By the Office of Special Education Programs
Less than 1% of school aged students with disabilities are identified with traumatic brain injury. OSEP‘s latest Fast Facts takes a closer look at data from the data collections authorized under IDEA Section 618, including those collected through child count, educational environments, discipline and exiting data collections with a lens on students identified with traumatic brain injury.
By Valerie C. Williams
Director, Office of Special Education Programs
I must confess that being a mother of an African American young man — specifically, a 12-year-old Black boy with a disability — I am gravely concerned with the disparities in discipline practices that children with disabilities, particularly children of color with disabilities, experience. This breaks my heart and simultaneously makes me very angry.
Fanica Young, Julianna Kim, and Danica Moise
We invite you to read our interviews with Fanica Young, Julianna Kim, and Danica Moise, doctoral scholars and former OSEP interns. They each share what brought them to the field and how their doctoral programs have shaped their practice.
Roundtable participants speak to attendees. Left to right: Tara Murray, Amber Greene, Taryn Mackenzie Williams, Valerie C. Williams, Sherman Gillums Jr., Shawn Aleong, Elijah Armstrong, Jalyn Radziminski, Neli Latson, and Raven Sutton.
Valerie C. Williams Director, Office of Special Education Programs
By Valerie C. Williams Director, Office of Special Education Programs
On Feb. 23, 2023, I participated in a Black History Month roundtable hosted by the White House and the Biden-Harris Administration.
During the roundtable, I had the opportunity to meet with five representatives of the next generation of young Black disability leaders and advocates.
The purpose of the event was to not only reiterate the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to diversity, equity, accessibility and disability inclusion, but to also hear from young Black leaders about their experiences and challenges.