UA-housed ADAP Co-Sponsors Forum Outlining New Standards’ Impact on Special Ed

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Dr. Tommy Bice, Alabama’s State Superintendent of Education, will speak at a public forum on special education at the offices of United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Birmingham Monday, Sept. 24, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

In the forum, co-sponsored by the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program, housed at The University of Alabama, Bice will discuss how the state’s new College and Career Ready Standards will affect what students with disabilities are learning.

Bice will explore the academic expectations for students with disabilities that are outlined in the state’s recently submitted application for a waiver of the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or ESEA.

Along with Department of Education staff, Bice will provide resources on writing Individualized Education Programs, or IEPs, with the state’s new content standards and share how parents can effectively work with their children’s schools.

An open question-and-answer session will follow Bice’s presentation.

Other co-sponsors include, the Alabama School Connection, the Alabama Parent Education Center and United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Birmingham.

“This forum provides families and advocates of children with special needs a unique opportunity to hear directly from the man responsible for overseeing Alabama’s schools,” said Trisha Powell Crain, executive director of the Alabama School Connection.

Dr. Ellen Gillespie, executive director of ADAP, noting Bice’s experiences as a special education teacher and administrator, said she is eager to hear how the state plans to further the education of youth with disabilities.

“We need to ensure high expectations and rigorous services so these youth are graduating from school well-prepared for further study or work and independent living.”

No advance registration is required to attend this open forum. United Cerebral Palsy is located at 100 Oslo Circle in Birmingham.

The Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program, housed at UA, is part of the nationwide federally-funded protection and advocacy system. ADAP provide free legally-based advocacy services to eligible Alabamians with disabilities to protect, promote and expand their rights.

The Alabama Parent Education Center is a non-profit organization that assists families of children with disabilities with training, information and support to help them become meaningful participants in their children’s education and lives.

The Alabama School Connection provides timely, in-depth analyses of federal, state and local policy initiatives that affect Alabama’s schoolchildren to bring together parents, teachers, students, administrators and policymakers.

United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Birmingham provides programs and services for more than 3,000 infants, children and adults with disabilities in Birmingham and the surrounding 10 counties.