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Independence Begins with IDEA

The word "independence" has a special meaning to families who have children with disabilities. Independence is not something assumed or taken for granted as a goal to be easily achieved by our children, once grown. While it is truly part of the job of any parents to help their children grow up and become independent, independence is at the core for families who have children with disabilities. The Declaration of Independence includes the phrase we all certainly have heard, and many of us can recite. It states:

"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all [people] are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness - that To secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among [people], deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed . . . "

The IDEA '97 Congress surely had thoughts of independence in mind when it made the following finding as its opening statement on why IDEA '97 was necessary:

"Disability is a natural part of the human experience and in no way diminishes the rights of individuals to participate in or contribute to society. Improving educational results for children with disabilities is an essential element of our national policy of ensuring equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities. "

For us, our "declaration" of what independence should look like for our children once they become adults, is as follows:

As adults, our children should be able to -

Make informed choices and decisions;

Live in homes and communities in which they can exercise their full rights and responsibilities as citizens;

Pursue meaningful and productive lives;

Contribute to their family, community, State and Nation;

Have interdependent friendships with relationship with others; and

Achieve full integration and inclusion in society, in an individualized manner, consistent with unique strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities and capabilities of each individual.

In our mind, IDEA '97 provided hope that our children's education would prepare them to grow into adults who would be able to take full advantage of our "declaration" of their independence.

The tragedy of the situation we find ourselves in today is not that IDEA is being taken away from us, but it is being taken away from our children by the same Congress that wrote the above 6 points as being core to the rights of people with development disabilities in the Protection and Advocacy statutes. We find it ironic that Congress can recognize the right of a child with disabilities to grow up to be an independent adult and then take away the resources and educational rights that as a child prepare him or her for independence as an adult.

We are again developing our strategies for the next level of our struggle to save IDEA. In the spirit of independence and in the equally compelling spirit of Independence Day, we suggest that when you next communicate with your Senators and Congress Members you remind them of the goals THEY have set for our children as adults, and remind them that both they and we must be accountable to our children so that our children can meet those goals.

Friday is a parade day. Our legislators will be out in force. We should be, too. We have posted a sample letter below which we suggest you modify and print out and hand to your legislator when you see her or him in the parade. Better still, have your child hand it to her or him. We also urge you to hand make signs to carry in or show at the parades you attend that say, "Independence begins with IDEA" and/or "People with Disabilities want Independence, too."

It may be a short letter or a small sign in a short or small parade, but the sentiment is widespread and spreading still. We have our Declaration of Independence for our children and Congress wrote it for us with our help. Don't let them take away our children's independence. Hold them accountable for their pledge of independence. Remind them that they serve with the "consent of the governed," and that the body of the governed includes millions of people who have disabilities and their families. Lets make it a true Independence Day for our children!!

Calvin and Tricia Luker   www.ourchildrenleftbehind.com


Suggested letter: Dear Senator/Congress Member:

On this Independence Day my thoughts turn to my children who have disabilities and who rely on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA] for their assurance that they will indeed be given a full opportunity to grow into adulthood and to achieve the independence for themselves that we celebrate for our country today.

My child's right to a free appropriate public education under IDEA is under a direct assault by HR 1350 and S 1248. These bills gut IDEA of the accountability provisions and protections Congress put in place to give my child hope for independence.

Please do not destroy my child's rightful expectation of independence. Please save IDEA for him/her, and for the generations to follow. Let their Independence Day be real.

Thank you,