Skip to Content

Families

Supporting Your Student’s Journey to Success

Discover ways to collaborate with your family members to build pathways and unlock new opportunities for success.
{description}
Illustration of a wooden signpost with two directional arrows pointing opposite ways on a blue post.

Key Terminology

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education.

Learn More

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

IDEA is a law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities nationwide and ensures special education and related services to those children.

Learn More

Individualized Education Program (IEP)

Under the IDEA, an IEP is the primary vehicle for providing a free appropriate public education (FAPE). IEPs should be developed based on the individual needs of the child.

Learn More

Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS)

Pre-ETS are services provided or arranged for by the SC Vocational Rehabilitation Department and the SC Commission for the Blind. These services help students with disabilities prepare for employment after high school. Services can include Job Exploration Counseling, Work-Based Learning Experiences, Counseling on Post-Secondary Training Opportunities, Workplace Readiness Training, and Instruction in Self-Advocacy.

Learn More

Career Technical Education (CTE)

CTE is an education pathway that provides students with the academic, technical and real world knowledge, skills and experience they need to be prepared for career opportunities.

Learn More

Resources by Topic

Advocacy

Able South Carolina

Able South Carolina is a Center for Independent Living that serves both the Midlands and the Upstate. Able SC is a disability-led organization seeking transformational changes in systems, communities, and individuals. They are consumer-controlled, community-based, and cross-disability, and provide services to the disability community in advocacy, independent living, information and referral, peer support and mentoring, transition to the community, youth transition services, accessibility consultations, and more.

AccessAbility

AccessAbility is one of 403 Centers for Independent Living in the country. We are a federally funded, non-residential, not-for-profit, for-purpose organization in South Carolina. AccessAbility is a 501(c)(3) organization. The organization has been serving the counties of Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester, Orangeburg and Williamsburg since 2001. AccessAbility promotes the full integration of people with disabilities in their communities. We strive to empower people with disabilities to realize their full potential. AccessAbility provides consumer-controlled services. That means YOU are leading the way! Your determination is key to your independence. The board of directors and staff consist of 51% people with disabilities. Another unique feature of AccessAbility is that we provide services on a cross-disability basis. Our mission is to offer individual and group life skills coaching programs for people with disabilities.

Walton Options for Independent Living

Walton Options has provided services and resources to help people with all types of disabilities live independently within the community. As a private, non-profit, non-residential Center for Independent Living (CIL), we serve 16 counties in Georgia and 10 counties in South Carolina. We believe all persons, including those with disabilities, should be able to participate in their community. At Walton Options, we promote equality, inclusion and independence though Personal Choice, Community Access, Education and Employment. Our goal is to help each person on their personal journey to independence to find and utilize the necessary, available resources.

Education

Dorchester School District Four

Dorchester School District Four (DD4), located in the heart of St. George, South Carolina, proudly serves approximately 2,200 students across six schools, including three elementary schools, one middle school, one high school, and one alternative education center. With a mission of "Empowering Minds, Shaping Futures,” DD4 is dedicated to academic excellence, strong character development, and meaningful community partnerships.

South Carolina Public Charter School District

The South Carolina Public Charter School District authorizes, supports, and champions innovative K-12 public charter schools, ensuring quality educational opportunities for parents, and academic excellence for students, so every South Carolina child can reach their highest potential.

Sumter School District

Sumter School District is committed to providing a safe, nurturing, and high-quality educational environment that supports diversity and equips students for local and global success.

Williamsburg County School District

Williamsburg County School District has a long history of effectively educating children to be successful in their lifetime endeavors, with the mission to ensure a world-class education for all students by utilizing a rigorous, innovative curriculum that focuses on creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving.  

Back to top