Anyone know antything about... (home, schools, versus)

[makilina]

Disabled services and special education on Maui? I have cheecked the DOH and Education departments but am hoping someone has some first hand knowledge about services there. Thanks

[melaniej65]

It depends upon what the disability is and what age the person is (also- which school is involved). In general- services are fine. Not terrific but not terrible. They are adequate with the chances of being great if you make the effort to involve yourself. In other words, if you put your name on a list you will be treated as a name on a list - but if you become involved then naturally you become important in the scheme of things.

[atp162]

I do not have personal knowledge of this subject but a friend of mine who deals with special needs children for the State Dept. of Education gave me this reply to your question. If you have a specific situation that he might be able to address, I can pass it along.

Hope this helps!


"If child is 0-3 y.o., they can receive home/community-based services via the Dept. of Health with the Early Intervention Program. HKISS is the referral system - you can find out more via DOH website
http://hawaii.gov/health/family-child-health/eis/index.html

If child is 3 - 20 y.o., they can receive services via the Dept. of Education and through the Individualized Education Program process. Basically, parent(s) enroll child at home school (nearest place of residence) and share info (e.g. medical diagnoses, records, previous tx records, etc.) with the school via the Special Education eligibility process and dependent upon the child's needs may be eligible for specialized instruction (i.e. modified curriculum), OT, PT, SLP, mental health/behavioral health, counseling, nursing services, etc.
http://doe.k12.hi.us/specialeducation/

Hawaii has the MedQUEST system with capitated carve-outs for the disabled population for mental/behavioral health and Medicaid School-based claiming (for the medical/health related services provided in the schools to ensure disabled students receive a free, appropriate public education (FAPE).

California's IHSS services are more coordinated and work more along the
medical model of services versus here in Hawaii where it seems there is a
"false dichotomy" of educational versus health/medical services. For
example, DOE SLP does not deal with students with dysphagia (they consider themselves EDUCATIONAL) even though it is within their scope of practice and their national organization has taken the stance that they are the leaders in that area of expertise.

As for SPED services on neighbor isles - the DOE in Hawaii is unique (in
comparison to the other 49 states) in that the State Educational Agency
(SEA) is also the Local Educational Agency (LEA). There are NO
county/district levels of leadership/authority - all STATE decisions thus
ALL schools are governed and supposed to provide the same level of services STATEWIDE. Granted, resources may be more limited in some areas but just like the DOH, the centralized government (and ultimately the Gov and/or Legislature) controls how things are done, paid for, etc.

So technically, there should be NO difference in what is offered on Maui vs
Molokai vs Oahu... but realistically, those closer to the "powers that be"
(i.e. Oahu) may have more resources, programs, providers, etc."