STATEMENT OF MAMIE J. JONES, DIRECTOR, DIVISION FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN, GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Miss JONES. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I appreciate the opportunity of appearing before you today to present the cause of the Nation's handicapped children. My remarks, of course, will be related to the specific needs of Georgia's handicapped children. There are nearly 160,000 handicapped children in Georgia between the ages of 3 and 21 who should be in special education programs in the 1967-68 school year. There are now State funds for only 30,000 or 19 percent of these children. With all efforts and financial resources directed at the provision of classroom opportunities, equally necessary requirements such as psychoeducational reevaluations, special transportation, new learning materials and equipment, and teacher aides are not presently possible to obtain. It is apparent, then, that the educational programs and ancillary services for these 30,000 handicapped children fall short of the basic essentials for meeting their educational needs and in no way approach providing for the other 130,000 children. It is shocking when we think that these handicapped children in Georgia will receive no special education services, and some no education at all, unless their parents can afford to send them to one of the very few, very costly private schools. Yet, Georgia as well as the Nation is committed to meeting the educational needs of the handicapped. In its effort to meet this commitment, Georgia's special education program has shown remarkable growth. Services were initiated in 1951 with the employment of a State coordinator and 21 special education teachers in three areas of exceptionality, serving 745 children. The program has grown to include seven State department staff personnel and 975 classes in eight areas of exceptionality, serving nearly 26,000 handicapped children during the 1966-67 school year. A chart is attached which gives specific information on the growth to date. Georgia has no State-supported nursery or kindergarten programs; only those school systems with sufficient local support can offer preschool programs. Yet, it is recognized that the early identification of the handicapped, with the provision of appropriate and meaningful educational experiences, may make the difference between a productive, responsible adult and a tax-supported ward of the Nation or State. This may be the difference between a secure, self-sufficient human being and one with little or no appreciation of himself as an individual. There are now in Georgia many handicapped adults who cannot realize their full potential because an appropriate educational program was not provided during their youth. The cost of rehabilitation far exceeds the price for habilitation. Georgia will have 1,125 classes for handicapped children in 1967, with the possibility of serving 34,000 children and costing the State approximately $8,379,500. If all the handicapped children between the ages of 6 and 17 only were to receive special education, the amount of State reimbursement to local school systems would be $70,013,074. Please note that this cost is almost one-half of the amount authorized for the Nation for fiscal 1968 in title VI of ESEA. In this estimate, Georgia's children of ages 3 to 6 and 17 to 21 have not even been included. In Georgia, few of the local school systems offer ancillary services such as special transportation, psychological reevaluations, and specialized equipment. In many systems the real effectiveness of what the program offers is lost because of the lack of local funds to supplement basic State allotments. In some instances there is no available transportation; in others there are not special classes for particular types of handicaps; still in others an educable mentally retarded child may have to drop out of school because there is no secondary education program. At the present time, State funds are not available to expand the program or to provide the many services needed. If the $150 million were appropriated, Georgia would have no difficulty in utilizing its share economically and efficiently. Some of the ways additional funds would be used to initiate and improve services include: 1. Addition of 150 classes in all areas of exceptionality to serve an an increase of 4,000 children__ 2. Increase of psychological evaluation services to all areas of the handicapped, as Georgia now provides testing for the mentally retarded only, and for reevaluations when indicated; services for an additional 9,175 children___ 3. Provision of additional teaching materials, equipment, and textbooks to meet the educational needs of 34,000 individual handihandicapped children_-_ $1,094, 100 183,500 570,000 158, 000 4. Provision of special transportation for 1,600 handicapped children. 5. Establishment of three regional diagnostic centers for in-depth educational evaluations of approximately 400 handicapped children 1, 381,000 6. Establishment of three regional materials centers for storage, reproduction, and distribution of special education materials which would have the potential of serving every handicapped child in the program Total 523, 500 3,910, 100 Attachment 2 includes a more detailed breakdown. The time has come when this Nation can no longer afford the kind of neglect of which it is guilty when we do not recognize the dignity of all people and respect the unquestionable rights of all children, especially the handicapped, to a quality education. Defense demands are great at this time, but the demand for these children has existed for a long time-since the first handicapped child was born. The overall technological development and growing complexity of our society has increased the problems that confront these children. Assimilation of these youngsters into society is more difficult today than it has ever been. Although we are doing a better job now than has been done in the past, the consequences of not solving the problem are more serious. and devastating today. The fate of handicapped children depends on both an adequate and an appropriate educational program. No matter how costly, it is money invested in the future of our country. The conscience of society today must not only protect the rights of the handicapped, but must provide them with the educational "know-how" and equipment so that they may become contributing citizens. Gentlemen, to a great extent their fate is in your hands. Our Nation has not faced its responsibilities and commitments. The time has come when we must allocate adequate funds to assist handicapped children to take their full place in the arena of community and family life. GEORGIA STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, OFFICE OF INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES, DIVISION FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN Growth of educational program for handicapped children, 1951-67 1 Estimated, as final reports of all school systems have not yet been received. Expanded program for handicapped children—proposed budget 1967–68 Service 1. Additional classes (150 to serve 4,000 children: (a) Teacher salaries____ (b) Maintenance, operation, and sick leave.... Subtotal Cost $966, 600 127, 500 1,094, 100 2. Psychological services: (a) Evaluation of 4,000 children for placement in classes (b) Evaluation of 1,175 we are unable to test for placement in funds (c) Revaluation of 4,000 children presently enrolled___. Subtotal 3. Materials and equipment: (a) 26,000 children in present State-supported classes--- classes children entering State-supported (c) 4,000 children in classes to be established under title VI Subtotal 4. Transportation for 1,600 children---. 