Subscribe
Previous Post
From the October 23rd The Swamp, the Chicago Tribune‘s Washington Bureau, is the transcript of an interview with Sarah Palin, the Republican nominee for vice president. Here’s some of what she said about families of children with special needs (Palin is to give a speech today in Pittsburgh—her first on policy—about special needs children):
“the federal government can play a very appropriate role in making this country a more welcoming country to those children with special needs to really make manifest our commitment to these children to provide them with equal opportunity with education, equal opportunity as they grow up to good employment and a chance to contribute and be quite productive and fulfill, and I think we can do a better job than where we’ve been.”
“Out of $3 trillion I’m sure there are efficiencies we can find all over the place and allow that reprioritization that I believe needs to take place. And it needs to take place again so we can make manifest that commitment that we have to provide opportunities to special needs children and special needs adults also. That is what I want to usher into Washington, DC, that spirit of inclusion in our society and recognizing that these children are not a problem, they’re a priority. Ushering in that good heart of America. One way to do that is by prioritizing budget.
“But it’s not all about the money, it’s not all about budgets, it’s about that spirit of acceptance and embracing that diversity that is in the world with children who are special, they’re a little bit different from the norm, and that diversity is good and for us it’s exciting and it’s a joyful challenge.”
“…when he was 2 and a half, [Palin's nephew] Karcher was diagnosed with autism. It’s been near and dear to our heart, trying to do all that we could. As governor, I was able to secure additional assistance of funding for our students with special needs in Alaska. It was a good boost that we gave there. But Todd and I have always had this mission within us to reach out and to try to help our families who had special needs. And then when Trig came along, it was Ok, now, even more of that connection that we have to these families. These families are coming to these rallies and it’s such a great appreciation that they’re showing to someone who is promising that they will have this friend and advocate in the White House who will help them.”
“When Karcher was first diagnosed, Heather knew that for Heather and Kurt, her son Karcher was going to be her life.
“She’s kind of put her career aside – she still works full time – she’ss kind of put career aside so she can nurture and teach and help Karcher. But she has asked to, I remember she asked with tears in her eyes, she says, what happens when Kurt and I, though, are elderly, then what happens to Karcher? Because he is autistic, his story, this is the story of millions of Americans right now, because of the prevalence of autism. I relate it to my own personal life, but I see it all around America. With more and more children being born with autism, this generation so affected, what does happen now when their parents can no longer take care of them. Collectively, as humanitarians, that is where we do unite.
“And government can play an appropriate role in that assistance. So that’s what I want to work on, also. Especially with autism. We need to strengthen the National Institute of Health. There needs to be funding there. If reprioritizing it is the answer, we’ll do that, reprioritizing funds to make sure we’re researching everything about autism and trying to find out what it’s cause is and what we can do to help these children and then again, its humanitarian, how we can help these families.”
Many kindly sentiments expressed here, though not much mention of specifics about legislation (like IDEA). It seems that Palin is seeking more funding for special needs—-research? education? services? this is not clarified—-by calling for already-existing funds to be reallocated and reprioritized. Regarding how much the NIH has devoted to research about autism spectrum disorders, see here.
According to the October 23rd Chicago Tribune, Palin’s Friday speech will
……..lay out the campaign’s plans to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, boost funding for special-needs children from birth to age 3 and allow parents to choose whether federal money for their child is used in a public, private, religious or secular school without navigating a cumbersome administrative process.
The federal government originally committed in 1975 to paying 40 percent of the cost of educating children with special needs, with the states paying the rest. But that has never happened; full funding would require approximately $26 billion a year, and the federal government currently shells out $10.9 billion.
The McCain campaign plans to phase in that money with an extra $3 billion a year over five years. McCain has called for a domestic discretionary spending freeze, but programs for disabled people would be exempt.
Stay tuned………
There’ve been a lot of posts about Palin’s fruit fly/Paris/ear marks comment.
Christopher Hitchens in Slate—-Palin Takes on Fruit Flies—and Loses—and Palin Slips Into Jeans, Disses Genes.
And more at Science Blogs.
I guess when you’re governor of Alaska, you don’t have to understand or even be aware of the longstanding, in-depth research of fruit fly genetics and its relevance to, um, like, you know, people.
“I guess having a baby is too harsh a punishment for being stupid.”
And you’d be guessin’ right on that one, sister. There aren’t enough words in the lexicon to get into what is so deeply deeply awful about your statement, but a few come to mind: arrogant. holier than thou. better than thou. perfecter than thou. children as punishment (I think that’s my favorite implication). forcing “stupid” people to have children. only stupid people have unwanted pregnancies. Man…it just goes on and on. How is it down there in your perfect, white-picket-fence Leave-It-to-Beaver world where only the stupid people have unwanted pregnancies–oops, I meant STUPID GIRLS, of course, because no one cares about the boys–and where they should be forced to carry them to term as a *punishment* and a *consequence* for their “stupidity”?
