tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55887820476991192232024-03-13T01:47:44.981-04:00Special Needs TruthAdvocating for children and adults with disabilities, this blog began during the 2008 presidential campaign to track the candidates' positions and records. Citizen advocacy for people with disabilities and their families is critical, and not just during election seasons. Don't let your elected officials play politics with your children and loved ones. They deserve better.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger403125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-45056746309899105382017-03-19T11:00:00.000-04:002017-03-19T11:00:04.614-04:00Reasons for Optimism. No, Really.
Sometimes you just need someone to tell you everything's going to be okay. That's why I just read (and loved) Ruy Teixeira's The Optimist Leftist: Why the 21st Century Will Be Better Than You Think. As reporter and author E.J. Dionne, Jr., said, "Beware: This is the rare political book than could force you to smile."
Teixeira makes a compelling case that the best is yet to come for progressiveUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-63739908721402206232017-03-17T14:03:00.000-04:002017-03-17T14:03:35.632-04:00Who's the Most Heartless of These Heartless Bastards?During the campaign, Donald Trump offered a populist message that resonated with just enough people to get him elected. He promised he wouldn't cut Medicaid. He told people their health insurance would be better and more affordable. Well, it turns out he either lied or changed his mind about improving people's lives, because his proposed health plan and budget would devastate millions of people Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-86032085105197758542017-03-14T22:16:00.000-04:002017-03-14T22:48:41.843-04:00Medicaid Cuts: "A War on Disabled People"
For families affected by disabilities, the threat to Medicaid is one of the greatest concerns about the proposed American Health Care Act. I don't need to rewrite all the information about this, but if you want to understand the risk and how it may affect people with disabilities, here's some recommended reading.
During the campaign, candidate Trump promised he would not cut Medicaid. But boy,Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-77021802473377696902017-03-14T22:00:00.000-04:002017-03-14T22:48:57.256-04:00Proposed Health Changes "Would Fail My Disabled Brother"Please read and share stories like this. Writing in the Denver Post this week, Alyssa Roberts expressed concern about how severe cuts to Medicaid would affect her 19-year-old brother, who has physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities.
"Overlooked in the Republican bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act is a drastic change to traditional Medicaid funding that threatens Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-10903216446089799622017-03-08T23:36:00.000-05:002017-03-14T22:49:10.153-04:00When is School Choice Not Really a Choice? Insights from the National Association of State Directors of Special Education
This morning I attended a panel discussion at the Center for American Progress called "What's at Stake for Americans with Disabilities in the Trump Era." Advocates, families, and people with disabilities covered a wide range of issues, including Medicaid, Social Security, civil rights, and education. You can watch the hour-long event here.
In the next few days, I'll report on some of the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-39323934681416790462017-03-08T22:30:00.001-05:002017-03-08T22:30:34.269-05:00Is Vaccine Debate Diverting Attention from the Real Risks to People with Autism?
When you hear "Trump" and "autism," you may first think about the president's support for debunked myths that vaccines cause autism. But the uproar over that issue maybe detracting from the real concern -- the harm that will be caused by repealing protection in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), according to health policy experts at the Johns Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-52004264685215546822017-03-08T22:02:00.000-05:002017-03-08T22:02:57.860-05:00New Analysis: 5 Ways Trump Agenda is Disastrous for People with DisabilitiesMore than 15 million people with disabilities, including children and seniors, would be at risk under the Medicaid cuts proposed by House Republicans and endorsed by President Trump, according to a new study by the Center for American Progress. I'm going to address some of these points in future posts, but for now, here's the short version:
1. Trump's health care plan would push millions with Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-2652811179048703992017-03-08T13:12:00.002-05:002017-03-08T13:12:35.519-05:00SHARE THIS VIDEO: How Medicaid Cuts will Harm People with Disabilities
Just released today, this video by the Center for American Progress shows three perspectives on how proposed cuts to Medicaid will threaten the health, independence, and lives of people with disabilities. Watch and share.
