TESTIMONY
Ellen McHugh on Enhancing Remote Education for Students with Disabilities
2:07:12
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3 min
Ellen McHugh, an experienced special needs advocate, addresses the NYC City Council on the challenges faced by students with disabilities in remote learning, emphasizing the need for better accessibility and training.
- McHugh shares personal experiences, highlighting her grandchild's autism and her son's deafness, to underscore the difficulties of remote education for families with special needs.
- She points out limitations in the use of pre-loaded accessibility features on computers given to students with disabilities, such as audible questions and large text options.
- The advocate identifies a lack of expertise among staff in implementing accessibility programs and suggests utilizing the special education team for enhanced staff training.
- McHugh criticizes the Department of Education's reactive approach and lack of long-term planning, suggesting better utilization of resources like the Beyond Access program for family education.
- She emphasizes the need for universal learning methods and better planning to prevent future failures in emergency situations like the COVID-19 pandemic.
UNKNOWN
2:07:12
Thank you for your testimony, Ellen McHugh.
Ellen McHugh
2:07:15
There isn't much left to say.
2:07:17
It's there.
2:07:19
However, much money.
2:07:22
Given the opportunity, we all take the chance.
2:07:24
My name is Ellen McHugh.
2:07:25
I've been an advocate for individuals with special needs for a number of years.
2:07:29
I currently have grandchild who is autistic.
2:07:34
My son is deaf.
2:07:36
I experience with remote education has been limited on my own side because of the separation between school and families.
2:07:50
The biggest issue for me and for the children that were being the children with disabilities that were being taught is the lack of expertise on the part of staff and the use of accessibility programs that are already loaded onto computers.
2:08:08
In many cases, the computers that were given to the children who have disabilities did not allow the children to access the disability programs that are on there.
2:08:20
Including questions read aloud, large size print, other things that I know I wrote down, I can't remember.
2:08:30
But the the point is that I think we have a tool to used to find out about training.
2:08:40
At the schools, there's something called a special education team, separate from the IEP team.
2:08:47
It's part of a new deal with the union and the department of it.
2:08:53
Those teams are supposed to meet to discuss implementation.
2:08:57
Having said that, there's no real plan.
2:09:01
It's very vague.
2:09:02
One of the things that might be helpful is to suggest to that team that they use this time to train their staff.
2:09:10
And in local law 27, then track the training of staff members.
2:09:17
Or track the training of family members.
2:09:22
The DOE currently uses Beyond Access as an outreach for families to give them information, especially about special education.
2:09:32
That is certainly a tool that can be used to act to inform families about not only their rights as as family members who have students with disabilities, but also the use of specific types of implements to increase the child's understanding and and knowledge gain There are also UDL methods universal universal learning methods.
2:10:02
That can be implemented in classrooms prior to the any kind of break because of any kind of emergency, whether it's COVID or a snow day.
2:10:15
The unfortunate part is that the history of what happened during COVID did not translate into implementation as the new staff and new students came in.
2:10:26
This is a constant issue with the Department of Ed.
2:10:29
Everything is by guessing by God, lurching from one to another to solve a problem immediately without plans for the future.
2:10:36
Yes.
2:10:36
That's not a nice thing to say.
2:10:38
Having said it, it's been my experience that planning is not their strength.
2:10:45
Thank you for the time, and thank you for being so patient to sit here on a rainy afternoon and listen to us.