The I.E.P. (Individualized Education Plan) mandatated by the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) applies to public school children in the U.S. Of course, the IEP generation is growing up and continues to seek the accomodations they need to thrive in college as well as graduate and professional schools. Most colleges and universities are being counseled by "disability attorneys" who urge schools to limit services to a bare minimum in order to avoid setting precedents that they will later regret. They create a state of fear by reminding college administrators that individuals with disabilities are high liability risks that should be avoided at all costs. This view from "up top" creates tensions with college disability offices whose staff are working hard with limited resources to provide the services that students need, including note takers, mentors, quiet refuges for test taking, and, most importantly, their time.
In today's podcast I speak with a director of a college disability office, a college student with learning differences who receives services from the college, and, finally, a 3rd grade girl who reflects on her experience in 1st and 2nd grade with a boy with autism. Click on the MP3 download below to listen in.
Download pr7_complete.mp3 (3.00MB; 8mins45secs)
As for the extent to which we should go to make our society a more inclusive one, there should be no limit. Even 9 year old Annika can see that they're human beings too, which is evidence enough that even those with a spectrum disorder can be accepted.
Posted by: L. Tagen | March 08, 2005 at 05:22 PM
If your nine year old daughter is sensible enough to realize that those with spectrum disorders are human beings that should be accepted by all, I don't see why others shouldn't.
Posted by: Lauren Levinstim | April 14, 2005 at 02:54 PM