Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/supporting-teachers-who-work-with-all-children/5009355/
In recent months numerous directors have called me for consultations about integrating children with special needs and differing abilities into their programs. They are full of confusion about what the law now requires of them with the implementation of the American Disabilities Act (ADA). Reading available written materials on the ADA (see "Ordering Information" at the end of this article), we discover that most don't provide definitive answers to the questions child care providers are faced with in the day-to-day decision making of caring for children.Typically I'm asked, "Do I have to accept this child into my program, even though I don't think we can meet her needs?" My goal is to help directors and parents assess whether this program, with its strengths and limitations, is a good fit for this child with his or her strengths and limitations. Parents are sometimes so discouraged or desperate in their search for appropriate care for their child with special needs that their inquiries can sound antagonistic or unfairly demanding to a besieged director, straining to cope with limited resources and the lack of qualified applicants for her continually vacant teaching positions. Can a program be sued for refusing ...