The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of an Ohio family who sought to sue their school district over services to their autistic son without hiring a lawyer. The Associated Press has a summary of the case on The New York Times website. The Supreme Court explains here that the issue before the justices is whether, under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the family can represent themselves without hiring a lawyer. (The question of whether the services that the Parma, Ohio, school district is offering is not something the Supreme Court will decide.)
Jeff and Sandee Winkelman have been fighting this case for some time and have won some points in lower courts. School officials have argued during these battles that the Winkelmans are not legally allowed to represent their son without using an attorney.
Sandee Winkelman told The Times in an article last May that her family could not afford thousands in legal fees, and they had nowhere to send her son Jacob to school. "When you're in a do-or-die situation, you do what you have to do," she said. (The article is here but you need a subscription to read it.)
The school district argues that IDEA requires lawyers to represent disabled children in court. The case is called Winkelman v. Parma City School District.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Monday, October 30, 2006
"Combating Autism Act" Subject of Parents' Protests in Texas
About 80 people from families with a child on the autism spectrum staged a peaceful protest outside a political fundraiser in Richardson, Texas, attended by House Speaker Dennis Hastert, the Associated Press reported. The families were there to urge Hastert to press Joe Barton, the Republican chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, to let the House vote on the Combating Autism Act bill, which Barton so far has refused to do. (Read more about the situation here.) Hastert did not meet with the families but he told the Associated Press that he planned to meet supporters of the bill in Washington.
Supporters of the autism bill, which would provide about $900 million for research into causes and treatments and fund some programs, have been pressuring Barton in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 7 election. This Dallas Morning News story describes the efforts of supporters of the autism bill, and another bill related to breast cancer research, to get Barton's attention on the matter.
A dramatic and personal display of one family's effort to get a meeting is available at this video from YouTube.com that's getting a lot of attention among autism parents. See below as "Mikebtexas," who tries to get admitted to a meeting Barton is holding with families about autism, fails. It's a seven-minute video of one man's disillusionment in the political system; and it's a testament to the power of gate-keepers in a Congressman's district office.
Supporters of the autism bill, which would provide about $900 million for research into causes and treatments and fund some programs, have been pressuring Barton in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 7 election. This Dallas Morning News story describes the efforts of supporters of the autism bill, and another bill related to breast cancer research, to get Barton's attention on the matter.
A dramatic and personal display of one family's effort to get a meeting is available at this video from YouTube.com that's getting a lot of attention among autism parents. See below as "Mikebtexas," who tries to get admitted to a meeting Barton is holding with families about autism, fails. It's a seven-minute video of one man's disillusionment in the political system; and it's a testament to the power of gate-keepers in a Congressman's district office.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Useful Autism Research List Available
There's a torrent of news reports about autism-related research studies coming out. The Autism Speaks website has a useful list of topics and links to reports and information about these varied research efforts dating back to November 2005.
Find the list by clicking on this website link. The list of research topics includes autism-related inquiries into the environment's impact on human health; autism's link to brain structure; and the role of genetics in autism research. The most recent symposium, held Oct. 13 in Boston, convened a group of doctors to review the status of research into gastrointestinal disorders and autism, develop a consensus on the best areas of future research and the best G-I medical treatments for people with autism. Autism Speaks promises to make a report about the meeting public.
Find the list by clicking on this website link. The list of research topics includes autism-related inquiries into the environment's impact on human health; autism's link to brain structure; and the role of genetics in autism research. The most recent symposium, held Oct. 13 in Boston, convened a group of doctors to review the status of research into gastrointestinal disorders and autism, develop a consensus on the best areas of future research and the best G-I medical treatments for people with autism. Autism Speaks promises to make a report about the meeting public.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Comedy Central Raises $2 Million for Autism Programs; Boston Walk Adds $950,000
Two quick updates on recent fund-raising events described here.
"The Night of Too Many Stars," the Comedy Central benefit televised Oct. 16 raised $2 million for Autism Speaks, and autism education and support programs. See video highlights from the show hosted by Jon Stewart here. (If you have time for just one video clip, check out Steve Carell.) New York Magazine attended the show and has a fun writeup here.
