Who is Eligible?

Summary:

This page provides definitions of disabilities including links to the categories of disabilities identified in IDEA.

Introduction

All students may need assistance with instruction and assessment from time to time. Accommodations are simply adjustments in the way students are taught or the way they are expected to show what they have learned. For students with disabilities, providing accommodations must be more deliberate. Students with disabilities require the accommodations to help them work around limitations that result from their disabilities. Without the accommodations, students with disabilities may not be able to learn important concepts and skills.

Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities who have been evaluated and staffed into the exceptional student education (ESE) program are eligible for accommodations. Students who are eligible for ESE services have an individual educational plan (IEP). The IEP team looks at the student's present level of performance and educational needs and decides what accommodations are needed.

Students who have major physical or mental impairments but do not require ESE services or meet eligibility criteria for one of the disability categories of IDEA may also require accommodations. Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, students may receive appropriate services. These students are evaluated and a plan known as a 504 plan is developed.

Eligible students are generally identified in one or more of the following disability categories:

Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD)
Educable, Trainable, or Profoundly Mentally Handicapped (EMH, TMH, PMH)
Emotionally Handicapped or Severely Emotionally Disturbed (EH or SED)
Deaf, Hearing Impaired, or Hard of Hearing (DHH)
Visually Impaired (VI)
Physically Impaired (PI)
Speech and Language Impaired (SLI)
Autistic
Dual Sensory Impaired (Deaf and Blind)

Resources

Legal Basis | IDEA | NCLB | ADA | Section 504 | Florida Statutes