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Reposted from Disability Scoop — Congress is currently pushing back on proposed changes that would have quietly weakened special education and disability programs at the federal level. The plan would have shifted or reshaped how IDEA and other disability supports are overseen… moving them away from the Department of Education and therefore reducing accountability. We as disability advocates raised the alarm because when federal oversight weakens, historically— we know students with disabilities lose protections, services become inconsistent and unreliable, and families are left fighting even harder for basic supports while already stretched thin due to the finical burden placed upon them due to supports needed already being so high.

Right now, Congress is signaling no (which is great news), preserving IDEA funding, keeping programs where they belong, and maintaining federal responsibility for disability rights in education. This is a moment of relief for me at least, however, it is not a moment to let our guard down. These attempts keep coming back under different names, budgets, and administrative “reorganizations.” When our administration finds out they can not as act get away with “XYZ”, they just find another way to propose the action they originally intended to do.

If you care about IEPs, AAC access, disability rights, related services, and civil rights for disabled students, this does matters. Pay attention. Share this. And keep pressure on lawmakers, because disability rights are always one budget away from being treated as optional (when in many cases they already are, however, these protections are set in place for us as advocates to reinforce the protections and help students with disabilities).

- Jordan LeVan