Accounting Office, which has spoken once before on the subject of eligibility and which has limited the Department through the opinion of its Comptroller General to making donations only to those organizations specifically enumerated in the act.

And it is for this reason that we have, in a sense, insisted upon the qualification of organizations as a "school," "college," or "university," as those terms are mentioned and enumerated in the act.

Senator GRUENING. Well, you don't think it is a matter that you could change by regulation?

Mr. HILLER. No, sir. We have been advised by the Comptroller General's Office that we may not.

Senator GRUENING. You pay more attention to the Comptroller General than certain committees of Congress do apparently, then?

Mr. HILLER. Well, sir, the Comptroller General's Office is one of the arms or services of the Congress itself.

Senator GRUENING. Well, I think that the information that has just come to you concerning the attitude of Prince Georges County-I wish you would explore this referral matter a little further and the committee will follow it up and see whether you cannot give the school a few filing cabinets and whatever else they need.

Mr. HILLER. We will be very happy to review the matter again.
Senator GRUENING. Thank you very much.

Mr. Bernstein, have you anything further to say?

Mr. BERNSTEIN. No, other than I feel it would be very helpful to other agencies such as our own if this whole question were cleared up. You see, there are other agencies very similar to our own who have been approved for receipt of surplus property.

Senator GRUENING. I think we have made progress this morning, and I am hopeful

Mr. BERNSTEIN. It looks like it. I hope so.

Senator GRUENING. I hope you get what you need.

Mr. BERNSTEIN. Thank you.

Senator GRUENING. Miss Margaret Emery Assistant Chief of the Children's Bureau, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. And it might be useful if Mr. Dean and Mr. Gray joined you at the table here so we can have a panel discussion.

Have you a statement, Miss Emery, or are you just prepared to answer questions?

STATEMENT OF MISS MARGARET EMERY, ASSISTANT CHIEF OF THE CHILDREN'S BUREAU, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE

Miss EMERY. I have a brief statement concerning the program of the Children's Bureau in behalf of mentally retarted children, which I understand is one of the pieces of information the committee wishes. Senator GRUENING. I appreciate having it. Will you read your statement please?

Miss EMERY. For several years the Children's Bureau has been giving emphasis in its program to the problems of mentally retarded children. The Bureau's concern for these children stems from its responsibility under the Basic Act of 1912 to "investigate and report upon all matters pertaining to the welfare of children and child life"

and from its responsibility in administering Federal grants, under title V of the Social Security Act, for

(1) Maternal and child health services;

(2) Crippled children's services; and
(3) Child welfare services.

The Bureau's specialists in mental retardation working with the staff in the central and regional offices are focusing on three principal areas of activity.

First, fact gathering and reporting: In cooperation with other Federal and national agencies, professional and parent groups, the Bureau is attempting to pool information about the needs of mentally retarded children and to disseminate this through publications, conferences, institutes, and consultation.

The Bureau's latest publication relating to mentally retarded children is a manual, "The Mentally Retarded Child at Home." 21 It was prepared in response to requests not only from parents of retarded children but also private physicians who felt that many parents need a concrete guide in helping their children grow and develop. Another recent publication is "The Child Who is Mentally Retarded." 22 This is one of a series of folders for parents, written in popular style, which gives some practical suggestions to parents and describes some of the community agencies and national groups to which parents may turn for help with their individual problem.

Second, technical assistance: The Bureau makes available consultation services to the States for program planning and development in behalf of the mentally retarded. Technical asistance is also provided for staff training and development, professional education, cooperative studies, research and special demonstrations of services.

Third, financial aid to the States: Through grant-in-aid funds available under title V of the Social Security Act, the Bureau encourages the extension of existing services to mentally retarded children, and assists the States in establishing community demonstration projects.

Under the maternal and child health services program, and under each of the appropriation acts since 1957, Congress has earmarked $1 million to be used only for special projects for mentally retarded children. At the present time, 30 States have special project grants totaling $1.3 million, and 14 other States have programs financed by regularly apportioned Federal funds and State and local funds. The total budget for these 44 programs is approximately $2 million. These are pilot projects which usually include 1 clinic where no more than 200 to 300 children a year can be accepted.

These projects are for establishing diagnostic, guidance, and evaluation clinics and centers, and demonstration projects for mentally retarded children particularly younger severely retarded children, and for training centers and programs for professional workers.

Under the crippled children's services program, despite the fact that there are more requests for services than there are funds to meet them, it has been possible in several States which had laws or regulations which excluded mentally retarded children to effect changes so that now all the children having the specified crippling conditions,

21 Marked "Exhibit 3" and retained in the files of the subcommittee. 22 Marked "Exhibit 4" and retained in the files of the subcommittee.

including mentally retarded children, can receive treatment irrespective of any retardation.

Under our third grant-in-aid program, the child welfare services program, Federal funds are contributing directly in extending and strengthening State and local child welfare programs, which carry responsibility for services and care to mentally retarded children along with other children with special needs.

In a few States, State public welfare agencies are using Federal funds for special services to meet the needs of mentally retarded children, such as advisory committees giving special attention to the needs of this group; special studies of individual mentally retarded children; and licensing child care facilities for mentally retarded children.

That concludes my prepared statement, Mr. Chairman, and I would be glad to answer questions on this or any other aspects the committee wishes to consider.

Senator GRUENING. Well, you have heard the discussion that took place this morning on the subject of this workshop here. Of course, I think that it is obvious that retarded children should be the object of our very special solicitude, and I wonder how many cases, how many institutions, are like this one which for some technical reason, or maybe a justified reason or not, is excluded from participation.

Now, we have the testimony of the Administrator of Surplus Property from Texas that there were in that State some eight institutions for retarded children and they are all receiving surplus property from the State. Now, that would seem to be a desirable condition everywhere.

