Cook ADA Parent Letter

Dear Parents,

     It is important to us to accommodate all of our students, their learning styles, and their disabilities.  In order to ensure equal access by all students to the same educational opportunities we abide by the requirements of the following: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the Assistive Technology Act (ATA).  They are described as follows:

• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits private employers, state and local governments, from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities in job application procedures. The ADA covers employers with 15 or more employees, including state and local governments. It also applies to employment agencies and to labor organizations. 

• The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities. 

• The Assistive Technology Act of 1998 (ATA) provides assistive technology to individuals and students with disabilities through access to federally allocated funding.  The act recognizes the great benefits provided to disabled persons through assistive technology and so has attempted to increase funding to states to support their distribution of such technology, to include persons with disabilities and their families in the provisions and legislation decision making process in relation to the ATA, and to increase the outreach of the ATA to rural and other areas.  The ATA also strives to increase awareness of the needs of persons with disabilities to have access to said technology, and to increase the funding available to private and public agencies which help pay for devices to assist persons with disabilities (AT1998) 

     Our school and administration fully support the ADA, the IDEA, and the ATA, as well as your views on the matter. It is crucial to us that all of our students are treated equally. If you have any questions or concerns regarding these acts, the way they are embodied within the school, or if your student could benefit from the provisions of these acts please do not hesitate to let me know, via email or phone call.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Cook

English and Debate Teacher

Campus School