Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is committed to providing special education students with opportunities along a continuum of services that offer access to and participation in the activities of the school and community environments as appropriate to the age and educational needs of the student. 

In FCPS services to students with disabilities are planned with long term outcomes in mind. Annual goals and objectives consider development in the areas of cognitive/academic, communication, personal, interpersonal and career skills. Teachers are committed to their role in planning with a student and family, through these annual goals and objectives, for the student's postsecondary education, employment and residential independence. See Planning Ahead for Your Student.

Fairfax County Public Schools upholds the principles of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as they support the rights of students with disabilities to have decisions regarding their individual instructional program made through the collaboration of parents who know their child best and professional educators who have knowledge of instructional practices and experience in guiding students with disabilities to become productive citizens.

Fairfax County Public Schools protects the rights of students with disabilities to be educated by teachers trained to instruct through adapted curriculum, to utilize a variety of instructional strategies and to take advantage of supplementary materials appropriate for the student's individual educational program (IEP).

Teachers provide special education across a continuum of service options ranging from least to most restrictive:

When appropriate, students may also receive services in private day and residential schools, in the home, and in hospital settings.

Across the continuum of special education services, Fairfax County Public Schools serves students with one or more of the following identified disabilities:

autism
developmental delays
emotional disability
deaf and hard of hearing
specific learning disability
mental retardation
multiple disabilities
physical disability (traumatic brain injury, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment)
severe and profound disability
speech and language impairment
visual impairment

Related therapy services are available to allow a student to benefit from the individualized special education program.

Back to the Office of Special Education Instruction home page