Dis/ability Access and Justice in OUSD

Oakland Unified is proud of its rich diversity and seeks to interrupt systems that segregate, disenfranchise or otherwise deprive any group of an opportunity to be heard, respected and supported. We applaud our OUSD school board and SELPA governing board for adopting Resolution 2021-0159, Ensuring Access to Social-Emotional and Academic Supports for Students with Disabilities. We appreciate the advocacy from our CAC and families that enabled this resolution to be developed.

Full text of the resolution is available here.

Since the Spring 2021 adoption of the resolution, the Special Education Department has partnered with Expanded Learning, the Oakland Athletic League, Facilities Department and specific OUSD school site leaders to take steps to implement a phased plan to achieve our goal of equity-centered, inclusive communities at all OUSD schools. To date, the work has included:

Provision of additional staff for specific afterschool programs with high numbers of students with more significant disabilities;

Holding ongoing planning meetings with the Oakland Athletic League to provide resources, training and materials to better meet the needs of students with disabilities in organized athletics;

Planning for the installation of adaptive equipment in playgrounds across several elementary schools; Adapted enrollment processes to enable students with disabilities whose IEPs call for general education instruction for the majority of the day to attend any OUSD school through the options process;

Providing a dis/ability justice workshop for OUSD staff at the Summer Equity PD series;

Amended the OUSD contracting template to include a mandatory question on how service providers will adapt their services to meet the needs of students with disabilities.

Our areas of focus for 2022 and beyond include:

Rolling out Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) at target OUSD elementary schools;

Expanding the provision of additional staff and specialized materials to afterschool programs;

Providing technical assistance and training for site staff to implement inclusive master schedules;

Ensuring clear guidance for schools specific to dual-identified language learners with IEPs;

Providing modified restorative justice practice guides and professional development for OUSD educators to support students with more significant disabilities.

As OUSD remains in significant disproportionality status relative to discipline of students with disabilities and eligibility of Black/African American students under Emotional Disturbance, it is critical that our system acts with urgency to build communities that move beyond awareness of our spectrum of disabilities and instead accept, expect, include and empower students who are developmentally and neurologically diverse.