CONTACT DPHD

For general questions or questions about the website, contact: 

Mari Beth Coleman

For membership questions, contact: 

Peter Mezei

For newsletter questions or to contribute to the newsletter contact: 

Linda Thomas

DPHD Position Papers and Fact Sheets

  

DPHD presently has two position papers and one fact sheet.  Below are brief summaries of these statements.  Click on the links to see the entire statements in PDF. 

Position Statement on Critical Need for Physical/Health Disability Certification

Of all of the groups of specific populations of students with disabilities who require teachers to have specialized training to meet their needs, students with physical/health disabilities are the most at risk if the teacher does not have the required knowledge and skills. Many state licensure units are supporting the generic, noncategorical, or mild/severe tracks and reducing the traditional categorical tracks. This results in a failure to meet the specialized needs of students with physical/health disabilities since the sampling of skills needed are not commonly addressed by teacher preparation programs for students in generic, noncategorical, or mild/severe tracks. DPHD urges states to maintain or institute distinct and separate professional certification for physical/health disabilities as a professional certification category.
Position Statement on the Critical Need for Physical/Health Disability Certification  (click for full version in PDF)

Position Statement on Specialized Health Care Procedures


An increasing number of students require specialized health care procedures such as tube feeding, clean intermittent catheterization, suctioning, and ventilator management are becoming more common place in the school setting. Who actually performs the procedures and is responsible for them being correctly implemented varies across school districts and states. DPHD’s position is that teachers need training in how to maintain a safe, healthy environment for their students in collaboration with others in the school.  Additionally, DPHD takes the position that specialized health care procedures should be viewed as self-help skills or independent living skills which students should be taught to promote their independence.

Position Statement on Specialized Health Care Procedures (click for full version in PDF)

Fact Sheet on Prevention of Acquired Infections in the Classroom

Some infections passed from person to person in the classroom are mild, such as colds. However, even a cold can be devastating to a child who has significant medical concerns.  Other infections, such as cytomegalovirus (CMV) or hepatitis B, can be serious for teachers and students alike. For this reason, it is important to know how infections are spread.  This fact sheet describes how infections are spread and some preventative measures that can be taken to reduce the risk of spreading infections in a classroom. 

Prevention of Acquired Infections in the Classroom (click for full version in PDF)