Donna H. Lehr

Associate Professor (Retired)

Photo of Donna Lehr

Dr. Donna Lehr is an associate professor (retired) at BU Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. She has focused her teaching and research on issues related to educational services for students of all ages who have severe disabilities and young children with special needs. Dr. Lehr has directed national projects which have developed and demonstrated innovative methods for providing educational programs to children with special needs and their families. Her work focuses on: the inclusion of students with severe disabilities in general education, and issues and practices in educating students with complex healthcare needs and standards-based reform for students with severe disabilities. Her writings have included numerous journal articles, book chapters, and books on individuals with severe disabilities.

Selected Grants

  • Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment Project (March 1999 – present)
  • Project PIE: Paraprofessionals Increasing Effectiveness
  • Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment

Selected Professional Memberships

  • The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps
  • Council for Exceptional Children – International and State
  • American Association on Mental Retardation

Selected University Service

Coordinator of Special Education Program.

Selected Professional Service

  • CAST, Literacy by Design, National Advisory Committee Member
  • Massachusetts Department of Education, MCAS Alternate Assessment Advisory Committee, 9/98 – present
  • Massachusetts Department of Education, Project Focus (State Improvement Grant) Program Advisory Committee, 2000- present.
  • Associate Editor, Research and Practice for persons with Severe Disabilities

Recent News

Education

PhD, the University of Kansas

MS, California State University, Fresno, California

BS, Southern Connecticut State College

Courses

SED SE250  Disability, Education, and Public Policy

SED SE504  Introduction to Early Childhood Disabilities

SED SE511  Introduction to Autism

SED SE534  Classroom and Behavior Management

SED SE505  Introduction to Severe Disabilities

Selected Publications

Lehr, D. H.  (2007).  Physical and Health Disabilities.  Exceptional Children in Today’s Schools: What Teachers Need to Know (4th edition).  Denver, Colorado : Love Publishing Co. , 147-166.

Brown, F., Snell, M., & Lehr, D.  (2006).  Meaningful assessment.  Systematic instruction of students with severe disabilities  Columbus, Ohio : Charles Merrill Publishing Co.

Lehr, D.  (2006).  Educating students with physical and health disabilities.  In E.L. Meyen (ed.). Exceptional children with today’s schools: What teachers need to know  Denver : Love Publishing Co.

Lehr, D.H. , Brown, F.  (2004).  Special series on classic TASH articles.  Research & Practice in Severe Disabilities, 29(1).Lehr, D.H.  (2003).  Children and youth with special health care needs in schools and communities.  TASH Connections, 29(5/6).

Lehr, D.H. , Greene, J., & Powers, S.  (2003).  Managing the needs of students with physical and health challenges in inclusive settings.  In D. Ryndak & S. Alper (Eds.) Inclusion and Curriculum for Students with Significant Disabilities  Boston : Allyn Bacon.

Lehr, D.H. & Greene, J.  (2002).  Educating students with complex health care needs in public schools: The intersection of health care, education, and the law.  Journal of Health Care Law and Policy, 5(1) , 68-90.

Lehr, D.H.  (2002).  Students with special health care needs. Module for on line course “Administration in Special Education.” : University of Pittsburgh.

Lehr, D.  (1999).  US Supreme Court requires school district to pay for nursing services for students with special health care needs.  TASH Newsletter, 25(3) , 28-30.

Brown, F., Gothelf, C., Guess, D. & Lehr, D.  (1998).  Self-determination for individuals with the most severe disabilities: Moving beyond chimera.  JASH, 25 (1) , 17-26.

Lehr, D.H. & Brown, F. (Eds.)  (1996).  Persons with disabilities who challenge the system.  Baltimore : Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company.

Lehr, D.  (1996).  People with complex health care needs.  Baltimore : Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company.

Lehr, D.H.  (1996).  Students with special health care needs.  In E.L. Meyen (Ed.) Exceptional children in today’s schools (3rd edition)  Denver : Love Publishing Co.

Lehr, D.H. & Brown, F.  (1993).  Meaningful outcomes for individuals with profound disabilities.  Teaching Exceptional Children, 25(4) , 12-17.

Lehr, D. H. and McDaid, P  (1993).  Opening the door further: Integrating students with complex health care needs.  Focus on Exceptional Children, 25 (6) , 1-8.

Brown, F. & Lehr, D (Eds.)  (1989).  Persons with profound disabilities: Issues and practices.  Baltimore : Paul H. Brooks Publishing Company.

Zigmond, N., Lehr, D.,& Lyon, S.  ((2001, present)).  Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment (PASA).  Pennsylvania : University of Pittsburgh.

Selected Presentations

Operationalizing Curricular Inclusion.

Legal and Educational Responsibilities of Schools for the Provision of Health Care Services.

Students with Special Health Care Needs: Legal Responsibilities, Effective Practices.

A pilot study of the Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment.

Strategies for Teaching about persons labeled with severe disabilities.

The Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment.

Systemic change for inclusion in urban schools.

Pennsylvania’s performance based model of alternative assessment Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment: Insights from Year 1 Implementation.

Alternate Assessment for Students with Severe Disabilities.

Providing Educational Program to Students with Special Health Care Needs.

High academic standards, access to general education curriculum and students with severe disabilities.

Keynote: Issues in Proving Care to Students with Special Health Care Needs.

Keynote: The Medically Fragile Student in the Regular Classroom: Who, What, and How?

Modifying curriculum for student with severe disabilities educated in general education settings.

Meeting the special health care needs of students in inclusive classrooms.

Issues in Including Students with Special Health Care Needs in General Education Settings.

Disabilities: Understanding the Individuals and Their Supports.

Functional Curriculum for Students with Severe Disabilities.

Functional Assessment of Students with Severe Disabilities.

Developing functional curriculum for children with moderate-severe disabilities.

Series of Workshops: Teaming for systemic school based change.

Facilitating Social Interactions between Children with and without Disabilities in Inclusive Settings.

Achieving meaningful inclusion of students with severe disabilities in today’s schools.

State of the art in education of students with severe disabilities.

Evaluating student performance.

Alternate Assessment for students with severe multiple disabilities.

Teaching functional life skills within the general education curriculum.

Alternate assessment : impact on inclusion.

Education and the Law – ADA,504, IDEA: Recent trends and implications. University of Maryland School of Law conference: Children with special needs: The intersection of health care education and the law.

Self determination for student with severe disabilities.

Functional analysis of problem behavior.

Educating Students with significant health issues.

High Academic Standards, High Stakes Assessment and Students with Severe Disabilities: Planning Considerations and Therapists’ Roles.

Managing Learners with Special Health Care Needs in School Settings.

Communication: Talking to and about Families

Alternate Assessment of Students with Severe Disabilities.

Literacy development for Students with Severe Disabilities

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