I am a mother of two boys that are on the autism spectrum and I am an educator at a local elementary school. I spend much of my time working with students who need a reset outside of the classroom. Life skills, like brushing her teeth, getting dressed, are not easy for a lot of children with disabilities to pick up. It's not easy for them to make friends. They don't have confidence in themselves and they can very quickly fall behind.
Sometimes, the student didn’t get a good night’s sleep. Maybe they need a rest from sensory overload, or perhaps they are hungry. Sometimes, a transition at home is weighing heavily on the student’s mind.
I have one student who just needs someone to tell him that he is a good kid and that he is loved.
Ninety-five percent of the time, they’re just having a bad day and need a break.
Teaching these life skills was promised in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and it has been drastically underfunded. It impacts every single part of their lives.
I know what this lack of funding looks like. It's students that are coming in halfway dressed, overstressed teachers, students that are having outbursts because they can't tie their own shoes. Teachers are pulling money out of their own pockets because of the lack of support that they are receiving—that's not right.
They deserve better.
We need a fully-funded Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. We are at a crucial point and we need to take action right now.
I became an educator because I saw firsthand what is important for special needs students. They’re smart and witty and funny and quirky. They deserve to have the very best education available to them—just like every other student.
