chicago in December of 2007
• Been teaching 8th grade special education at D.C.
  Everest for four years.
• Email nheld_at_dce.k12.wi.us
• Phone [phone] ext. 3305
• Website www.difabilities.net

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Why Is This Cake On Fire Inviting Students Into
the IEP Process Van Dycke, J., Martin,J., Lovett,
D. Teaching Exceptional Children Jan/Feb 2006,
Vol 38, issue 3, pg 42
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What is Self-Advocacy and the IEP?

• Student using self-advocacy skills to run their
  Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings and
  take more control over their education empowering
  students to lead their own.

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Why We Teach the Student Lead IEP

• Right now, students are exiting high school
  without acknowledging or understanding their
  disabilities.
• To increase individual knowledge about strengths
  and needs to be successful in school and use
  their self-advocacy skills to get it.
• Increase self-advocacy, and teach
  self-determination, goal setting, and self
  evaluation.
• Increase self-esteem.
• Get them involved more the IEP process.

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Why Is This So Important

• If they dont know what an IEP or goals are how
  are they suppose to be working on their goals??
• Help them to understand what their disability is
  and how they can work on improving their
  weaknesses.
• Decisions are being made for them give them a
  say in their own lives/education.
• Give them the self-advocacy skills they will need
  to function in the real world!
• Make the IEP a more enjoyable/positive process.
• Raise self-esteem

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Determination
Self-Advocacy
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Why I Teach This

• Transition Conference
• First year teaching experience
• SLSlow Learner LD Legally Dumb
• Feel it is most important
• How can they be successful?
• Success we have had.

IEPs Rock!
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My Research and Process 1st year (04-05)

• Using a survey at the beginning and end of the
  year I have surveyed my 8th grade students on the
  topics of their disabilities, the IEP and its
  process, attendance at meetings, and knowledge of
  special education.
• Out of 22 special education students surveyed,
  only 3 knew what their disability was and only 1
  knew what an IEP was.
• Started teaching little pieces first year and
  second year started putting together and teaching
  a unit on the disabilities and the IEP process.

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2nd year (05-06)

• Out of 23 special education students 2 knew what
  their disability was and only 1 knew what an IEP
  was. By the end of the unit 21 out of 23 could
  tell me what their disability and IEP was.
• Added the element of attending their IEP meetings
  and taking part in them.
• Teaching the unit on a more consistent basis
  (once weekly in Resource Study Hall) with some
  administrative support.

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3rd Year (06-07)

• 3 out of 21 students knew what their disability
  was and only 4 had gone to their IEP before.
  After the unit, 19 of 21 knew what their
  disability was and all but two attended their IEP
  meeting (2 running the meeting)
• Started working towards passing a mandatory class
  for all 8th grade special education students to
  take and I continued to develop and implement my
  unit year round in my classroom when time
  allowed.

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Current Year

• I am teaching this as a class this year, still
  part of my resource, but every week.
• Out of 19 students 5 knew what their disabilities
  were, 2 knew what an IEP (meeting) was, 3 had
  been to their IEP the year before, and only half
  thought they were in special education. None knew
  they had special education goals!
• My class has passed as a mandatory class for all
  8th grade students starting in the 2008-2009
  school year.

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Goals of My Program

• To increase the following in every special
  education student
• Self-esteem
• Self-Advocacy Skills
• Understanding and Acceptance of their disability
• Give knowledge of the IEP and its process
• Get them involved in their IEP process
• Create tools and skills to use in the future

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Overview of the Program

• I have a website www.difabilities.net Please
  feel free to check it out and use any information
  on it for your classroom.
• I use a combination of PowerPoints, games,
  rewards, journaling, and discussion to teach this
  information.
• Safe and comfortable environment
• Need to talk and share
• Confidentiality and privacy
• Responsibility for the information

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Part One

• Goals
• Build an interest and intrigue about their
  disability
• Give the basic information about all disabilities
• Have students research their own disabilities in
  depth.
• Main Activities
• Pre-Survey
• Community Building and Confidentiality (Post It
  Activity and Waiver)
• Journal about what they think of having a
  disability and what their disability is
• Teach disability information
• Research their disabilities
• Play Bingo at the end

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Do You Want To Be A Puppet?
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What Do You Think?

