The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) was among those who convened for the U.S. Dept. of Education’s official celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Nov. 18 at the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C.
In holding this event, the department and its Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) brought together government officials, education and disability advocates, and academics to commemorate and reaffirm support for IDEA and to honor the many contributions of individuals with disabilities, their families, and the education professionals who work on their behalf.
Over the past 35 years, the United States has gone from excluding nearly 1.8 million youths with disabilities from public schools to providing special education and related services to nearly 6.6 million students with disabilities. Today, almost 60 percent of students with disabilities are in general education classrooms 80 percent or more of their school day, and early intervention services are being provided to nearly 350,000 infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families.
The afternoon opened with welcoming remarks from Alexa Posny, Assistant Secretary for OSERS; Melody Barnes, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council; and Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education. Calling education “the civil rights issue of our time” and an issue that must transcend politics, Duncan urged Congress to reauthorize ESEA/NCLB and include students with disabilities in accountability systems. Read Duncan's full remarks.
Congressional speakers included Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), who both signed the original legislation in 1975. Harkin referred to IDEA as not just a federal mandate, but a constitutional one, while Miller affirmed that his involvement in P.L. 94-142 was a highlight of his public service career. They served as the event’s honorary sponsors alongside Sen. Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.).
A panel addressing the history and impact of IDEA included Jane E. West of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education; Donald D. Deshler of the University of Kansas; and Deborah A. Ziegler, CEC’s associate executive director for policy and advocacy.
“It is an honor to serve on the panel with my colleagues and to reflect on the great strides our nation has made in improving educational outcomes for individuals with disabilities,” Ziegler told the audience of about 300 people.
In her remarks, Ziegler shared the journey of the disability education movement through the stories and reflections of those who crafted IDEA, special educators who work every day to implement IDEA, and those who benefit from IDEA, including children and their families. In so doing, she highlighted the numerous CEC staffers who created the vision for and led the development of the legislation, such as Fred Weintraub, Joe Ballard, and CEC founder Elizabeth Farrell. She also shared the success stories of two Clarissa Hug Teachers of the Year and several recipients of CEC’s Yes I Can! Awards for children and youth with disabilities who excel.
“The celebration today is really about the children and youth and their families—those who have received special education and early intervention through IDEA,” she concluded. View Ziegler's PowerPoint presentation.
A key component of her presentation was introducing www.idea35.org, CEC’s own celebratory Web site, and inviting the audience to peruse the rich content and share their own comments about what the legislation has meant to them.
In a second panel, three young adults with disabilities—Ari Ne’eman of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, Harvard Law School student Haben Girma, and Sarah Helena Vazquez of Neighbors, Inc.—spoke warmly and with humor about the impact of IDEA on their lives. Girma even had the opportunity to thank three of her high school special education teachers present in the audience.
The event was followed by a reception hosted by the PACER Center and featuring a slideshow of photographs, artwork, and stories submitted by families, students, and educators for the occasion.
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