Overview:
ECHO is a special education joint agreement serving students in 17 school districts in the south suburbs of Chicago. The member districts consist of two high school districts (Thornton Township and Thornton Fractional) and 15 elementary districts in the communities of East Hazel Crest, Burnham, Harvey, Riverdale, Dolton, South Holland, Thornton, Lansing, and Calumet City. ECHO also provides services to students with low-incidence disabilities residing in the communities of Homewood, Flossmoor, Matteson, Park Forest, Glenwood, Sauk Village, Ford Heights, Chicago Heights, Steger, and Olympia Fields.
ECHO operates programs for students with disabilities, ages birth to twenty-two, for the following disability areas:
• Cognitive Disabilities
• Orthopedic Impairment
• Visual Impairment
• Hearing Impairment
• Deaf
• Speech/Language Impairment
• Emotional Disturbance
• Other Health Impairment
• Developmental Delay
• Autism
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Multiple Disabilities
ECHO operates the following programs for students, ages birth to twenty-one, who are at-risk or require an alternative educational environment:
• Birth – Three Prevention Programs
• Regular Education Alternative Programs
ECHO provides the following services:
• Assistive Technology
• Behavior Management Consultation
• Diagnostic Evaluation
• Functional Vision Assessment
• Professional Development
• Technical Assistance & Support
• Mentoring
• Intervention Strategies Team
• Low-Incidence Itinerant Consultation
ECHO employs more than 500 staff, including teachers, speech/language pathologists, vocational counselors, social workers, psychologists, nurses, occupational/physical therapists, teacher assistants, and administrators.