• In the journals I ask the following
• Do you have disability
• If so, what?
• How does it affect you now and in future?
• Another activity we do is having the students try
  to predict what their goals might be and write
  themselves two goals.

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SL/ELL/LD
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EBD Student
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Part Two

• Goals
• Give the basic information about the IEP
• Look at and get familiar with the parts and
  process of the IEP
• IEP Main Activities
• Teach the IEP parts and information using a blank
  IEP
• Talk about the difference between modifications
  and accommodations and how the students can
  access these.

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CD Students

• It is important for these students to be told
  what an IEP is and to be shown their IEP. Even if
  they do not understand it, you should try and
  explain
• Goals
• Modifications
• Basic Info (who will be there, what it is)

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Part Three

• Goals
• Get each child familiar with his or her own IEP
• Main Activities
• Pass out each individual IEP and go over it with
  each child
• IEP Scavenger Hunt
• Play IEP Balloochies (Jeopardy)
• Set weekly goals to help achieve the IEP goals

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• IEP Scavenger Hunt
• Tell me three people who attended your last IEP
  using the cover sheet (I-3).
• ______________________________
• ______________________________
• ______________________________
•  

• Did you attend the meeting? How do you know?
• __________________________________________
  ________________________________________________
  _______________
•  

• What date was your last IEP held on?
• __________________________________________
•  

• The Present Level of Performance (I-4) page tells
  you what you strengths and what your parents
  concerns are. Tell me a strength that is listed
  for you.
• _____________________________________________
  _____________________________________
•  

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Part Four

• Goals
• Introduce self-advocacy and the importance of it.
• Acknowledge and come up with solution to deal
  with factors that can get in the way of being a
  good self-advocate
• Main Activities
• Teach information on self-advocacy, how to do it
  and how to avoid problems that may arise.
• Role Play Situations
• Discuss Difficult Situations
• Who Wants to Be A Millionaire

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Part Five

• Goals
• Teach students how to participate in their IEP
  meetings (write goals, prepare scripts, present)
• Main Activities
• Show students the proper way to be involved in
  the entire IEP process and how to run the
  meeting.
• Show video by Jim Martin and company and previous
  student IEP videos
• Write teacher invitation
• Two class periods to prepare write IEP together,
  write script, and practice.

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1.  Begin By Greeting Everyone and Stating
Purpose of the Meeting.Welcome to my meeting. 
Today we are looking at my IEP and making changes
for the next year. 2.  Introduce Yourself and
Others.My name is_______________________________
____________. Id like to introduce_____________
__________________________.   Ms Held will
break in to do the Front Cover Page, WKCE page
  3.  Review How You Have Been Doing in School
Present Level of Performance Page (PLOP) I think
school is ________________________________________
__. Things that have worked well for me this
year are _______________. Things that have not
worked very well for me are________________.   4.
  Request Input From Others in the Meeting. Does
anyone want to comment on how my school year has
been going?
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DateDear ____________,I would like to invite
you to come to my IEP meeting and share your
ideas. You coming to my meeting is important to
me. Date Time.Place  Signed, Your
name P.S. If you cannot attend this meeting,
please let me know when we can meet to talk about
my IEP. Thank you.
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 IEP Meeting Reflection 1. Write a response
about your meeting and your experience writing
the IEP with your teacher. Make sure to include
the following things a.  What you shared at the
meeting?    b. How did you feel during the
meeting?   c. Are you happy you participated?
Why?   d. Give an overview of how you prepared
for your meeting goal writing, modifications,
transition info, and any other information.     2.
     Write a paragraph answering the following
Do you think that you could do more during your
meeting? If so, what. If not, why?     3.    
What will you do to make sure you have say in
your IEP next year??     4.     Do you have any
questions????
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Part Six

• Goals
• Get students accustom to the concept of
  transition and how it will work for them in our
  school district
• Understand there are numerous types of learning
  using the Multiple Intelligences and Learning
  Styles.
• Main Activities
• Provide information about what transition is and
  how it works
• Do career sheets and independent living WS
• Fill out Enderle-Severson 2003 Future
  Outcomes/Goals Assessment
• Talk about Multiple Intelligences and decide
  individual Learning Styles. Do surveys.
• Introduce the Portfolio and show how to use it

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Part Seven

• Goals
• Give students a brief look at the history and
  laws of special education
• Main Activities
• Talk about the history of special education and
  the benefits we have today
• Discuss briefly the responsibilities of being in
  special education and the laws.

