People with disabilities have the right to an education, just like their peers without disabilities. However, people with disabilities, including children and young people with disabilities, may face barriers to their education and within the educational system in their communities. These barriers may include physical barriers, such as school buildings without ramps or elevators; communication barriers, such as a lack of American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters; a lack of transition services as children with disabilities transition from grade school to high school or from high school to college or employment; and schools that may not be inclusive, among others. Laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) help learners with disabilities by setting legal standards in education and access to education, among others, that schools and education professionals must follow.
NARIC’s information specialists are often asked for information and resources related to education for children, youth, and adults with disabilities and for information and resources for their parents, families, service providers, and educators. For November, we are sharing consumer products on education that are created by projects funded by NIDILRR. They may include guides, factsheets, and infocomics, among others.
Below, you will find just a few examples of evidence-based consumer products on education produced by the NIDILRR community:
- The Temple University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Community Living and Participation of People with Serious Mental Illness (TU Collaborative) advances the development of interventions that maximize community living and participation of people with mental health conditions through research and knowledge translation activities in partnership with consumers and other stakeholders. This Center serves as a national resource center for people with mental health conditions, their families, service and support providers, and researchers, among others. The TU Collaborative has created various evidence-based consumer products for students with mental health conditions, education specialists, and others. The Center also created a series of videos on supporting college students with psychiatric disabilities, including Collab Chats: Supported Education. Finally, the TU Collaborative has created infographics and memes, such as the infographic on 5 common barriers that effect students with psychiatric disabilities.
- The Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) enhances the use of research-based information to inform decision making by spinal cord injury (SCI), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and burn injury stakeholders and improves the lives of and services for people with SCI, TBI, and burn injuries. In collaboration with the NIDILRR-funded TBI Model System Centers, the MSKTC has created factsheets and quick reviews for children, youth, and adults with TBI returning to school. The MSKTC created a factsheet for burn injury survivors, in collaboration with the Burn Injury Model System Centers, on returning to school after a burn injury. This factsheet is also available in Spanish (PDF).
- The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment of People who are Blind or Have Low Vision aims to improve employment outcomes for this group, including young people who will transition from school to the higher education and the workforce. This center created the 4to24 App, a free resource for parents of children and youth who are blind, have low vision, or are deaf-blind with additional disabilities. It covers ages 4 to 24, from preschool to transition to early career.
- The ADA National Network facilitates coordination, organization, and collaboration among its regional centers and generates new knowledge about optimal methods to enhance stakeholders’ use of knowledge about their rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This Center created several factsheets and research briefs on how the ADA applies to education. They include Disability Rights Laws in Public Primary and Secondary Education: How Do They Relate? and Exams and Courses, among others.
To learn more about these and other products from the NIDILRR community, contact NARIC’s information specialists.
Collection Spotlight from the National Rehabilitation Information Center 
