SPECIAL EDUCATION AND DISABILITY POLICY

The mission of the Department of Special Education and Disability Policy is to prepare, skilled, effective, critically reflective practitioners who can meet the educational needs of children and youth with disabilities and their families. Through graduate degree programs and alternative licensure programs, students discover new evidence-based instructional and service delivery strategies. They share information on these strategies to a wide audience through collaborative relationships with children and youth with disabilities, their families, educators, local, state and federal government agencies, and other professionals throughout the Commonwealth and across the nation.

At the graduate level, the Department offers five Masters in Education Degree Programs. Successful completion of one of the degree programs leads to endorsement in Early Childhood Special Education, Emotional Disturbance, Learning Disabilities, Mental Retardation, or Severe Disabilities. In addition, the Department offers a Ph.D. degree in Education with an emphasis on Special Education and Disability Policy.

Since August, 2007 the Department of Special Education and Disability Policy has offered a Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorders . This unique program is designed to enable personnel to develop comprehensive knowledge and experience in assessment, teaching strategies, and curriculum development for students with autism spectrum disorder. The certificate program is comprised of four 3-credit hour graduate courses for a total of 12 credit hours. Upon successful completion, participants earn a certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Since January 2004, the Department of Special Education and Disability Policy has been collaborating with the Virginia Department of Education to assist conditionally licensed special education teachers obtain the coursework needed to earn a collegiate professional license. This unique program, entitled Certifying On-Line Virginia Educators, better known as COVE, is regional but the program is available to persons statewide. Program participants receive coursework and other activities leading to endorsements in emotional disturbance, learning disabilities, or mental retardation. All courses are Web-based and taught by an instructor who is a member of the Department of Special Education and Disability Policy. The VCU COVE program is a 23-credit hour sequence consisting of seven 3-credit hour graduate courses and two 1-credit hour on-the-job seminars. 

In addition to the COVE program, the Department of Special Education and Disability Policy partners with the Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico, and Richmond City school divisions to help instructional assistants become special education teachers through the Metropolitan Educational Training Alliance Alternative Licensure Program for Special Education. This program, known as the META Alternative Licensure Program, is a 23 graduate hour program provided over a 21 month period. Upon successful completion, participants earn a collegiate professional license in Emotional Disturbance, Learning Disabilities, or Mental Retardation. Courses are conducted either in a classroom or Web-based, and are taught by Department of Special Education and Disability Policy faculty, local teachers, and administrators.