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Part Eight

• Goals and Main Activities
• Create a handout/PowerPoint to use a tool with
  future teachers/employers
• Students (CD) could use this to present in their
  IEP

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Part Nine

• Goals
• Test knowledge learned about IEPs, disabilities,
  self-advocacy and transition.
• Main Activities
• IEP Unit Test
• End of unit (Post) Survey
• End of unit Interview

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CDS Students

• Just as important to get them involved, even if
  it is just going to the meeting.
• Many can use pictures to help run their meetings
  and express their wants for the future.
• Get them involved!!!

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What about the younger kids?

• Start as early as possible! All kids deserve to
  know and understand their disability no matter
  what their age.
• To teach about their disabilities, you can
  actually do whole class learning or individual.

• Understand what a disability is
• Understand their disability
• Work on self-esteem issues
• Attend the meeting
• Talk with teacher about the goals
• Get parents involved with the process

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Follow Through

• This is the most important part!
• Each child MUST meet with me ahead of time and go
  over/make changes to IEP, attend their IEP
  meeting, and present one thing at the meeting.
• A lot of the research I have done recommends that
  teachers continue to ease students into that
  role. (invite the teachers to meeting, introduce
  people, talk more, take the lead role)

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How to Start

• Start small if need be. Teach it in any time you
  have, even if it is one-on-one.
• Talk with your administrators about the
  importance of this information.
• Check out other peoples websites and information.

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Projects and Contacts

• Statewide Self-Advocacy Project
• Lisa Hebgen, Project Coordinator at
  lhebgen_at_swtc.edu or [phone], by February
  4, 2008.

• Nicole Held
• I am available to come and do in-services,
  conferences, and other speaking engagements. Just
  contact me at my email or phone listed at the
  beginning.

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Books To Use

• Survival Guide for Kids With LD Learning
  Differences by Gary Fisher and Rhoda Cummings
• The Survival Guide for Kids With ADD or ADHD by
  John Taylor
• The Behavioral Survival Guide for Kids by Thomas
  McIntyre

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Resources

• Teacher and Student Guide to the IEP
  http//www.nichcy.org/pubs/stuguide/st1book.htm
• Self Advocacy Manual For Students
  http//www.ldpride.net/selfadvocacy.htm
• Advocacy, Life skills, and Transition Information
  http//www.youthhood.org/index.asp
• National Center For Learning Disabilities
  http//www.ncld.org/content/view/445/389/
• List of Possible Accommodations for Students
  http//www.ldav.ca/articles/accomodations.html
• Student Lead IEP Help http//hawbaker.pls.iowapage
  s.org/id2.html

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More Resources

• Links on many special education topics
  http//www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/
• Protection Advocacy, Inc. Introduction to
  Self-advocacy
• http//www.pai-ca.org/pubs/507001.htm
• Disability Awareness Packet for Teachers
  http//www.dvusd.org/assets/pdfs/department_educat
  ion/Disability_Awareness.pdf
• Center for Self Determination http//web.uccs.edu/
  education/special/self_determination/
• Great Book and Lessons for this topic
  http//www.researchpress.com/product/item/5236/

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Transition Resources

• Special Education Transition Portfolio
  http//www.rockingham.k12.va.us/rcps_sped/SVRP/Tra
  nsition-Portfolio.htm
• www.ncset.org - Go to publications and parent
  briefs
• http//www.doe.mass.edu/sped/links/transition.html
  
• http//www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/school.htm
• http//www.caseylifeskills.org/