Writing Off Disabled Children

The August 9, 2008 edition of the New York Times has an editorial titled "Writing Off Disabled Children." I found information in the editorial disturbing.. According to the editorial, many disabled children aren't being offered proper assistance in school, and these students respond by acting out. Thus the vicious cycle begins with them often being denied the same level of education as other students, particularly when they are in detention centers or jails, repeatedly getting into trouble. The federal Individuals With Disabilities (Education) Act requires that disabled students be properly educated; however, many school systems are evading that responsibilities per the editorial.

It seems so odd that we label our country as being a "Christian Nation," but we often turn our backs on the most vulnerable among us: children.

Babies Driving Robots

Science Daily has an interesting article concerning two researchers, James C. (Cole) Galloway and Sunil Agrawal at the University of Delaware, who have provided kid-size robots to babies and make mobility available to disabled children who have been unable to fully explore the world on their own. Also, the robots allow the children to interact with other children and develop social skills.

Up to this point, I had not linked the idea that children learn much of their basic skills (emotional, physical, social, etc.,) during the first few years of of life with disabled children. However, this article has caused me to think more broadly concerning developing early education activities and designing activities where disabled children could participate.