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News Releases
Laws to Protect Your
Child with a Disability
Columbia, Mo. (August 8, 2007) - School is a necessity for children - a place to learn and meet new friends. But if your child has a disability, school might be more of a challenge. Communicating with your child's teachers and administrators is imperative to ensure your child has the educational tools needed for success.
"Although there are private and government-sponsored programs that can provide much needed treatment and assistance to children with juvenile arthritis, they are often laden with rules, regulations and polices that are difficult to navigate," says Michael Jonathan Grinfeld, J.D., associate professor at the Missouri School of Journalism, and principal investigator for the Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (MARRTC). "Parents and caregivers who have a better handle on what it takes to access these programs will likely get more and better resources for their children."
Getting the best education for your child with a disability begins with learning about the laws and programs to help your child. The www.JAHelp.org website provides families with easy to understand explanations of the help available to every child with a disability, including:
- IDEA (The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)is a federal law that helps school-aged children (including teenagers) with disabilities participate in learning activities both in and outside of school. Under IDEA, school-aged children with disabilities can receive materials, equipment, and services to help them participate in educational and other school activities once they start kindergarten and then continuing through high school graduation.
- Section 504 is a federal law that prevents discrimination against schoolchildren (including high school) with disabilities so they are able to access and participate in classroom and other school activities. Schools that receive federal funds must make adjustments and provide necessary services so that children eligible under Section 504 can participate in the same educational and school-related activities as children without disabilities. Benefits under Section 504 are available to students in kindergarten through high school, and to pre-school children if they attend programs that receive federal funds.
- SSI (Supplemental Security Income) often referred to by its initials SSI, is a federal program that provides additional income to individuals with disabilities who have little or no income, including children. The program is administrated by the federal Social Security Administration.
- ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) is a federal law that protects the rights of persons with disabilities in a number of ways. The ADA defines a person with a disability as someone who has a condition that substantially limits one or more daily life activities, such as walking, performing manual tasks, working, or caring for oneself.
"It's important for those people who care for kids with arthritis to transform themselves into advocates for their children, which is what www.JAHelp.org was designed to help them accomplish," says Grinfeld.
Being an advocate for your child can make all the difference. Learn and understand what laws and benefits are available at www.JAHelp.org.
The Missouri Arthritis Research Rehabilitation and Training Center (MARRTC) was established in 1971 at the University of Missouri-Columbia Arthritis Center. MARRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (H133B031120) and is the only federally funded arthritis rehabilitation research and training center in the country.
As part of the MU Health Communication Research Center (HCRC), MARRTC's mission is to become a national leader in the areas of disability management and communication, improve the quality of life and promote independent living among people who have arthritis and arthritic conditions. MARRTC's core message is "Disability is everyone's issue."
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