The following is my response to that letter:
Saturday February 20, 2011
To the Editor:
A few days ago, William Meyer pondered the changes in education over the last 40 years, which led me to question as well, what has changed since the 1970s? Well, one thing that changed was the implementation of Public Law 94-142 in 1975, also known as the Education of ALL Handicapped Children Act. Now that law is more widely known as IDEA or the Individuals with Disabilities Act. What this changed, in the 1970s, was that states received federal funds so that they could implement policies that assure a free appropriate public education to all children with disabilities. Before this change, intellectuals with disabilities didn’t receive appropriate educational services that would enable them to be productive members of society. I’ll bet that if Mr. Meyer’s classmates in the 1960s and 1970s were to look around as they sat in that classroom with those 30-plus children, it would be safe to say that they would not have been sharing their educational space with any children with intellectual disabilities, because those children would have been segregated from the “educable” population, perhaps placed in the basement of the school or worse yet, warehoused in state institutions. When one teacher must stand in front of the room and deliver information to children of similar IQs without having to differentiate in order to meet the unique learning needs of ALL children, it is perfectly understandable that there could be 30-plus children sitting in those desks and that a teacher aide would not be necessary in that classroom; however, because of this change since the 1970s, students with intellectual disabilities can be in a room with their peers so that they may be prepared for further education, enabling them to gain more independence and become productive members of society.
With this change, came the advent of teacher aides, the “second person in the classroom”. Because of these so-called “extra” people in the classroom, my son who was born with Down Syndrome sings in the school choir. Because of these other people in the room, my son learned how to build a house in his residential structures class. Because of these other people in the room, my son will compete in Dance Marathon with other high school teens in order to raise money for kids with cancer. Because of the other person in the room, my son just finished his second wrestling season on the JV team. Because of the extra people that will be in the room this Spring, my son, along with his girlfriend who also has Down Syndrome, will attend the junior prom without a parent having to be present. Because of the extra people in the room, all students have the opportunity to get to know and to learn from someone who may not be on the same physical or intellectual playing field, perhaps opening the door to a society that, embraces these differences with sensitivity and grace. That is what has changed. I think that my son and many other young people like him would agree that it has been a good change.
Randi Downs
Couldn't read through my tears! Beautifully said :)
ReplyDeleteRandi,
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in junior high in the late 1970's, I was in a chorus class. The teacher announced that there would be some kids from other classes joining us for a few weeks. I was assigned to sit with one of the kids. All of the kids were developmentally disabled and none of the rest of us had ever met any of them before. I remember at the time being asked by school administrators and others how it was going, if everything was all right. There seemed to be some concern about the situation. I thought it was great. The new kids were very happy to be there. In my book, they were much nicer than most of the other kids in my class. It made the class more fun. Some kids didn't know the words and faked it but half the class did that! The administrators seemed amused by my comments. At 13, I was pretty oblivious to the controversy surrounding the situation.
A speech therapist friend of my family heard what was happening in my school and the controversy about it. She asked me to help out at a school where she worked. It was a residential institution for developmentally disabled kids. My job was to be an extra set of hands helping the kids get ready to present a play and sing Christmas Carols. The kids, mostly older than me, all hugged me and thanked me. I felt I had done very little to deserve this affection. It turned out many of the students did not have any family members show up and some kids rarely had visitors. I was absolutely horrified of this dark, old "school" and fact that some kids never saw their parents. I cried on the ride home because I felt so bad for these kids.
Of course, I immediately became a willing and knowledgable advocate for inclusion. All kids should be raised in their community with few exceptions. Occassionally, services are needed that must be found outside of the home district.
We have the means as a society to educate all of our kids. There should be no excuse for warehousing kids who are educable, who are loved and lovable, who can and will become productive members of society.
There's an intellectually challenged man about my age who works in my office building. I happen to know that his mother struggled to keep him at home and in the public school system where his siblings went. I am very pleased that the system has changed because someone returned his mother's determined gaze and said yes instead of no. This is a victory for all of us. Lenny has traveled to China with his Special Olympics team. His team is actually opening doors for people around the world who fight for the opportunities we provide.
As schools struggle with economic crises now and for some time to come, the type of letter to the editor that you responded to will be written again. We must all answer, yes, special education programs must stay. Yes, there is great value to the family, the school and society as a whole.
Keep up your blogging Randi
All the best, Kathy Macri