Including Children with Disabilities in Public Schools

How does the average yearly cost of one student with disabilities who requires inclusion compare to the average "normal" student who does not require any special services? Where do we draw a line in terms of resources expended in assisting the disabled in our public schools at the expense of mainstream students? I have a bright 6 year old for whom I want the best possible education and I am frustrated that my tax dollars are spent in so many different ways to subsidize the lives of the poor, the disabled, etc. Where does society's obligation end?

I am the mother of an eight year old austistic boy and I wanted to respond to the mother of the six year old. Because austism falls into the type of disability that you cannot see, it is very hard for people to know what our son can and cannot do. As I'm sure she knows, some days are much better than others and she can probably tell right away when her son is having a bad day and can't do some things he otherwise might be able to, but that may not be as obvious to his teachers and care givers. The best thing that we have done is to keep a daily communication log with his teachers so they will know going into the day how he is feeling and acting. They in turn can let us know how his day was and if there are things that we need to address with him and, equally as important, things to celebrate. Because our son can't always tell us about his day, this has become the most important tool in helping him get his needs met. Also, the more involved we are with his education, the more the school is able and willing to do whatever they can to meet his needs.

I live in Sugar Hill, NH and my 13 year old twin boys just started middle school in Bethlehem this year. One of my sons has Fragile X Syndrome and the other has cognitive impairment with a severe seizure disorder. My older brother who is 53 has autism and is more Rain Man than the original Rain Man, so you can see I am no stranger to living with disabilities. It is an incredible journey and I loved everything about the program I just heard.
I am glad there are alternatives for kids who do not make it in public schools, but I am so sad about it. Through our strong advocacy and also the willingness of our public school to work with us as a team, our sons have fantastic supports. But this does take time and a lot of creative thinking and because public schools are in the baby stages of the true revolution of thinking that must take place so that all children are included in a quality education, our experience is sadly not the norm. My son Jack, who ordinarily would be shipped off to an institutional setting has two instructional assistants at one time and that has essentially saved his ability to be in a public school, and this costs much less than if he were to be placed in a residential setting. My sons went to their first school dances and these social experiences proved to be so important to them since they do not participate in so many of the other intensive athetic teams and daily after school "play dates" that are a much more natural part of most other kids' daily lives.
In spite of this and so much more, even their middle school has much to learn about how to reach out to our kids and our family too. Through elementary school we were often made to feel like we were always asking for too much. Too often we felt like the staff was on one side of the table and we were on the other. I watch many parents of children with special needs flee from public school before they even begin the process because they sense the daunting nature of the advocacy process from the start. On the one hand I totally understand this. Schools must do much more to invite and welcome and make sure that every student is supported in the process. Just because special needs students often need more assistance doesn't mean any other kid should get any less than what they need to have the best possible education. People don't realize how extraorinarily isolating it is for families like ours, particularly if we only have children with significant disabilities. However, it's discouraging to see parents pull out because as parents we must stand up for what our children need in our communities and first and foremost, for their education. When schools don't step up and when parents flee, many many amazing opportunities for educating are missed. We all want the same things for our children and I am blessed to be a mother to my children at home in our community, just like anyone else. I hope that in the future the trend toward public schools and parents working together will continue.

We are squandering our future, by ignoring the education of our children today.

We as a free nation must support public education for all. The argument should not be “why do we have to" or "what is the minimum we are required” but “how do we create a meaningful, positive learning environment to benefit all”. Do not accept that special education is "separate from and different" from public education, it is not! Special education is an integral component of Public Education. Who among us would tolerate exclusion, limits, or restrictions on other public services (roads, library, fire, & police)?

Our nation cannot continue to justify its apathetic financial neglect to public education for all students. Federal legislators must fully fund the Individual with Disability Education Improvement Act 2004, (IDEA) as promised, or States will continue to suffer discord and divisiveness. This legacy has set family against family. It is time to abandon the “us vs. them” argument and truly become a society of “we”; then and only then will inclusion be achieved for all. -- SMF

Hello

I listened with interest to your program on inclusive education. It
brought to mind a video I produced almost 18 years ago while on sabbatical at
New Hampshire Public Television on.... Inclusion. As Jan Nesbitt said back
then - nobody said it would save money. However, now as I sit as a school
board member in my community (Portsmouth) I see the money side, the extent of
the cost and it only highlights Congress' failure to live up to its promise
of 40% funding. If only that one ingredient were true many of the internal
budgetary conflicts that occur on school boards as well as between
school boards and the community (aka taxes) might just melt away.

In any case - thank you. And here's a link to a Flash file of the
original New Hampshire Journal cover story.

Mitch Shuldman
http://library.uml.edu/media/shuldman/equalaccess/equalaccess.html

{.... Here's hopin' it works!....}