Educating Children with Disabilities Who Are Homeless. Policy Forum Proceedings Document (Arlington, Virginia, December 5-7, 1999).

This publication summarizes the proceedings of a Project FORUM conference that examined the needs of homeless children and youth with disabilities. The summarized presentations address the definition of homelessness, the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, services for homeless students under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, educational services for children who are homeless in five states (Maryland, Illinois, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Virginia), facts about homelessness that shape the nature and delivery of educational services, and challenges related to children with disabilities who are homeless. Proposed strategies are presented for meeting the following challenges: (1) increasing awareness about the educational needs and rights of children who are homeless and enrolling them in school; (2) sustaining multi-pronged advocacy through public education and training and legislative and administrative advocacy; (3) providing timely, appropriate, multi-disciplinary assessment for students who are homeless; (4) finding solutions to broad problems through collaboration between schools and the community; (5) increasing the valid and reliable data on issues related to homelessness; and (6) addressing mobility issues as they relate to identifying students with disabilities who are homeless. (Contains 16 references.) (CR)