KIDS events in DC on January 24, the March for Life

Agenda for National Right to Life Committee Headquarters at 512 10th Street, Washington DC

• 10:45 - Melissa and Neil Sloan will be at NRLC by 10:45 to greet KIDS families.
• 11:00  KIDS families may start arriving. at 512 10th St, NW Washington, DC
• 11:00-11:30 - Leticia is meeting EWTN for an interview behind the stage of the March for Life at the Mall and 4th Street. 
• ALL KIDS members are welcome to join us and hold signs for the interview. 
•  Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers will arrive at 12:15  for a brief update on her work on behalf of our children
• Madame Valerie Guilloux of the Jerome Lejeune Foundation will address the group and present Congresswoman McMorris Rogers with a copy of "Life is a Blessing".
• After a brief brunch, KIDS families will march!

Rep Cathy McMorris Rogers on IDEA

Dear Friend, 

I just wanted to let you know that yesterday, the U.S. House passed a resolution I co-sponsored, H. Con. Res. 329, Recognizing the 35th anniversary of the enactment of theEducation for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975.

As the mom of a child with special needs, I am a strong supporter of this bill, which in 2004 was re-authorized and renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  In 1975, 1 out of 5 children with disabilities were educated in our public school system. Moreover, many states had laws that explicitly excluded children with certain types of disabilities from attending public school, including children who were blind, deaf, and children labeled "emotionally disturbed" or "mentally retarded." Many of these children lived at state institutions where they received limited or no educational or rehabilitation services.  Another 3.5 million children attended school but were kept in segregated facilities and received little or no effective instruction.  Thankfully – because of IDEA – there are nearly 6 million children in the U.S. who are receiving special education services today.

I am pleased that by passing this resolution, Congress has renewed its commitment to IDEA, although going forward, it needs to receive full federal funding, as promised.  This will ensure that special ed students are developing their skills to their fullest potential.  I will continue to work hard in Congress to make sure it happens.

To read the full Resolution, please see below.  Thank you so much for your interest in this issue. 

Warm regards,

Cathy

H.CON.RES.329

Recognizing the 35th anniversary of the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975.

Whereas the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (Public Law 94-142), which amended the State grant program under part B of the Education of the Handicapped Act (Public Law 91-230), was enacted into law 35 years ago on November 29, 1975; 

Whereas the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 established the Federal policy of ensuring that all children, regardless of the nature or severity of their disability, have available to them a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment; 

Whereas the Education of the Handicapped Act of 1975 was further amended by the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986 (Public Law 99-457) to create a preschool grant program for children with disabilities 3 to 5 years of age and an early intervention program for infants and toddlers with disabilities from birth through age 2; 

Whereas the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1990 (Public Law 101-476) renamed the statute as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); 

Whereas the IDEA was amended in 1997 to ensure children with disabilities are involved, and make progress, in the general education curriculum and are included in all general State and district-wide assessment programs; 

Whereas IDEA was amended in 2004 to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and support them in transitioning to further education, employment, and independent living; 

Whereas IDEA currently serves an estimated 342,000 infants and toddlers, 709,000 preschoolers, and 5,890,000 children 6 to 21 years of age; 

Whereas IDEA has assisted in a dramatic reduction in the number of children withdevelopmental disabilities who must live in State institutions that are away from their families, costly, inappropriate, and isolated; 

Whereas the number of children with disabilities who complete high school with a standard diploma has grown significantly since the enactment of IDEA; 

Whereas the number of children with disabilities who enroll in college as freshmen has more than tripled since the enactment of IDEA; 

Whereas IDEA has raised the Nation's expectations about the abilities of children with disabilities by requiring access to the general education curriculum; 

Whereas improvements to IDEA made in 1997 and 2004 changed the focus of a child'sindividualized education program from procedural requirements placed upon teachers and related services personnel to educational results for that child, thus improving academic achievement; 

Whereas IDEA, along with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, holds schools accountable for the academic performance of students with disabilities; 

Whereas IDEA requires full partnership between parents of children with disabilities and education professionals in the design and implementation of the educational services provided to children with disabilities; 

Whereas IDEA has supported the classrooms of this Nation by providing Federal resources to the States and local schools to help meet their obligation to educate all children with disabilities; 

Whereas while the Federal Government has not yet met its commitment to fund part B of IDEA at 40 percent of the average per pupil expenditure, it has made significant increases in part B funding by increasing the appropriation by 81 percent since 2001, which is an increase of over $5,160,000,000; 

Whereas IDEA has supported, through its discretionary programs, more than 4 decades of research, demonstration, and training in effective practices for educating and assessing children with disabilities, enabling teachers, related services personnel, and administrators to effectively meet the instructional and assessment needs of children with disabilities of all ages; 

Whereas the challenges associated with providing a free appropriate public education to every child with a disability continue despite 35 years of IDEA implementation, including low expectations and an insufficient focus on applying replicable research on proven methods of teaching and learning for children with disabilities, requiring a continued commitment to improvement; and 

Whereas IDEA continues to serve as the framework to marshal the resources of this Nation to implement the promise of full participation in society of children with disabilities: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That the Congress--

(1) recognizes the 35th anniversary of the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (Public Law 94-142);

(2) acknowledges the many and varied contributions of children with disabilities and their parents, teachers, related services personnel, and administrators; and

(3) reaffirms its support for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.) so that all children with disabilities have--

(A) access to a free appropriate public education; and

(B) an equal opportunity to benefit from the general education curriculum and be prepared for further education, employment, and independent living.

