Disabilities

OPB’s series on the state of special education has featured students, parents, and staff members across the Portland area. The series has found that some students with disabilities are missing out on school while staff are stretched thin trying to deal with increased needs. Education reporter Elizabeth Miller recently spoke with another staff member — a special education administrator — about how things look from the district office.

When you think about who works in a school, you think of teachers, principals, custodians, counselors — but there are also paraeducators. Paras are deployed to help students with disabilities make the most of their education.

Staffing shortages are among the challenges that have left students in special education physically at risk and academically unserved — even though they are among the student groups in greatest need after more than two school years of pandemic disruptions.

When schools can't find a licensed special education teacher, they hire people who are willing to do the job, but lack the training. It's a practice that concerns some special education experts.

Willamette law dismissed Charlie Li after concluding she violated the school's honor code, which Li denies. She says the barriers she faced as an international student with disabilities left her too often feeling unsupported by the institution.

Oregon Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin said she heard from Gov. Kate Brown that a bill she sponsored — aimed at directing the Oregon Department of Education to more quickly investigate and resolve allegations brought by families of students with disabilities — would not pass during the 2022 short legislative session.

The DeafBlind Institute at Western Oregon University recently received $2.1 million to help train interpreters in Protactile, a language created by DeafBlind people.

A new report from ECONorthwest finds people with intellectual and developmental disabilities face housing instability — but researchers say there's a serious lack of data about the population.

The announcement Friday pointed to the costs of upgrading the future sites of the Pioneer school and the short time frame for getting required permits.