Leading the Way: Disabilities Services and the Management Team

Leading the Way: Disabilities Services and the Management Team provides all Head Start managers with the skills and knowledge needed to plan and implement integrated services for children with disabilities and their families. The guide will help managers develop a broader view of their roles and set the stage for developing a more collaborative and coordinated way of working with each other, local education agencies (LEAs), and other community agencies.

"The activites in this guide provide a vehicle for creating mutual goals and sharing opportunities. As a Disabilities Services Manager, I see it as a vehicle to support the professionalism of staff, as well as a way to create the appropriate atmosphere for parents and children to transition successfully from one program to another."

"I was struck by the extremely important concepts addressed in this guide . . . good variety of activities included . . . a valuable training tool for any management team!"

The Guide At A Glance

This guide includes the following sections:

Module 1: Identifying Shared Responsibilities helps participants identify how their current roles and collaboration practices affect children with disabilities and their families, and the critical points where coordination among management team members must take place.
Module 2: A Look at ADA and 504 explains the laws that govern disabilities services policy and practice in Head Start. This module equips management teams to evaluate facilities and services and identify strategies for reasonable accommodation. It also addresses ways to adapt employment practices so that they reflect the rights and protections afforded to employees with disabilities.
Module 3: Collaborating with LEAs provides participants with information and tools to improve relationships with LEAs and other community organizations, to ensure quality services to children with disabilities and their families.
Continuing Professional Development offers strategies that supervisors can use to help staff apply new skills and extend their learning.
Resources lists print and audiovisual materials, national organizations, and web sites that staff can use to learn more about the key issues presented in the guide.

Ordering Information

Go Home!

*Photograph by Marlene Nelson, courtesy of Education Development Center, Inc.