The ATA Chronicle - May/June 2024 - 26

by providing free support,
modifications, technology,
and aids to ensure that
students with disabilities
are educated with students
without disabilities to the
maximum extent appropriate.
Requirements for language
access are also included
in IDEA. First, during an
evaluation to determine
if a child has a disability,
the school must assess the
child in a nondiscriminatory
manner, which includes
assessment in their home
language. Second, schools
must take action to ensure
that families understand
the proceedings of the
special education process,
which includes access to an
interpreter.
Understand that regardless of your experience as a
legal or medical interpreter or translator, the field of
education is unique and deserves its own place with
interpreters and translators willing to seek additional
training to be effective.
Learning the Terminology
and Its Implications
for Special Education
Services
Interpreters and translators
who are new to the field of
educational interpreting
will find that children with
multiple or low-incidence
disabilities qualify for
special education services
under the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA). IDEA is the federal
law that provides rights and
protections to children with
disabilities along with their
families and ensures a free,
26 The ATA Chronicle | May/June 2024
appropriate public education
regardless of the severity
of their conditions. Because
these children have a variety
of intellectual, behavioral,
physical, and learning needs,
they will qualify for services
under different disability
categories included in the
law (e.g., Specific Learning
Disability, Intellectual
Disabilities, Orthopedic
Impairment, etc.). Regardless
of the category of service
for which a child qualifies,
IDEA includes evaluation
procedures for designing
programs that meet
individual education needs
While it's not possible
within the scope of
this article to provide a
comprehensive list of all the
disabilities interpreters and
translators will encounter
when assisting families,
here's an overview of just
a few you are likely to
encounter while providing
language access services
during meetings, or
translating documents and
reports related to a child's
educational needs.
Rett Syndrome is a rare
neurological disorder
that affects the way the
brain develops, causing a
progressive inability to use
muscles for eye and body
movements and language. It
can also cause seizures and
intellectual disabilities. In
schools, children with Rett
Syndrome may fall under
IDEA's Multiple Disabilities
special education category.
As such, interpreters and
translators need to be
prepared to hear and produce
reports from occupational,
www.atanet.org

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rett-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20377227 https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/a/300.8 https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/a/300.8 https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/a/300.8/c/10 https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/a/300.8/c/10 https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/a/300.8/c/7 https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/a/300.8/c/10 https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/d/300.304 https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/d/300.304 http://www.atanet.org

The ATA Chronicle - May/June 2024

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