Striving to remove barriers that prevent us from building Vibrant, Diverse, Inclusive, Accessible Communities!
Fifty years of progress for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) “may be at risk.” The first danger named is a proposed move of the Office of Special Education from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which speakers say “would change the goal which is education access to a medical model” and “sends the message our students are ill and need to be cured instead of educated fairly.”
The article details pressure to separate children from classmates. A proposal to study “centralizing” special education in “one or a few locations” is described as putting students together “not integrated with their peers,” summarized by speakers as “Out of sight, out of mind,” with the Laconia State School cited as a warning.
At the 50-year mark, the article names a daily barrier for Parents and Students with Disabilities: real access means participation with peers. Leaders call the “biggest challenge” making classrooms accessible so students are “not just physically in the room, but participating with their peers.”
The stakes are civil rights. Speakers caution “we are returning to a time when those rights were really not respected,” noting that before 1975 only about 20 percent of children with disabilities were in public schools. They also emphasize partnership with families: “We empower our families to be active participants.” Community Builders should hold the line on peer learning and family partnership for Students with Disabilities.
Read the Full Article: 50 Years of Progress for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act May Be at Risk.
By: Garry Rayno