Our friend in DC: Rep Cathy McMorris Rogers

Here's a list of the great things Cathy McMorris Rogers did for people with Down syndrome in Washington DC from her email. What she doesn't mention is that she is passionately pro-life and also stood up for the rights of disabled and unborn people against Obamacare on Sept 15 with Healthcare for Gunner. You can view the video here.

As we close 2009, I wanted to share my observations of the past year. It has been an exciting twelve months for the disability community. We’ve witnessed a great deal of progress in a number of areas which I’ve highlighted below.
On February 26, Congressman Ander Crenshaw introduced H.R. 1205, the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE Act). The ABLE Act is intended to give disabled individuals a savings instrument, just like existing savings accounts for college, retirement, and other normal life events. Anyone can contribute to an ABLE account and distributions can be used for education, medical and dental care, community-based support services, employment training and support, moving, and housing and transportation expenses. H.R. 1205 has 141 cosponsors, including members of both parties. Together with my colleagues, I am working to ensure its passage in 2010.

On September 23, I joined the other members of the Down Syndrome Caucus to meet with Dr. Yvonne Maddox, Deputy Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child and Human Development (NICHD) to discuss NICHD’s funding priorities. I was extremely pleased to hear NICHD reaffirm its commitment to the short-term and long-term goals set forth in the 2008 Research Plan on Down Syndrome, particularly through NICHD’s commitment to future funding announcements for Down syndrome research over the next five years.

On September 25, I introduced the Trisomy 21 Translational Research Parity Act of 2009 with Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX). In 2000, the Children’s Health Act amended the Public Health Services Act in a number of ways, including authorizing research and surveillance for a number of conditions and disabilities such as juvenile diabetes, Fragile X, asthma, epilepsy, autism, and traumatic brain injuries. However, the amendments did not authorize the research and surveillance of Down syndrome. The Trisomy 21 Translational Research Parity Act of 2009 will bridge the critical gap that currently exists in Down syndrome research between basic medical research and cutting-edge clinical trials. The bill will recognize at least six Centers of Excellence that will be dedicated to conducting translational research and create the much-needed bio-bank and registry to assist with the Down syndrome translational research program.

On December 13, I joined with Congressman George Miller, Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, to introduce H.R. 4247, the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act. There are already federal guidelines against the inappropriate use of seclusion and restraint against children in the Children’s Health Act but those have not been extended to schools. Last May, the General Accountability Office (GAO) highlighted the prevalence of seclusion and restraint in schools -- rather than employing techniques to diffuse the situation. The lack of guidance to school districts and teachers, GAO found, only exacerbated the situation. And, as I’ve looked into this, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a lack of training; a difficult situation arises and a teacher or principal just doesn’t know what to do. The bill that I introduced with Chairman Miller gives states much-needed guidance so they can advise school districts on the best practices. In addition, the bill gives schools the resources they need to ensure that their personnel handle situations in the most positive manner possible. The bill has the bipartisan support of both parties and I’m confident of its passage in 2010.

While we still have a long way to go, for me personally, I believe this year represented a turning point in our efforts. I look forward to continuing to work with the disability community to ensure that funding and infrastructure remains a priority here in Congress.

Welcome "The Face of Pro-life" Viewers

Last night, on the live program of "The Face of Pro-life" I discussed the warm reception KIDS received in Washington, DC at the March for Life, meeting with Sen Sam Brownback and Rep Cathy McMorris Rogers, and our thoughts on where we might serve our children from here. We had several callers who wanted to know where parents expecting children with Down syndrome could find support, and I made reference to my friend Monica Rafie's website
Be Not Afraid. I also told viewers that the links on the sidebar of this site offered resources and blogs of families who had positive stories to share about life with Down syndrome.
So, if you saw me on "The Face of Pro-life" welcome and please don't be a stranger! Drop me a comment below and make my day.
I'll keep you posted about the amazing reaction Eileen Haupt and are finding as KIDS is becoming known out there. Only God knows where this will lead us, but we are 'riding the wave of the Holy Spirit' open to whatever comes.

National Institute of Health has a plan for Down syndrome research

This is a major victory. If there is no plan for research, the only remedy for Trisomy 21 is prevention; AKA abortion. It took the efforts of many parent advocates coupled with the leadership of the Congressional Down syndrome Caucus, and Rep Cathy McMorris-Rogers, mother of Cole, to bring the NIH to forming a plan to research therapies for treatment of Trisomy 21. Amen!
Read about it here.