You know those stickers you see that say, “It’s a child, not a choice?” Well, I say, “It’s a child, not a consequence.”
Did any of you read how she mocked ear marks and how we waste money on fruit fly studies…those studies are helping professionals better understand autism.
The swing states remain a vital battleground. This is where the election will be won or lost by either party!
http://alaskagovernorsarahpalin.blogspot.com/
Here is an email I received today on this subject.
By Robert A. Naseef, author of Special Children, Challenged Parents and the co-editor of Voices from the Spectrum.
All of the candidates are talking about disability advocacy, but what have any of them actually done? As the father of a son with autism and as a professional in the field, I have a responsibility to my own children and to the families that I impact to help define and advocate for what helps families in this situation. What is it really like down in the trenches? Children with special needs are endearing and loveable while simultaneously draining their parents to unfathomable lengths. As a psychologist who specializes in family life while raising a child with a disability, I have met thousands of people.Their children, such as my son with autism who is now 29, may cry and tantrum for long periods, break things, or injure themselves inadvertently because they cannot communicate effectively. Some children have dangerous or self injurious behaviors. As my son s autism worsened, I didn’t sleep through the night for 8 years. I became more frantic, helpless, exhausted, and in need of services for myself and my family. Most parents of children with special needs have similar experiences.Then despite all these emotions and concern for their child’s health and safety, they need to be part of their child’s education through advocacy and involvement putting them at high risk for depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. Many of our children have physical constraints, medical needs and/or must be fed and diapered into adulthood. A sizable number need the active involvement, advocacy and guidance from parents or caregivers their entire lives.What do we need?Families of children with disabilities need comprehensive educational, behavioral health, and family support services. We now know that with early and intensive intervention, children with disabilities have greater developmental and educational gains for the child and improved family functioning–a long-term benefit for society as a whole.As a nation, we need more research into the causes and most effective treatments. Approximately 1 in 150 children and therefore1 in 75 families are impacted by autism alone. In our public school systems, approximately 10% of our children have special needs that require special education. No wonder that both campaigns are competing for our votes.Racism and poverty compound the challenges. Research further informs us that services are hard to come by, and less educated, more stressed parents are often less skilled in advocating for their child. So which candidate is more likely to be a friend and advocate based upon proposals and not rhetoric? At JohnMcCain.com, readers will notice 2 short paragraphs about autism and another page, “Americans with Disabilities for McCain” which does not include actual policy positions. To his credit, John McCain was a co-sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). He has also supported some of the same legislation as Obama; however, he has not supported full funding of these bills and has sometimes actively opposed it. Recently McCain opposed the expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP) which is vital for families with expensive healthcare bills for children with special needs. McCain’s running mate Sarah Palin does not have a track record of focus on special needs though she has implied that having a baby with Down syndrome may change that.At BarackObbama.com, readers can review an 8 page “Plan to Empower Americans with Disabilities.” Obama plans to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to insure that children with special needs are not left behind. He also has a significantly strong record of support and has sponsored varied legislation concerning the special needs population. His running mate, Joe Biden also has a long record of supporting the educational rights of children with disabilities. Both Obama and Biden have substantial track records that are easy to find on the Internet.To “advocate” means to speak or write in favor of a person or cause. We moms and dads need more than words in order to truly care for our children. To speak for the cause of therapy moms and dads requires vigorous support of the need for full funding of Special Needs programs including those involving education, health care, and civil rights. So far only Barrack Obama has spelled out such a policy.
“No Offense to Obama Supporters, but here’s a little something to think about.”
I don’t think you have to be an Obama supporter to be offended by the video you attached where Obama is accused of supporting infanticide.
That type of video is what is going to cause McCain/Palin to lose the election because anyone of good conscience is going to recognize the obvious lies and “unhinged” beliefs of the makers. People see such negative ads as unfair and childish when we are facing such serious issues.
I found nothing Obama said in that video, all by the way taken out of context by an obviously intolerant group of people, to be anything I wouldn’t have said myself or any reasonable person not motivated by fantastical religious beliefs.
I’m fatigued of the anti-abortion religious right.
I was talking to students about the election and one thing we could all agree on is that whoever becomes President is going to have his hands full with things the way they are here in the US now.
No Offense to Obama Supporters, but here’s a little something to think about. Talk about someone who doesn’t know where he stands. This video says it all! My favorite part is where he says that if his kids were to get pregnant he wouldn’t want to punish them with a “baby”. I guess having a baby is too harsh a punishment for being stupid.
Watch also for the executive order he has pledged to sign as soon as he becomes president.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kri8G-lGYfg&eurl
oops – http://portraitsbyj.org/PortraitsbyJBlog/
I’m not typically a political animal, but, given the current state of the union, the proposals on the table, and how it will affect my child…I’ll ask you to forgive my cynicism and distrust in the vague generalities and inconsistencies I subjected myself to this morning.
