Planning and Designing for Students with Disabilities

O ver 25 years ago, Congress created an education bill of rights for children with disabilities. In doing so, it could not have anticipated the improved medical procedures that have significantly increased the number of children who survive serious medical conditions but are left with moderate to profound disabilities. Increasingly, these children are entering public elementary and secondary schools and must be served in the general education classroom. To meet the challenge of educating these students, school designers must go beyond providing barrier-free buildings by embracing a broader concept of accessibility—that of providing students with disabilities the maximum possible access to general education.