Disability Categories

A student is eligible to participate in the Special Education Program from birth to 21 years of age if the student has a visual or auditory impairment that prevents the student from being adequately or safely educated in public school without the provision of special services; or if the student is at least three but not more than 21 years of age and has one or more of the following disabilities that prevents the student from being adequately or safely educated in public school without the provision of special services:

Auditory Impairment (AI)

The term auditory impairment is used synonymously with hearing impaired and both terms are understood to include deaf and hard of hearing. These students have been determined to have a serious hearing loss even after corrective medical treatment or use of amplification.

Autism (AU)

Students with autism evidence a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age 3, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Students with pervasive developmental disorders are included under this category.

Deaf/Blind (DB)

A student who is deaf/blind has a combination of severe hearing and vision losses after best correction, and is determined to meet the criteria for both auditory and visual impaired.

Emotional Disturbance (ED)

Students eligible as emotionally disturbed have a condition that is medically and/or psychologically determined to be so seriously disturbed that they may not be adequately or safely educated in the general education classes of the public schools without the provision of special services.

Learning Disability (LD)

Students with learning disabilities are students who, based on test information, exhibit such a severe discrepancy between achievement and ability that they must be provided special services for educational progress.

Intellectual Disabilities (ID)

Students with intellectual disabilities are students whose mental capacity as determined by a licensed professional, is such that they cannot be educated in the general education classes without the provision of special services.

Multiply Disabled (MD)

Students with multiple disabilities are students who have a combination of impairments including a condition which is expected to continue indefinitely; a disability which requires comprehensive instruction and related services for the severely handicapped; disabilities which severely impair performance in psycho-motor skills, self-care skills, communication, social and emotional development, and cognition.

Orthopedically Impaired (OI)

Students with an orthopedic impairment are students who present with physical impairments that may cause difficulties performing tasks adequately in the general education setting. Students may need the services provided by special education to promote an adequate level of functioning.

Other Health Impaired (OHI)

A student who has been determined by a licensed physician to have limited strength, vitality, or alertness due to chronic health problems which adversely effects the students educational performance, may be eligible for special education services.

Speech Impairment (SI)

Students with speech impairments are students whose communication disorder affects the students’ performance in the classroom, resulting in an educational need for speech therapy services.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

A student who has been determined by a licensed physician to have an injury to the brain caused by an external physical force resulting in total or partial functional disability and/or psychosocial impairment.

Visual Impairment (VI)

A student who is visually impaired is a student whose sight is so impaired that they cannot be adequately or safely educated in the general education classes of the public schools without provision of special services.