Access Center Brochure

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What is the Access Center?
We are a national technical assistance (TA) center funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) with one overarching aim: to help state educators, TA systems, districts, schools, and individuals build capacity to enhance the ability of students with disabilities to engage in and learn from the general education curriculum.

We strive to:

  • synthesize and present information about effective practices and resources
  • support the use of effective practices through tools, services, publications, and other resources
  • facilitate strategic partnershipsand community-building
  • use research and data for targeted change and continuous improvement.

What Expertise Do We Bring to the Task?
The Access Center offers a wealth of knowledge and expertise so that participants receive the information and assistance they need, when they need it.

We offer an interdisciplinary, innovative, and research-based approach to problem solving, capitalizing on the diverse talents of our staff. Specifically, we:

  • combine expertise in both general and special education research and practice
  • connect educational practitioners and researchers to identify and fill the gaps between research and practice;
  • provide web-based technical assistance and working face-to-face with different audiences
  • help collect and use data in educational decisionmaking

How Can We Help You?
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) pose a major challenge: that students with disabilities be instructed in a standards-based general education curriculum to the greatest degree possible.

The Access Center is positioned to help states and districts meet that challenge, as they seek information on:

  • ensuring that instructional and learning goals are in place for students with disabilities
  • implementing research-based instructional practices
  • acquiring research-based materials and media
  • accommodating and supporting students to learn general education content and skills
  • applying the use of tools and procedures to assess and document whether students with disabilities are meeting high standards.

“The Access Center completed a needs assessment that analyzed and clearly documented those educational concerns most in need of technical assistance in Louisian.  The data gave voice to proiritization so that we could effectively plan for professional development. ”
Debra, Louisiana Department of Education“To understand how state programs impact students' access to the general education curriculum, the Access Center helped a state in our region develop a resource mapping tool to interview program staff.  The state then implemented a systemic plan to address this important topic.” Wayne, Regional Resource Center Specialist

What Strategies Do We Offer?
Our strategies are intended to increase state and district capacity.
We provide:

  • direct assistance
  • capacity and relationship building programs (information-sharing communitites)
  • web-based customized resources such as information briefs and online discussions related to reading and accomodations

Specifically we can help states:

  • develop and conduct needs assessments
  • identify and understand resources related to access
  • design and implement professional development tools to enhance the use of effective strategies

Who Are Our Partners? The Access Center’s ability to fulfill its mission is enhanced by its partnerships with nationally recognized organizations:

  • CAST
  • The Council of Chief State School Officers
  • The Mountain Plains Regional Resource Center
  • The Regional Resource Center Network

You can find out more by contacting us at:

The Access Center
1000 Thomas Jefferson St., NW
Washington, DC 20007-3835
accesscenter@air.org
www.k8accesscenter.org
Ph: 1-202-403-5000
TTY: 1-877-334-3499
Fax: 1-202-403-5001

The Access Center is housed at the American Institutes for Research and is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, Cooperative Agreement #H326K020003