Type o

Parents are very busy in Northern Virginia--and when their lives are enhanced by the challenges of having a student with "special" needs--many add another hat--"Partner in the education process--Active Partner!!" Although Public School Systems across Virginia encourage all parents to be partners, but I have found in the short time I have had the honor of working for The Arc of Northern Virginia, that in special education, parents are a critical component to the learning process--as they know their kids best, especially when they don't fit neatly into the SOL continuum! 

With this in mind,  I present the work that parents from Northern Virginia and now all over the state have put together in response to the change in Virginia's Special Education Regulations--in an effort to align more closely with the Federal Government regulations. We are here to say:

 "If it isn't broken--don't fix it!"

The one area where Virginia does right by children is in the area of special education in our schools--by providing parents with the opportunity to play a key role and be the voice for a young person who may need more time to develop his/her own voice.

 I help facilitate a group of people who are my age with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (most of us are in our forties). Some of these individuals never had the opportunity to attend public school and those that did were in the schools before or while IDEA was being fought for and implemented. Many of my friends in People First can not read, but want to...can not write a check or pay for a meal on their own, but want to...My friends in the People First group talk about what schools were like before IDEA and before their parents took an active role in their education--these aren't wonderful memories.

My friends in People First are so impressed that young people with ID/DD can read, use money independently in the community, hold competitive jobs and even attend college at the Life Program and NVCC. My friends in People First believe that these "miracles"  happen because of the leadership and vision shown by parents at the table working with the schools as partners. My friends in People First and the 1500 members of The Arc of Northern Virginia join students and parents, from around the Commonwealth, as we ask YOU to support the recommendations made by parents in response to Virginia's "proposed regulations."

Sincerely,

Nancy Mercer

Executive Director

The Arc of Northern Virginia

703-532-3214 ext. 106

www.thearcofnova.orgver this text and enter your comments here. You are limited to approximately 3000 words.