How can we justify spending a lot of money to buy assistive technologies that might only be used by a small number of people?
According to an overview by the department of education on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), approximately 1 million children with disabilities were shut out of schools and hundreds of thousands more were denied appropriate services prior to 1975. Current statistics have shown that since then many of these students have achieved levels thought impossible. Many are graduating from high school, going to college and getting jobs in the workforce. Unparalleled numbers have become productive citizens whereas before they were sent off and housed in state institutions (Overview IDEA'97, 2003). According to the Washington State Senate Republican Caucus website, it costs $219,000 per year to institutionalize one child. This money comes from tax payers like you and me.
I believe the question isn't whether we spend money or not, we spend money either way, but how we spend that money and which path will give both the individual and society the greatest return on that investment. History has given us many examples of individuals with disabilities that contributed greatly to society. Steven Hawking, Franklin D Roosevelt, Ludwig Van Beethoven, and Charles Dickens are just a few that come to mind. I don't believe we can afford to let potential physicists, leaders, composers, and writers be locked away in an institution, never to see what could have been, all the while paying for that incarceration. Making the investment up front could very well save money and have a much greater positive impact on society in the long run.
With educational budget cuts in the range of ten percent at local state universities, cuts in local K-12 school districts and budget cuts in education across the country, we will be faced with many challenges. Addressing these issues upfront will not be the easy road but a road that will take us to a better place that has more to offer all of us.
References: IDEA'97 . Overview. 2003. 30 Jan. 2009 http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/Policy/IDEA/overview.html.
Senate Republican Caucus. 2008. 30 Jan. 2009 http://www.senaterepublicans.wa.gov/news/2008/delvin/011608ARCReceptionSB6448.htm.
Idaho Statesman. 2009. 30 Jan. 2009 http://www.idahostatesman.com/education/story/632730.html.
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This was a very insightful blog entry. To see how our society has progressed over the years is an inspiration. To not allow this kind of forward thinking to continue because of financial difficulties would be a travesty. Examples of creative and innovative thinkers such as Roosevelt, Beethoven, and Dickens give power to your statement and allow others to aspire for more. I agree that dealing with these issue’s head on allows to look for a better future.
ReplyDeleteWow! This is amazing! I really liked how you thought outside of the box for this assignment. It is really cool that you included examples of those men who have left their mark in the past. I would never have thought about this assignment the way that you have. I agree with you that these individuals have made an impact on history no matter what learning or physical impairment they have. Way to go.
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