5. Diagnostic teaching centers for 1,200 children: (a) Salaries (b) Equipment and materials_. (c) Ancillary services, buses, travel for staff, construction, Subtotal 6. Materials centers serving 34,000 children: (a) Salaries (b) Equipment, construction and communications___ Subtotal 80,000 23, 500 80, 000 183, 500 434, 000 68,000 68,000 158, 000 158, 000 539, 940 216, 830 624, 230 1, 381, 000 205, 500 159, 000 523, 500 3, 910, 100 STATEMENT OF ALPHA BROWN, CHIEF CONSULTANT, PROGRAM FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN AND YOUTH, ALABAMA STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Mr. BROWN. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I am Alpha Brown, chief consultant, program for exceptional children and youth in the Alabama State Department of Education. I certainly appreciate your interest in this program and the opportunity to present our needs to you. We are one of the newer programs as we are just beginning our 12th year. We provide services in a limited way to the mentally retarded, deaf, hard-of-hearing, visually handicapped, crippled, emotionally disturbed, socially maladjusted, and speech impaired. We strive to provide the specialized educational program which is needed to aid pupils to become self-respecting, self-supporting as possible, socially responsible and informed adult citizens despite handicapping conditions. The State superintendent of education, the State board of education, and the State committee on the education of exceptional children are very interested in this program and are giving time and energy in helping to promote, plan, and develop a good program of special education in our State. Many organizations and groups have worked cooperatively toward this goal. A variety of problems and needs have been encountered. The school census of Alabama shows 901,000 pupils between the ages of 6 to 20. If we expand this to include pupils from 3 to 21 which is the age range included in our services to the handicapped, Alabama has 925,000 in this range. Using the usually accepted 10 percent for children with handicapping conditions, this gives Alabama 92,500 handicapped pupils who cannot profit from the regular program. Alabama is providing services for approximately 11,000 pupils, so you can see all services need to be significantly increased. Our major needs will be discussed under these headings: State personnel, local personnel, identification, evaluation and diagnosis, inservice training, demonstration classes and curriculum development, additional classes and services, additional traineeships, more equipment and materials of instruction, additional transportation, appropriate housing, summer programs, parent education, printing. More staff is needed at the State level. With 600 classes, two consultants and 3 psychologists cannot adequately meet the needs of the program. The addition of four full-time consultants at the State level who would be stationed on a regional geographical basis, in the State to work with local boards of education in all aspects of programs for handicapped children and youth would improve this situation. Local personnel Only two school systems in Alabama have supervisors of special education. Many more are needed. At least 10 more supervisors should be added as soon as possible in order to help teachers with their daily problems and to develop a strong special education program in their system. Secretarial help, supplies, equipment, and travel for supervisors will be needed. Estimated cost, $166,000. INSERVICE TRAINING To meet the needs of these children and youth now and in the future. adequately trained personnel are needed. This personnel should include superintendents, principals, regular teachers, nurses, psychologists, teacher aides, guidance personnel, rehabilitation counselor, social workers, and other ancillary personnel. The inservice training for this group would include developing a general understanding of the program, such as goals, characteristics of the pupils, curriculum, and methods. For the special class teachers, special class supervisors and therapists, eight regional inservice programs would be set up. These meetings would be staffed by State department staff, college personnel and one out-of-State consultant for each meeting. The programing would include dissemination of information regarding the best teaching techniques for the particular area being studied, the best materials, and equipment available. Teachers would be reimbursed $15 per day. Each local system would receive $10 per day to pay a substitute for each class, when the teacher was attending the inservice meeting. Each region would have one inservice meeting a semester. State level personnel's inservice would be from consultative services of national leaders and by attending appropriate regional and national conferences Estimated cost $60,000. IDENTIFICATION, EVALUATION, AND DIAGNOSIS All pupils must be evaluated and diagnosed before being placed in a special class. Special classes must not be permitted to become places where children who do not fit in the regular classroom are stationed. Exceptional children should be placed in a program designed and equipped to cope with a specific type of disability. The placement of a pupil in a program not planned for one in his condition might be harmful to him and also prevent all other pupils from progressing as they should. Therefore, attention must be called to the vital need for proper identification, diagnosis, and evaluation. In our opinion the team approach is best. Each team would require a doctor to give a complete physical including vision and hearing, a psychologist, to determine the intellecutual ability, the social maturity, and the emotional stability of the child. An educational diagnostician, to serve as a liaison person between the public school and the diagnostic center. This person would have educational and psychological training, would assist the teachers, principals, and in some cases the parents, in the identification and screening process of children with exceptionalities, make referrals to the clinic, interpret the reports, and plan with the teachers an appropriate curriculum for individual students. In addition to the three persons named above the services of a child psychiatrist, a social worker, a school health nurse, school counselor, and others are often needed. |