Even within a community of people who are dedicated to the welfare of children with disabilities there is not always perfect consensus of opinion. The following is an letter to the editor of the Chicago Tribune from the Illinois ARC:
Time to Pay Attention to State Regulatory Implementation of IDEA 2004
Illinois has published its final regulations implementing IDEA 2004. The regulations are a mixed bag to say the least. Eliminating pages through cross referencing to the Federal regulations in the name of making regulations shorter but at the same time less understandable to the average lay person. The most controversial aspect of the new regulations is that they remove clear restrictions on the size of caseloads that service providers can maintain. Many disability organizations have raised serious concerns (see related posting seeking public action.) The local news coverage discusses the potentially negative effect of these proposed regulations.
I have reviewed the websites for a number of Departments of Education and most states have not taken up the issue of new state regulations to implement IDEA 2004, with Texas and Tennessee, being notable exceptions.
Virginia appears to be gearing up for promulgating new regulations under IDEA 2004. Now is the time to advocate in Virginia and other states for a set of regulations that do not diminish, confuse, or dilute protections for special education students. New York has also proposed new state regulations–http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/idea/home.html.
Below is the a useful summary from my friend and fellow attorney Sandy Alperstein, volunteer Co-Webmaster of www.ourchildrenleftbehind.com, outlining the proposed changes to the Illinois regulations:
Action Needed on Illinois Regulations under IDEA 2004
My collegue Sandy Alperstein, volunteer Co-Webmaster of www.ourchildrenleftbehind.com, brought this alert to my attention that deserves due consideration and action. The following alert is courtesy of Bev Johns, parent advocate. Please share and take action if you agree with its contents. By way of background, these proposals were adopted (over the objections of various teachers and parents groups) by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) at their December meeting. They are now being sent to JCAR (Joint Committee on Administrative Rules), which will either approve them or send them back to ISBE for changes (need a 3 out of 5 vote to send them back). We are hoping to convince them to send these rules back for revision, which is the point of this action alert. Thank you for your help!
Toasts with a Twist by Lori Miller Fox
For me, certain times of the year seem to be fraught with emotion; my children’s birthdays, annual IEPs, and the coming of each new year. Like the changing of some apparitional guard, marked passages of time often highlight the unmet goals, untimely milestones, and overdue achievements. Sometimes, the kindest thing we can do for our children and ourselves, is to let go. Release the old and as fearlessly as possible, welcome the new. So here are my toasts to welcome in the new challenges and new successes of the New Year !
Holiday Humor
Always an incredibly useful resource is specialchildren.about.com. During this stressful season for many, this site brings much needed humor to get through to the new year.
Your IEP is a Transition Plan
IDEA 2004 emphasizes the need for planning for real life outcomes after public school. While transition planning has for many years been a part of the law, this new emphasis is welcome and long overdue. The transition parts of the law are not just in the narrow section of the law which talks about THE transition plan. From the purposes section and throughout the new law the emphasis is on functional goals and concrete steps to achieve post high school outcomes. This new emphasis in the law has caused me to rethink my view of the IEP itself.
T’was the Night Before Christmas Break by Lori Miller Fox
T’was the night before Christmas break, when all through my head,
I knew nothing was scheduled, but worry, and dread;
The boredom was lurking around the corner with fear,
The anxiety of knowing vacation was near;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
After putting on their orthotics, and getting their meds;
And me with my ice cream and dad with his beer,
Were worried, so worried that vacation was near.
Working On a Miracle
Many of you have written wondering what’s up with the blog; no postings in 6 weeks. Well I have two pieces of good news–I am back and intend to be more regular in my postings, and the other news is that I have been away working on a miracle of sorts. No I do not mean one of the big miracles involving lamp oil lasting for 8 days, or the parting of the water variety, but something much more tangible in my life today.
Extension of Human Senses
I have an expectation that there will come a time when technology will obviate some [not all] of the obstacles to learning and employment that many people with disabilities face. There are are all kinds of fascinating prospects coming down the pike. One in particular that caught my attention is called the Extension of Human Senses which is a NASA-based project. The emphasis of this project is communication and control of computers and other technology through brain waves, nerve impulses, and other non-verbal means of communication. [I hope that they remember that wearing electrodes on the head is uncomfortable.]
There are so many people who project out the limitations of the present into the future. Projects like this are the antidote. The future is filled with great possibilities, but we need to make sure that our children are getting an appropriate education so as these technologies come on line we will be ready.
Evacuation Plans Often Lacking
Evacuation plans are often a missing part of an IEP. The normal fire drill simply does not work very well for students who are physically challenged, those who have extreme anxiety or sensory integration disorders or other disabilities. A school district in Janesville, Wisconsin is confronting these issues and contemplating moving special education students to the first floor. I am not sure how that can work when students should be integrated in regular class and therefore would distributed throughout the building. The answer is not as simple as moving "those kids downstairs." It requires thoughtful planning, rehearsal, training, staffing and maybe even special equipement. I am not a fire expert but simply moving a whole population to the first floor even in the name of safety is another simple solution to a complex problem.
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