Use this link to share on your Facebook and Twitter accounts:
https://youtu.be/s_aHP3O432Y
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-38379539783803152102017-03-07T17:59:00.000-05:002017-03-07T18:12:40.815-05:00As Budget Cuts Loom, No One's in Charge of Special Education
Christina Samuels, who writes the "On Special Education" blog for Education Week, continues her good reporting on issues related to students with disabilities. Today she asks, "When Will We Have a New Federal Special Education Chief? (And Why It Matters)." Interestingly, she points out that four assistant secretaries for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) have Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-72903876224135512017-03-05T13:00:00.000-05:002017-03-05T13:00:08.622-05:00Vouchers and Special Education: A Primer
Thanks to Education Week for this graphic illustration of how special education money gets to local schools. As Secretary Betsy DeVos shifts the focus of the public education conversation toward school choice and vouchers, it's important to understand how the current system works. There are a bunch of articles and analyses about this, but here's what I think is important to know.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-52866683538974125042017-03-02T10:46:00.000-05:002017-03-02T10:54:03.897-05:00Reaction from Guest at Congressional Address: "We all left feeling expendable and disposable."
Jeannine Chartier, Executive and Artistic Director, VSA Arts Rhode Island
Jeannine Chartier had a unique vantage point for President Trump's address to Congress on Tuesday night. As a guest of Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI), the disability advocate and director of VSA Arts Rhode Island watched in the gallery with other invited guests. She shared some reflections with me yesterday as she Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-39009074578838333322017-02-28T22:03:00.001-05:002017-03-02T22:29:24.741-05:00Likely Winners and Losers in Trump Budget Proposal
You can read a detailed budget analysis in many places, including this one from Ronald Brownstein in The Atlantic (one of my favorite sources for news and commentary). But I know you're busy, so here's a quick take on likely winners and losers.
WINNERS
Military
Defense contractors
Older white Americans (4/5 of seniors today are white)
LOSERS
Younger generations and minorities (47 percent of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-92187846246250754952017-02-28T21:09:00.000-05:002017-02-28T21:09:49.861-05:00The Key to Ensuring Disability Rights? It May Be the CourtsI've shared a discouraging prediction with several friends: I think it's unlikely that the rights, treatment, and support for people with disabilities will improve over the next four years. The best we can hope for is to maintain the protections and programs that are currently in place.
That's why I was encouraged by the rapid response of the ACLU and the courts to President Trump's travel ban, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-4165292447927539272017-02-28T07:00:00.000-05:002017-02-28T07:00:06.221-05:00Disability/Arts Advocate Invited to Joint Session of CongressWhen President Trump gives his first address to Congress tonight, at least one person in the audience will be listening for assurance that he will support the laws and programs that protect people with disabilities. Jeannine Chartier, a survivor of childhood polio and head of Vision Strength Access (VSA) Arts Rhode Island, will attend the joint session as a guest of U.S. Congressman David Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-80433197343707193882017-02-27T23:14:00.000-05:002017-02-27T23:28:35.118-05:00Secretary DeVos: Don't Forget About Civil Rights
Like many civil rights advocates, Derek Black, a law professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law, predicts that the Trump Administration will try to aggressively scale back enforcement of civil rights in public schools. Read "Law Professor: Expect Big Rollback of Civil Rights Enforcement in Education Under Trump and DeVos" from the Washington Post.
Furthering that concern are Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-61218152485670609602017-02-23T16:56:00.000-05:002017-02-28T21:20:39.668-05:00Op-ed: "Disabled, Shunned, and Silenced in Trump's America"
Writing in the New York Times, Melissa Blake, a journalist with Freeman-Sheldon syndrome, says she felt like "I'd just been punched in the gut" when she realized the disabilities section of the White House website had been removed. Not updated. Removed.
Here's the archived website section on disabilities, which commemorates the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-83532762630210232362017-02-16T22:51:00.001-05:002017-02-16T22:51:08.877-05:00BREAKING: Update on IDEA Website
Today I was interviewed by Emma Brown, the Washington Post reporter who covered the missing Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) website last week. She told me what she's heard from the department, and I told her what I'm hearing from parents.
