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Our Focus
Ensuring all students have the opportunity to increase their skills through the provision of high-quality, specially designed language, communication, and academic instruction.
What is SDI?
What is SDI?
Special education provides students with disabilities specially designed instruction to meet their unique learning needs.
According to 34 C.F.R. § 300.39(3), SDI is defined as “adapting, as appropriate to the needs of an eligible child under this chapter, the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction:
To address the unique needs of the child that result from the child’s disability; and
To ensure access of the child to the general curriculum, so that the child can meet the educational standards within the jurisdiction of the public agency that apply to all children.
In practical terms, SDI is instruction that is tailored to a particular student. It addresses their IEP goals, accounts for their disability, provides modifications or adaptations to content, and encourages access to the general education curriculum. Any student with an IEP should be receiving SDI to address their identified IEP needs based on their disability.
Quick Link Resources
Offers reserach-based instructional approaches and learning strategies to meet the literacy and communication needs of students with significant disabilitites.
Learning for All | Copyright © 2016
Implementation model aimed at providing students with significant cognitive disabilities and complex communication needs with access to a flexible Universal Core vocabulary and evidence-based instruction to teach them to use core vocabulary via personal augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems.
© 2025 by the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies, Department of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, UN Chapel Hill is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Project VC provides a series of professional development, formative assessment, and implementation supports designed to track and improve literacy outcomes for all students.
© 2025 by the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies, Department of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, UNC-Chapel Hill is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Digital books for beginning readers of all ages.
© 2025 All Rights Reserved I BuildingWings.com
Professional development, materials, and technology that support the implementation of shared reading for school-aged students with significant cognitive disabilities (SCD) who do not read connected text with comprehension above a 2nd grade level.
© 2025 by the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies, Department of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, UNC-Chapel Hill is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
CLDS promotes literacy and communication for individuals of all ages with disabilities. Provides links and infromation regarding on-going projects, publications, presentations and resources.
© 2026 Center for Literacy and Disability Studies
This video collection features strategies for comprehensive literacy instruction for students with significant cognitive disabilities. The purpose of the collection is to support educators and families in understanding how all students can learn and make progress in Iowa's Academic Standards for English Language Arts.
2016 - Funded by the Iowa Department of Education
Modules focused on DLM Foundations, Literacy, Math and Science topics.
Copyright © 2026 Dynamic Learning Maps Professional Development
These documents unpack the literacy and math essential elements. Essential Elements are broken down by concept, skills, big ideas and essential questions.
Copyright © 2026 Dynamic Learning Maps Professional Development
This site is restricted to Iowa teachers, districts and AEA Staff who support implementation of Iowa's Alternate Assessments.
This site is restricted to Iowa teachers, districts and AEA Staff who support implementation of Iowa's Alternate Assessments.
What is Significant Disabilities SDI Literacy.pdfPage updated
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