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2007-08 JWB Performance Report Executive Summary

 
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Children With Special Needs

Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
Every year, under the federal law known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), millions of children with disabilities receive special services designed to meet their unique needs. For school-aged children and youth (aged 3-21), special education and related services are provided through the school system. These services can be very important in helping children and youth with disabilities develop, learn and succeed in school and other settings (National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY), 2009).

Students with Exceptionalities
Students with disabilities or special learning needs in Florida – called exceptionalities by the Florida Department of Education – include children with speech or language impairment, emotional/behavioral disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities, specific learning disabilities, physical disabilities, sensory impairment, developmental disabilities and gifted children.

The number of Pinellas County public school students with disabilities has declined steadily since 2003, reflecting, in part, declining overall student membership. In addition, the percentage of student membership having disabilities has also declined, falling from 18.2% of total student membership in 2003 to 15.1% in 2008.  In the fall of 2008, there were 15,769 students with disabilities and 5,613 gifted students in Pinellas County - students with more than one exceptionality are only counted once by their primary exceptionality.

As shown in the chart below, students with communications disorders (speech impairment, language impairment, autism spectrum disorder and specific learning disabled) comprise the largest group of exceptionalities in Florida, with Pinellas County having a lower percentage of students with communications disorders than the state and other similarly sized counties except Duval. However, the percentage of Pinellas County students classified as having emotional disorders is double that of Florida.

The disability categories included under each exceptionality are as follows:

  • Communication - speech impaired, language impaired, autism spectrum disorder, specific learning disabled.
  • Emotional - emotional/behavioral disability
  • Intellectual – intellectual disability (previously called educable, trainable or profoundly mentally handicapped).
  • Physical - orthopedically impaired, hospital/homebound, traumatic brain injured or other health impaired.
  • Developmental - developmentally delayed
  • Sensory - deaf or hard of hearing, visually Impaired or duel sensory impaired.




Funded Agencies:

PARC - Discovery Learning Center
Achieve Tampa Bay - Child Care Outreach
Achieve Tampa Bay - Respite
Carlton Manor - Therapeutic Group Home
NFC Coalition - Sanderlin NFC Family Center on Deafness
CCC - Community Contracts - R'Club - Exceptional Student Scholarships



Other Resources:

Pinellas Indicators has ZIP Code data on disabilities:  http://www.pinellasindicators.org/pdf/Disabilities_2000.pdf

The Effect of Special Education Vouchers on Public School Achievement: Evidence From Florida’s McKay Scholarship Programs:  http://www.manhattan-institute.org/pdf/cr_52.pdf
 

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JWB Children's Services Council of Pinellas County Florida
14155 58th Street North, Clearwater, FL  33760, Phone:  727-547-5600, Fax:  727-530-7416