The Greater Boston Walk for Autism Research on Oct. 15, recapped here, raised $950,000 thanks to 11,000 participants and corporate sponsors, according to the organizers at Autism Speaks. Of course, the Boston event is one of many such walks around the country. About 20,000 participants in the New York City edition last weekend raised more than $1.5 million.
"The Night of Too Many Stars," the Comedy Central benefit televised Oct. 16 raised $2 million for Autism Speaks, and autism education and support programs. See video highlights from the show hosted by Jon Stewart here. (If you have time for just one video clip, check out Steve Carell.) New York Magazine attended the show and has a fun writeup here.
The Greater Boston Walk for Autism Research on Oct. 15, recapped here, raised $950,000 thanks to 11,000 participants and corporate sponsors, according to the organizers at Autism Speaks. Of course, the Boston event is one of many such walks around the country. About 20,000 participants in the New York City edition last weekend raised more than $1.5 million.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
New York City's Autism Problem
"New York City is way behind in educating autistic kids--and now for-profit private schools are getting millions in public money because of it." That's the sharp angle on a story in the current issue of New York magazine entitled, "The Autism Clause: How Lawyers Can Get Around the $140K Education Price Tag," which takes readers on a tour of New York City autism education programs for young children, both public and private, and lays out the hefty price tags which the city and families pay for school programs and after-school support.
The fact is that effective programs for kids on the autism spectrum are staff intensive, and that means they cost more per student than, say, typical education programs. Added to this fact of life is the controversy-filled special education bureaucracy. In most mainstream media stories, this one included, parents are predictably in the thick of it (hint: they're not heroes). Parents here are portrayed as effective advocates for their kids who need help. But they are also set up as greedy, willing partners with aggressive law firms and opportunistic private for-profit schools who seek to cash in on the city's low supply of suitable autism services. Other big city school systems also have problems providing such services, but the article suggests that the huge New York City district is a particularly attractive target for lawyers who can easily point out its failings and win tuition fees.
The article cites the just-opened Rebecca School in Manhattan as one of the opportunistic schools, saying "New York City's open checkbook for autism is at the heart of the business plan" of the for-profit company launching it, MetSchools Inc. (In spite of its $72,500 tuition rate, the Rebecca School doesn't promise a one-to-one, but rather a two-students-to-one teacher ratio for preschool kids.)
Reading a price tag like that (and higher ones), it's easy to imagine readers of this magazine story wondering why these schools cost so much, why the city and its taxpayers have to pay. No wonder New York Schools Chancellor Joel Klein is opening more pre-kindergarten autism classes -- and hiring more lawyers to defend the city against special education legal challenges. The city also has opened the New York Center for Autism Charter School, its first such program. And the fact is, no one in this article questions the need for more autism services in New York. What the story doesn't ask is: When will the city open more such programs?
The fact is that effective programs for kids on the autism spectrum are staff intensive, and that means they cost more per student than, say, typical education programs. Added to this fact of life is the controversy-filled special education bureaucracy. In most mainstream media stories, this one included, parents are predictably in the thick of it (hint: they're not heroes). Parents here are portrayed as effective advocates for their kids who need help. But they are also set up as greedy, willing partners with aggressive law firms and opportunistic private for-profit schools who seek to cash in on the city's low supply of suitable autism services. Other big city school systems also have problems providing such services, but the article suggests that the huge New York City district is a particularly attractive target for lawyers who can easily point out its failings and win tuition fees.
The article cites the just-opened Rebecca School in Manhattan as one of the opportunistic schools, saying "New York City's open checkbook for autism is at the heart of the business plan" of the for-profit company launching it, MetSchools Inc. (In spite of its $72,500 tuition rate, the Rebecca School doesn't promise a one-to-one, but rather a two-students-to-one teacher ratio for preschool kids.)
Reading a price tag like that (and higher ones), it's easy to imagine readers of this magazine story wondering why these schools cost so much, why the city and its taxpayers have to pay. No wonder New York Schools Chancellor Joel Klein is opening more pre-kindergarten autism classes -- and hiring more lawyers to defend the city against special education legal challenges. The city also has opened the New York Center for Autism Charter School, its first such program. And the fact is, no one in this article questions the need for more autism services in New York. What the story doesn't ask is: When will the city open more such programs?
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