From her article, "Education Department's Special-Ed Has Been Down for More Than a Week, and Parents are Not Happy":
"There's been no Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-35696365806899459832017-02-12T23:31:00.000-05:002017-02-12T23:47:18.133-05:00Betsy DeVos, You've Got Mail. Pressure to Restore IDEA Website Intensifies as Senators Demand Accountability
Thanks to activists and concerned citizens like you, Secretary Betsy DeVos is feeling real pressure to restore the IDEA website. This movement started with phone calls, tweets, and emails from people like you and me, and now two senators have raised the stakes. In a letter to Secretary DeVos on Friday, Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell demanded an explanation and a plan to restore theUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-31805594473352491322017-02-12T22:33:00.001-05:002017-02-12T22:33:37.078-05:00Medicaid Cuts a "Prescription to Hurt the Neediest Kids"
Proposed cuts to Medicaid will significantly harm students with disabilities, according to a national survey of school superintendents. A plan that Republican leaders are pushing would reduce Medicaid spending by 25 percent by distributing Medicaid funding through a block grant or a per-capita cap, shifting costs to states. It's estimated that these cuts would actually be 30 to 35 percent when Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-82893629011690684652017-02-09T21:34:00.002-05:002017-02-09T22:14:31.292-05:00More on the IDEA Website: What's There (not much), What's Not (a lot)The Department of Education took a baby step in restoring information about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), but many resources that families depend on are missing. Thanks to the Internet Archive Wayback Machine, I took a close look at what was there as recently as Jan. 18 and the lightweight page idea.ed.gov links to now.
Here's a before and after. On the left is what theUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-4497766108934054382017-02-09T16:43:00.001-05:002017-02-09T20:10:13.562-05:00IDEA Website is Back (sort of); Dept. of Education "Functioning Under the Same Laws"
"Please know that OSEP is here, functioning under the same laws, and happy to answer calls and emails about our work whenever possible."
On Thursday night, I left a voicemail for many offices at the Department of Education. This morning, one replied -- the Office of Special Education Programs. Here are highlights of our email conversation:
OSEP:
I'm reaching out to you in response toUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-62571168296366861942017-02-08T20:20:00.000-05:002017-02-27T23:43:56.525-05:00The IDEA Website Down: Tell the Education Department You Care (UPDATED)
This morning, when Betsy DeVos started her job as Secretary of Education, many people noticed that an entire section of the department's website was missing -- the part about that pesky Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). During her confirmation hearing, Secretary DeVos expressed a lack of understanding about the federal act that protects the rights of students with Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-56352606239981664922017-02-07T14:43:00.002-05:002017-02-07T14:44:02.600-05:00She's Your Education Secretary. Now What?
Reposting a message from my Facebook page. Now the work begins.
I'm seeing so many friends expressing surprise/shock that the Senate has confirmed Betsy DeVos as the most unqualified education secretary of all time. I'm not shocked, and I want to tell you why.
"We" - American voters - elected a president who surrounds himself with loyal billionaires. And we've collectively elected a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-50783884123433884742017-01-27T12:40:00.002-05:002017-01-27T12:40:42.317-05:00Opposition Grows on DeVos Nomination: Add Your Voice!The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions is scheduled to vote on the nomination of Betsy DeVos to be Secretary of Education on Tuesday. Senator Franken is saying he won't vote for her, and neither will any of his Democratic colleagues. The question is whether any Republicans are willing to break from party lines to do the right thing and reject one of the least Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588782047699119223.post-26035430581798234062017-01-24T11:20:00.000-05:002017-01-24T11:20:09.650-05:00LA Times: "Betsy DeVos Embarrassed Herself and Should Be Rejected by the Senate"
In a strongly worded editorial, the Los Angeles Times says Betsy DeVos, President Trump's nominee for U.S. Secretary of Education "doesn't meet the basic qualifications for the post." Stating that her support of school vouchers and her lack of experience in public schools do not disqualify her, "what did render her unacceptable was her abysmal performance at her confirmation hearing, during Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0