As schools close doors in response to COVID-19, parents and caregivers should be aware of key laws that protect your child’s rights to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) and existing frameworks that can support accessibility. The National Center for Learning Disabilities provides this overview of relevant laws and best practices related to accessibility and technology.

The Learning Disabilities Association of America provides information on how remote learning may affect college students with learning disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic and what they can do to find the right support.

The U.S. Department of Education Department provides this transition guide to help students with disabilities and their families understand the years-long process and the options available to them as they prepare to leave public education.

The guide includes information on transition planning, transition services and requirements,  education and employment options for students and youth with disabilities,  and how to support the decisions made by students and youth with disabilities.

The Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (DADD) provides an online learning activity portal for students with intellectual disabilities or autism spectrum disorder.

The Illinois State Board of Education provides this resource guide to give some suggestions and ideas related to remote learning opportunities for students who have intellectual or multiple disabilities, including ideas that do not depend on technology. The guide also provides resources for additional information related to services, programming and information intended to enhance learning opportunities and the functional development of students who have intellectual or multiple disabilities.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) provides these tips for how parents can help children with speech and language disorders succeed in a virtual and or modified in-person learning environment.

ASHA also provides tips for parents on maximizing success of virtual treatment sessions: infographic and video.

Teachers and administrators can take steps to meet the unique challenges that virtual and modified in-person learning environments will pose for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Both formats have challenges, but schools and teachers can help children be successful. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) provides these tips for virtual and in-person learning settings.

As families shelter in place due to COVID-19, children with hearing loss may need additional help. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) offers this guidance to parents, available in English and Spanish.

The Learning Technology Center of Illinois’s SPARK (Supporting Parents and Remote Kids) Parent Hub provides training and resources for Illinois parents and caregivers as they support students with remote learning.

This infographic from the Learning Technology Center sets out clear guidelines for parents and caregivers to follow while students are engaging in remote learning from home.