Fully Funding Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a federal law that requires the federal government to help local school boards pay for special education services needed by students with disabilities. Yet countless od students are not receiving services because some disabilities are silent and cannot be detected with a naked eye. Extensive testing by neurophysiologists is needed to diagnose these disabilities, but these tests cost thousands of dollars which many families do not have. The government should fully fund the Individuals with Disability Education Act so that neuropsychologists can be in school buildings throughout every district.

Many individuals hear the word disability and immediately think of mobility or physical impairment, such as the inability or limit to basic physical activities of life such as walking and lifting. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a disability is “any condition of the body or mind (impairment) that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do certain activities (activity limitation) and interact with the world around them (participation restrictions).”(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)  Yet many people don’t acknowledge or are unaware of the many unseen disabilities, such as learning disabilities. Learning disabilities affect 1 in 10 schoolchildren. (American Academy of Children & Adolescent Psychiatry). 

Students with learning disabilities need to undergo a neuropsychological evaluation to receive a diagnosis. These tests are performed by medical professionals known as neuropsychologists, and often, medical insurances deny the request for evaluations. Educational testing is not covered by insurance because, say, they cover neuropsychological assessment. Still, a majority of plans only cover medical issues such as brain tumors and traumatic brain injuries, leaving families confused and liable for the costs of these expensive tests. A study conducted and published in Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology compared the cost of head imaging CT and MRI versus neuropsychological evaluations conducted with technicians revealed that “Five-hour evaluations using technicians averaged $2080 (range $698–$4165). Eight-hour evaluations using technicians averaged $3289 (range $1104–$6657).”

Others may believe that IDEA should not be fully funded even though they agree that more resources are needed to educate children with learning disabilities. “I believe there is a better way to achieve this laudable goal than increasing spending on an unconstitutional failed program” (Rep. Ron Paul). Rep. Paul believes that IDEA is a failed program because lawyers are manipulating the IDEA process in order to get rich. The same lawyers who sue the Department of Education for not providing students with disabilities the resources and accommodations they need to be successful students. Instead of increasing spending on IDEA, Rep. Paul decided to introduce the Family Education Freedom Act (HR 935). This Act will “provide parents with a $3,000 per child tax credit to pay for K-12 education expenses. My tax credit would be of greatest benefit to parents of children with learning disabilities because it will allow them to the vote more of their resources to ensure their children get an education that makes the child’s unique needs.” Rep. Paul should be ashamed of himself for even thinking of this Act. He prefers to dangle a lousy $3,000 at parents who want to desperately help their children rather than fix what is broken, and that is the lack of funding for IDEA. 

Fully funding IDEA would benefit all children with disabilities, not only the children with learning disabilities, but they are the ones who need advocacy. Learning disabilities go undetected, and these children suffer for years. Suffer from struggling to learn and being successful students. No child should feel like they aren’t learning despite putting in all the effort or not feeling cared about or understood.  There’s only so much schools and parents can do alone. The federal government needs to be held accountable for the lack of support they have given these children. These children’s futures are at stake. They are our future leaders of tomorrow, and they need help now.