The "highly qualified" teaching credential required by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is forcing new models of secondary special education service delivery. One effect has been a reduction in special education content classes and a concomitant increase in co-teaching. In one teaching arrangement, "instructional…

Making the transition from high school to college poses challenges for most students. Moving from a secure, regulated world of secondary education into an unfamiliar environment requiring greater independence can be a destabilizing experience. For students with learning disabilities (LD) and/or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), managing this…

When students leave high school equipped with self-advocacy and self-determination skills, they will be more likely to disclose their disability and ultimately gain access to the services they need to support their learning needs in the educational environment. Yet, many students with disabilities do not enter college equipped with the tools they…

Discussion of self-advocacy for postsecondary students with learning disabilities considers learning characteristics, self-advocacy as a critical transition skill, identification of intrinsic processing abilities, developing a self-advocacy plan, and the increasing need for postsecondary accommodations. Insets include a sample self-advocacy plan,…

A popular term in contemporary special education circles is "empowerment," but what does it actually mean to be an empowered individual? Although many definitions exist in the literature and include such terms such as self-determination and self-advocacy, at the core of empowerment is the understanding that an individual is truly empowered the…

This article presents a research-based strategy for helping students with disabilities develop self-advocacy skills. Steps in the ASSERT process include: awareness of disability, state disability, state strengths and limitations, evaluate problem and solutions, role play solution, and try it in the real setting. Activities for each step are…

Students with disabilities are increasingly enrolled in postsecondary education, yet many of them are not prepared to cope with the rigor of higher education. Students who do not have the skills of self-empowerment often experience frustration and discouragement in the postsecondary setting, leading to their dropping out of school and eventually…

This article explores ways to include self-determination and self-advocacy goals and objectives in individualized education programs (IEPs). It identifies self-determination goals and offers guidelines on selection and writing of self-determination goals. Insets and tables include a review of the literature, definitions of self-determination…

Discusses the development of self-advocacy in adolescents with learning disabilities and describes eight guidelines for creating collaborative communications among teachers, parents, and students. Guidelines stress the importance of using portfolios for monitoring progress, encouraging parents to volunteer, having students evaluate themselves, and…

In this study, 35 college students with disabilities identified the following barriers to their success: lack of understanding and acceptance of disabilities, lack of adequate services, lack of sufficient financial resources, and lack of self-advocacy skills and training needed to live independently. Tips for eliminating barriers are included.…

Examines shortcomings of the traditional high school special education curriculum and highlights a curriculum designed to assist students with mild disabilities in their transition to adulthood. The curriculum emphasizes problem solving and self-advocacy and includes components on daily living, personal/social, occupational exploration, and…