On Tuesday, April 14, 2015, EducationNC sponsored a panel discussion on special education at the Disability Rights North Carolina conference held in Chapel Hill.
The panel included Chris Trottier, Lisa Rabon and Virginia Fogg, attorneys with Disability Rights North Carolina.
Illiteracy and school suspensions are predictors for high school dropout, unemployment, and incarceration. This panel focused on the reading and behavioral challenges of special education students. It addressed the crucial relationships between appropriate reading assessments with specialized instruction and functional behavioral assessments with behavior intervention plans. Trottier says,
“At-risk students are more likely to enter the school to prison pipeline by virtue of circumstances, including poverty, disability, illiteracy, and structural disadvantages.”
Disability Rights North Carolina is a nonprofit organization based in Raleigh. Its team of attorneys, advocates, paralegals, and support staff provide advocacy and legal services at no charge for people with disabilities across North Carolina. As the state’s federally mandated protection and advocacy system, Disability Rights North Carolina is charged with protecting the rights of children and adults with disabilities living in North Carolina.