I’ve now heard and read her speech. Great, we’re going to freeze spending, but fully fund IDEA. What happens to other programs in the Domestic Discretionary Budget for that to happen? Pell Grants, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, WIC, clean-energy research, Section 8 housing — dozens and dozens of programs will need to be cut by an average of 6.4%. Yeah.While she hooked the ticket up to the idea of funding IDEA, there was no strong commitment to it, nor plan proposed for implementing it. …. more at my blog.
Is it just me, or is there very little talk about adults with disabilities in the McCain/Palin platform?
Perhaps that issue will be brought up in the speech today, but the cynic in me is seriously doubting it.
“We spend $11 billion a month in Iraq. That would just about make up the shortfall in funding the IDEA. One month of expenditures in Iraq. In one week of spending in Iraq, you could fully fund the Community Choice Act for a year.”
Well said, CS. Amazing how the military always gets to money, and bugger the rest of us. Happens in the UK and in Finland too.
Do we both despise politicians?
She gave some similar statements to the press in Reno about autism that were very similar; about the spirit, little about specific policy issues. Method, not detail.
(Which, to be honest, is in the spirit of conservative action anyway, largely by definition. But that’s another discussion)
Cliff
Personally, I think she’s somewhat new to all of this and hence the lack of specifics, however I believe that she does have a passion for doing more for special needs people, now that it has hit home. And she has the wit to get it done.
The question should be, should she be vice president of the USA, or, perhaps, should she get involved in a National Level Movement to make changes for the Special Needs Population. Make that her mission – I would bet she could make some real waves~~~~~.
“Some people want to accuse Africa-Americans for voting for Obama/Biden simply due to race.”
That is a ridiculous argument some people make because African-Americans vote overwhelmingly for Democrats, regardless of race. In 2004, African-Americans voted 90% for John Kerry. I don’t recall that argument being made then. Now that a black man happens to be the democratic nominee, its suddenly a reason of race why African American’s are voting for Obama. For those that are suspicious of people different than them, all sorts of non-sensical assumptions are made.
We spend $11 billion a month in Iraq. That would just about make up the shortfall in funding the IDEA. One month of expenditures in Iraq. In one week of spending in Iraq, you could fully fund the Community Choice Act for a year.
I used to be a liberal-leaning Democrat, let’s get that out of the way…
A lot of the special education law blogs have been very negative toward the McCain/Palin ticket (Charles Fox, Justin Bathon, Jim Gerl). Many of these blogs are written by parent-attorneys –whom I greatly respect and bend to their wisdom re: IDEA and NCLB — but who seem to suffer from BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome), who are spewing aggressive & vile things re: “using Trig as a policial pawn.” I’m not getting the hatred and double standard at all, especially when it comes from other special needs parents.
If Trig were *typical,* would the critics be saying he was a political pawn? If she were a just a mom holding a typical baby, would she still be raked over the coals? Many things about the attacks on Palin have me re-thinking what the whole women’s movement has been truly all about. We can agree to disagree politically, but shouldn’t we be admiring her abilities (and quite honestly her support system) to juggle career/home, i.e., what feminists have been clamoring about for 40+ years?
Then I see the story about the Down’s teen selected homecoming queen…and while it’s a feel-good story, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth when I compare-contrast to all this Palin-bashing. I don’t know, maybe it’s apples and oranges I’m trying to compare.
Some people want to accuse Africa-Americans for voting for Obama/Biden simply due to race. I’m not shocked by that and it find it totally sane and natural. When I say I want to vote for McCain/Palin b/c of the “disability ticket,” however, I am shocked by the vitriole by other special needs parents.
I am not a politico and find it hard to debate others on some of the other policial issues. Everyday my fellow parents and I say, “Other parents just don’t get it,” when it comes to the needs and worries we face. Well, here’s an opportunity for a parent to be near the top of governing, and I’m thinking, this may be the only chance to have an ear of someone who “gets it.”
Our government has just cut funding to the elderly, to schools (bigger class sizes) and for disabled young adults who will have to wait an extra 2 years to be eligible for a living allowance as eligibilty has been raised from 16 to 18 years, effectively taking €12,000 out of their parent’s pockets. Last week the Over 70′s marched on the streets and won back some eligibility for free medical care, but still means tested and for all but the very wealthy it means thinking twice before going to the doctor. And the Health Minister said in her speech maintaining the means test, that she needed the money for “special needs kids and therapies etc.”
In the last 7 years of the “good times” our health minister has not only failed to provide speech, behavioural or occupational therapy to special needs kids but has also failed to learn exactly what therapies “etc” are needed. But obviously her spin doctors told her to throw that line in. It was insulting to the elderly AND special needs children, adults and their parents.
All this to make up for the fact that a lot of people who were speculating on property have been unable to pay off their bankloans.
(not the subprime folk, we didnt have that, we have multi-billion property developers defaulting on loans here in Ireland)
xx
Heather Bruce, Palin’s Sis, Speaks
Special Needs Truth ’08 blog