BAC Rutland

How the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Impacts Special Education and Early Intervention

Background
On Feb. 17, 2009, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), commonly referred to as the economic stimulus package. ARRA more than doubles current federal funding for programs that CEC and its members have long advocated for, such as special education and early intervention.
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The National Institutes of Health is trying to kickstart autism research with $60 million in grant funding from the stimulus bill. It is the largest-ever funding opportunity for research into the neuro-developmental disorder, says the NIMH, the NIH’s mental-health arm.
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On March 4, NCD released a report recommending changes in the continuum of health care provided to service members and veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The report, Invisible Wounds: Serving Service Members and Veterans with PTSD and TBI (http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2009/veterans.doc), addresses the experiences of service members and veterans at risk of developing PTSD and TBI, and makes 10 recommendations that should result in improvement.
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CHICAGO — Ivory Jackson had Alzheimer’s, but that wasn’t what killed him. At 77, he was smashed in the face with a clock radio as he lay in his nursing home bed.  Jackson’s roommate _ a mentally ill man nearly 30 years younger _ was arrested and charged with the killing. Police found him sitting next to the nurse’s station, blood on his hands, clothes and shoes. Inside their room, the ceiling was spattered with blood.
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WASHINGTON – Officials from Northeastern states, accustomed to trying and often failing to get funding for regional priorities from a federal government dominated by Sunbelt conservatives, are finding a more sympathetic benefactor in the Obama administration, which has adopted policies that are expected to pump billions of dollars into the region.
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WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administration posts: Dr. Steven E. Koonin, Under Secretary for Science, Department of Energy; David Sandalow, Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs, Department of Energy; Ambassador Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, State Department; Kathy Martinez, Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), Department of Labor; Jonathan S. Adelstein, Administrator for the Rural Utilities Service, United States Department of Agriculture; Timothy W. Manning,
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My older brother has Down syndrome, which hinders his ability to learn. Despite his disability, he graduated from high school and lived independently with a job for several years until health challenges forced him to enter a small group home.

When President Barack Obama joked to Jay Leno that his inept bowling skills are “like Special Olympics or something,” my first reaction was to feel outraged and betrayed on behalf of my brother. On reflection, however, I agreed entirely with the response offered by Obama spokesman Bill Burton—that Obama made “an offhand remark,” and didn’t mean any harm.
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The headmaster of Pine Ridge School in Williston confirmed Thursday that the private boarding school for dyslexic students will close after graduation, June 5.  The closure will put 20 people out of work and force the school’s 22 students to make other plans in the fall. The 136-acre campus, appraised at $5.1 million in 2003, is in limbo and might be sold.
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ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) — Samuel Welsh’s chances of landing a job before this economic downturn were already slim. Now, as a disabled worker, the 29-year-old is competing with thousands of nondisabled job seekers going for jobs once allocated for the disabled population.
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After comparing his bowling to the Special Olympics on “The Tonight Show” Thursday, President Obama called Special Olympics Chairman Tim Shriver to apologize before the program even aired.

“He expressed his disappointment and he apologized, in a way that was very moving,” Shriver said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “It’s important to see that words hurt, and words do matter. And these words that in some respect can be seen as humiliating or a put-down of people with special needs do cause pain, and they do result in stereotypes.”
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