Have you any information of whether that obtains generally in the States? Apparently there is this difficulty in the District.

Miss EMERY. No. The Children's Bureau does not compile any statistics showing the types of numbers of institutions for mentally retarded children. We do refer to a directory that has been prepared, but Dr. Mackie from the Office of Education, who is also here, has the only statistical information that I know of that is compiled in the Department.

Senator GRUENING. Is she here?

Miss EMERY. Yes.

Mr. GRAY. I think it might be helpful to have Dr. Mackie join the discussion here.

Senator GRUENING. We will have this looking like "Meet the Press" before long.

Will you give your name and position?

STATEMENT OF DR. ROMAINE P. MACKIE, CHIEF, EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN AND YOUTH, OFFICE OF EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE

Dr. MACKIE. I am Romaine Mackie. I am Chief, Exceptional Children and Youth, in the Office of Education.

I came without a prepared speech, but for questioning. However, I have some notes and I would like to say that the Office of Education program for mentally retarded children is a part of a program we call a program for exceptional children, including all those who have

unusual educational needs because of a physical limitation, a mental limitation, a serious social or emotional problem. We are also somewhat concerned with gifted children, but we do not lay exclusive claim to responsibility for them.

We are moving in three main directions in trying to assist in the development of programs for all of these children.

One is to bring about an extension and improvement of programs at the local level and working mainly through States. Another is to do something to meet the problem of the teacher shortage. And the third is to secure more information scientifically tested (research) about instructing these children.

Now, in that general framework I might report that we do collect statistics on enrollments of children and also on numbers of teachers. Unfortunately, the statistics that we are just now preparing are not available yet, but within a few weeks we will be able to supply for you and others more recent figures on enrollments. The latest we had were for 1952-53. At that time there were 1,244 public school places or systems reporting special classes for mentally retarded.

Now, these are day school provisions, and sometimes they are special schools, but more frequently they are classes in regular school systems, but special classes in regular school systems. The total enrollment of pupil then was 113,565 in the day schools, and the total number of teachers was something more than 7,000; 47 States and the District of Columbia reported public school classes for the mentally retarded.

We also are compiling at present the statistics on the residental schools, and we have found, according to our mailing list about 200 institutions for mentally retarded that have schools, and in our new statistics we will be able to give you the number of children and number of teachers.

Now, we know there has been considerable growth in this field within these past 5 or 6 years. Previous to about 1950, most of the public school provisions were for children that we sometimes called educable. Probably these terms, "educable" and "trainable" are very misleading, because they do not separate two completely different kinds of children. But we know there has been a great deal of extension in provisions for the more severely retarded within recent years, so our statistics which are collected according to the educable and trainable will probably reflect this growth.

Senator GRUENING. Would you consider that an institution for retarded children that has been purely custodial or largely custodial, in a case when it is training eligibles under the provisions?

Dr. MACKIE. Well, I don't know that I ought to talk on this point. This has been pretty thoroughly discussed by others more responsible for eligibility.

We collected statistics from about 200 institutions that gave evidence of being schools, and by that we infer that they had professional staffs there to do teaching of children.

In this country we now have a rather extensive opportunity for the professional preparation of teachers. There are at least 40 colleges offering preparation for teachers in the field of mentally retarded, so it is now possible to secure some professionally trained

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educators. We have a very serious shortage. We probably do not have more than a quarter of the needed number of teachers.

Senator GRUENING. Well, perhaps Miss Emery could answer this question. In an institution for retarded children, you would necessarily give attention to either education or health or both, would you not? Otherwise what would the institution be doing unless you are purely custodial, and I can't imagine that there would be such.

Miss EMERY. I think that is correct, Mr. Chairman. They would be giving attention to the health and educational needs of individuals insofar as the individuals were able to utilize formal education. Of course, there is wide variation in the institutions. Some of them care for very grossly defective youngsters.

Senator GRUENING. Well, I think this committee-I can only speak for myself-but I think this committee would be interested in seeing to it that all retarded children got equal treatment in the matter of surplus, and that purely technical objections would somehow be overcome so that when this study is completed, which you think will be in a few weeks, we should be in a position to know just what schools there are in the country for retarded children and which ones, if any, are benefiting from the surplus program under the provisions of law and which ones, if any, are not. And I think it would be helpful if we could get that information as soon as it is available.

Dr. MACKIE. Now, we will have a list of schools. It will be a list of public-school systems and the list of private and public residential schools. We may have missed some, but we have made an effort to get all of them, but we wouldn't know whether they are receiving surplus property.

Mr. GRAY. Senator, might I comment that for the schools operated by the public school system, there would be no question as to their eligibility. The public school system itself is eligible. So those 1,244 schools which were shown in the last survev, all would be eligible. The only ones in question would be the nonpublic.

Senator GRUENING. The private schools would not necessarily be eligible?

Mr. GRAY. They would not necessarily be. They would have to establish eligibility on the basis of our law and regulations.

Senator GRUENING. Some of these private schools are presumably schools that are well endowed to which children of well-to-do parents go, retarded children, schools which would not necessarily need this help; isn't that possible?

Mr. GRAY. That is possible.

Senator GRUENING. And what I was thinking of in particular was an institution represented by Mr. Bernstein where they apparently were in need and I would think perhaps technically disqualified but perhaps morally eligible, and I think that is a "no-man's land" that we ought to try to eliminate if we can. And I think that when you get this information to the committee, as soon as it is available, we will be in a better position to appraise it, and meanwhile if the Department would go ahead and pursue this as best it can we may have some final answers as to what the situation will be in this field.

Mr. Dean, you are with the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. How does that system work now? What are your functions as far as the vocational rehabilitation program in the country is concerned?