Politically the National Education Association has never been a friend of special education students. The head of a the NEA, Reginald Weaver, recently spoke out in very strident terms against NCLB and President Bush’s cuts to education funding to pay for the Iraq war. See link for the story.
While I am not in favor of cutting spending for education, leaders on behalf of children with special needs have noted that NCLB actually has been helpful.