Re: Sad Sigh . . . .

[Guest guest]

Well put.

Advocates wary of VP pledge - Newsweek article> To: atl-spectrum@ yahoogroups. com, autism-georgia@ yahoogroups. com,GA-ParentNetwork@ yahoogroups. com, GwinnettOptions@ yahoogroups. com> Date: Saturday, September 6, 2008, 9:39 AM> > > > > > > Trig's Promise> > Advocates for the disabled receive Palin's pledge of supportwith the wary optimism of a group accustomed to unfulfilled promises.> By Henig | Newsweek Web Exclusive> Sep 5, 2008 | Updated: 2:51 p.m. ET Sep 5, 2008> > In her speech at the Republican National Convention yesterday,Alaska Gov. Palin delivered a special message for families ofkids with special needs: "I pledge to you that, if we're elected, youwill have a friend and advocate in the White House." When she finishedspeaking, she stood on stage with her infant son, Trig, who has Downsyndrome, cradled in her arms. For advocates of mentally disabledcitizens, Palin's pledge marked a rare moment in the spotlight for aset of issues too often hidden in the wings. Donna ez, themother of a 22-year-old with Down syndrome, watched the speech onlinelater that night, because she was on the phone with a mother in themidst of a battle with her son's school to keep him in mainstreamclasses during Palin's speech in prime time. ez says part of herwas saying "'Finally! Hooray! I think about how many times, when wehear politicians, that we mumble under our breath, 'You'd understandif you had a> child with a disability too.' Well it is her child."> But that enthusiasm is tempered with the skepticism born of years ofbroken promises. "God love her for saying she's a friend for families,but I want to know what that means," ez says. "There are a lotof 'friends' that insist that they're the voice of the retarded.They're not my friends, and they're not my son's voice, so I want toknow whose voice she's supporting."> Braddock, the executive director of the Institute forCognitive Disabilities at the University of Colorado , questions howPalin will follow through on her promise. "These are words that areeasy to say, but apparently more challenging for some presidents toimplement," he says. "We've had an individual who identified himselfas an advocate for people with disabilities in the White House foreight years. But he has not been a great advocate for eight years."> As a result, many in the disability rights community are eager tohear more about the GOP vice-presidential nominee's plans to followup. Kathie Snow, the mother of a 21-year-old with cerebral palsy, saysshe was surprised to see an eruption of support for Palin today onmessage boards for parents of children with disabilities. "There aresome parents who are automatically saying, 'I'm voting for Palinbecause she has a child with Down syndrome,'" Snow says. But for Snow,being a parent is not enough. She wants to know what Palin thinksabout the issues that matter most to this community. Would the GOPticket support educating special-needs students in "mainstream"classrooms, as Snow's son was--or provide them separate instruction?"Yes she's a parent," Snow says, "but what is her stand?"> > Another major question: whether a McCain-Palin administration wouldput up the money to fund services for mentally challengedcitizens--something that has been a problem in recent years, accordingto V. Berns, the executive director of The Arc of the UnitedStates, a nonprofit advocacy group for people with disabilities.> Both Democratic and Republican party platforms endorse full fundingfor the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). But ifthey were to follow through, it would be a first. Under IDEA, enactedin 1975, the federal government pledged to pay 40 percent of the costof educating a disabled child. But federal funding has never risenabove 20 percent. That leaves state and local governments to fill inthe gap for the estimated 6 million public-school kids with a varietyof disabling conditions, mental and physical.> Progress has been made; there has been a philosophical shift awayfrom institutionalizing large swaths of the disabled population,toward integrating them into their communities. From 1955 to 2004, theamount of public financial support for people with intellectualdisabilities grew from $2.3 billion to $82.6 billion, according to astudy by Braddock--much of it coming from the Feds. Braddock tracesthe origins of this shift to President F. Kennedy, who appointeda panel in 1961 to address mental retardation and mental health, andsubsequently implemented the vast majority of that panel's 97recommendations. (Kennedy's sister, Rosemary Kennedy, had severelearning disabilities and was the inspiration for the SpecialOlympics, whose creation was spearheaded by the Kennedy Foundation in1968.)> Democrats have led the way since, Braddock says, but a number of theimportant advancements have been bipartisan efforts: the Americanswith Disabilities Act was enacted under H.W. Bush, and IDEA wasreauthorized under W. Bush. Most recently, Bush signed theHigher Education Opportunity Act, which lets students withintellectual disabilities apply for Federal Pell Grant scholarshipsand other sources of need-based aid. But with an influx of disabledadults looking for jobs and housing in their communities, Berns saysthe country is "on the precipice of a major crisis. Either Congressprovides more funding for services for disabled individuals and theirfamilies, or conditions for this group of Americans--whichconservative estimates put at 50 or 60 million--will not improve.> Raising public awareness is key to climbing the next hill, advocatessay. "Awareness is always a good thing, and in terms of the movement,I think that's what Governor Palin brings, just by virtue of hernomination," says Tolleson, the executive director of theNational Down Syndrome Congress. He compares it to having a Hollywoodcelebrity join the cause, like Eva Longoria, whose older sister hasDown syndrome, or McCarthy, whose son is autistic. Otheradvocates are heartened by the fact that both Barack Obama and McCain participated via remote in a disability rights forum in Ohio inJuly, and have both offered plans for disability programs, which aresomewhat similar in nature.> Palin's decision to feature her Down syndrome baby prominentlyduring her coming-out party at the GOP convention on Wednesday nightdrew fire among some liberal bloggers. As the baby was passed aroundamong family members and McCain, some thought the vicepresidential pick was guilty of using her kid as a political prop.ez worried, while watching the speech, that what should beengaged as a political issue risks becoming just "a cute poster childwith a cute poster mom."> > But Tolleson didn't see it that way. "So far, all that I've seen iswhat I've seen from every other candidate as long as I've beenwatching conventions, " he says. "The family is in attendance, theyrecognize family, and they refer to issues within the family thatimpact their belief system, which could be something like having aparent with Alzheimer's, or a child with a disability." He and othershope that baby Trig's appearance on the political scene could helpspur action in the new administration, no matter who wins in November.> © 2008> > > ************ **> Psssst...Have you heard the news? There's a new fashion blog, plusthe latest fall trends and hair styles at StyleList.com.> (http://www. stylelist. com/trends? ncid=aolsty00050 000000014)>