Disability Issues Enter Spotlight In 2020 Presidential Race

In a shift that has become a political necessity, Democratic presidential hopefuls are giving unprecedented attention to disability issues in the run-up to the 2020 election. Read More >

Lawmakers Revive Plan To Curb Restraint, Seclusion In Schools

Legislation establishing first-ever federal oversight of restraint and seclusion in the nation's schools is back on the table. Read More;

Disability Groups Hope For Additional Support From New Congress

Advocates are optimistic that the forthcoming shift in the balance of power in Congress could bring positive change for people with disabilities. Read More >

New York Woman Is Nation's First Lobbyist With Down Syndrome

There are lots of people trying to sway federal lawmakers, but no one else is quite like Kayla McKeon, Capitol Hill's first-ever registered lobbyist with Down syndrome. Read More >

House Lawmakers Approve Delay Of Caregiver Check-In Requirement

Congress moved one step closer this week toward delaying the start of a controversial program to track when personal care services are provided to people with disabilities. Read More >

Autism Wandering Bill Advances In Senate

Federal legislation aimed at providing tracking devices and resources to those with autism and other developmental disabilities who are at risk of wandering is moving forward. Read More;

Congress May Revisit Autism Tracking Devices

Less than a year after fizzling, federal legislation designed to provide tracking devices and resources to those with developmental disabilities at risk of wandering is back on the table. Read More >

People With Disabilities Denounce Marriage Penalty

Couples are fighting for the right to marry without becoming impoverished or losing important Medicaid-funded services — trade-offs that many with disabilities have long decried as unfair. Read More >

Report Finds More States Limiting Restraint, Seclusion

Though federal efforts to restrict the use of restraint and seclusion in schools have stagnated, an analysis finds a growing number of states have implemented laws to curtail the practices.  http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2015/03/31/report-states-restraint/20173/

Disability Champion Leaving Congress

After 40 years on Capitol Hill, a U.S. senator who shaped the Americans with Disabilities Act is leaving his post.
http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2014/12/16/disability-champion-leaving/19924/

U.S. lawmakers could work to reform NCLB early next year

No Child Left Behind reform efforts could see renewed focus under Sen. Lamar Alexander, the incoming chairman of the Senate committee overseeing education. Alexander says he will push for an NCLB reform bill early next year. ABC News/The Associated Press   http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/republicans-push-update-education-law-27272164

Lawmakers Poised To Vote On ABLE Act

Congress is set to act this week on legislation that would allow people with disabilities to save money without jeopardizing their government benefits.  http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2014/12/02/lawmakers-poised-able/19886/

Senator Wants More Young People With Disabilities Working

A key U.S. senator is pressing for a quarter-million more young people with disabilities to be employed by 2015.  http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2013/09/30/senator-wants-young-working/18765/

Petition to Legalize Dyslexia & Accommodations

You can join the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity and Wrightslaw by signing a petition asking the US Congress to require that testing agencies grant accommodations for dyslexic students so that high stakes tests assess ability and not disability, and students are allowed to go forward and succeed in life. High stakes tests must be reliable, valid and accessible to dyslexic children and adults. Without accommodations, highly capable, intelligent students are being denied the opportunity to show what they can achieve.  http://www.wrightslaw.com/blog/

Representative Miller Speaks Out on Restraint & Seclusion

 Did you miss the ABC News interview with Representative Miller (D-CA) on restraint and seclusion? Watch it now. And help us ensure the safety of all students and school personnel: Voice your support for the Keeping All Students Safe Act.  
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/death-school-child-restraints-spark-controversy-17842757   http://www.ncld.org/disability-advocacy/action-alert-center/support-keep-students-safe-act?utm_source=newsletter_december_13_2012&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text&utm_campaign=ldaction
 

Congress To Weigh Federal Response To Autism

A congressional hearing on autism planned for later this week is being hailed as a once-in-a-decade milestone but it's not without controversy.   http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2012/11/26/congress-federal-autism/16855/

Will Congress reauthorize NCLB in the next four years?

No Child Left Behind, which expired in 2007, is no closer now to being reauthorized than it was when President Barack Obama first took office. Debate over the federal education law is expected to continue into Obama's second term, as the administration and Congress appear divided over key issues. "At the moment, it's unclear if there is a real commitment and consensus in Congress for reauthorizing [the education law]," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Friday in a speech. The Huffington Post (11/19)   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/19/no-child-left-behind-reauthorization_n_2161498.html?utm_hp_ref=politics&ir=Politics

Senators Want ABA Therapy Deemed 'Essential'

Members of the U.S. Senate are pressuring the Obama administration to do more to require health insurers across the country to cover autism treatment.
http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2012/10/23/senators-aba-essential/16705/

4 ideas for reforming IDEA

The 1975 Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act -- the country's primary federal special-education law -- is in need of reform, writes attorney Miriam Kurtzig Freedman, who represents public schools in cases involving special education, Section 504 and school law. Focusing on across-the-board improvements to education, eliminating diagnostic requirements as a condition for providing services and promoting collaboration rather than an adversarial relationship between parents and schools are among her suggestions. TheAtlantic.com (4/27)  http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/04/4-common-sense-proposals-for-special-education-reform/256435/

Seclusion & Restraint of Students

A posting on this topic about 10 days ago has generated several comments from a concerned parent & a group that she works with. She points out that many schools use these techniques & it is often hard to know what a school can do & has done with a given student.

Unfortunately, the federal government & agencies do not seem interested in addressing this. However, I want to point out that efforts at the state level can & has brought results in some states. Almost 10 years ago Texas passed a law placing specific regulations on schools. This was the result of a number of parents pushing & making the right contacts. While the law is not perfect, it is a step in the right direction. I have read that other states have passed similiar laws or are being made aware of the need for specific rules/laws on this issue.