Upon news that Governor Palin used her line-item veto to slash funding for families of special needs children by 5 million, the blogosophere is alive with new criticism. (Likewise, the pro-Palin folks are furious at this new charge.) Link to the 2008 operating budget of Alaska is here.
But let there be no mistake: Most telling are McCain's views on health care ("market" health care systems are bad for special needs families or anyone with a medical problem as no one wants to cover them), vouchers (private schools do not have to take children with special needs) and his opposition to the Community Choice Act. Senator Hillary Clinton was a co-sponsor of the Community Choice Act and it had Senator Obama's full support.
Follow me for analysis on what this says about the candidates' character.
Terri Mauro's blog on About.com reflects on Governor Palin's promise to be an advocate.
Here's the hard question, though: How are our children ever to gain the visibility needed for full inclusion and full understanding and full sensitivity if their most passionate and knowledgeable advocates are supposed to do nothing but caring and case-managing? Our Mama Bear focus on the immediate and the day-to-day has real value, but it too often serves to keep us and our children invisible to society.
Commentary that follows, however, is interesting.
Taking this one a bit too far… I think Alaska Governor is quite “visible” already. Washington DC is thousands of miles from Alaska (home). This position is not equivalent to a PTA meeting. Maybe after she’s actually had some experience with a special needs child would society benefit from her greater awareness.
True. She was getting plenty of field time from the pro-life movement. This person reflects my views:
As a single mom of a special needs child, and a Republican I might add… I was offended that she would use her child’s disability to her advantage! She has no idea what she is in for…. her chid is still a baby. It wont be until he is a little older that she will discover what it means to care for a child with disabilities. Everyone around her will want to use her son to further their cause. A child with disabilities just needs love. Not exploitation. If she is to win this election, she should win it on her own merit. Not on the suffering of her child!
This article gives a more favorable view of Palin's education overhaul. One poster in the thread echoed what I said earlier in another post about language (and political posturing).
I will be happy if the media simply learns that it’s not “Down syndrome baby”, but a baby with Down syndrome.
Senator Obama also believes that every child should have health insurance and no one should be turned down because of pre-existing conditions (that includes adults). He also believes in the support of Americans with disabilities (with a web page devoted to the issue), improving mental parity the support of Americans with autism.
Support Americans with Autism. More than one million Americans have autism, a complex neurobiological condition that has a range of impacts on thinking,feeling, language, and the ability to relate to others. As diagnostic criteria broaden and awareness increases, more cases of autism have been recognized across the country. Barack Obama believes that we can do more to help autistic Americans and their families understand and live with autism. He has been a strong supporter of more than $1 billion in federal funding for autism research on the root causes and treatments, and he believes that we should increase funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to truly ensure that no child is left behind.
FYI, David Axelrod, Obama's chief spokesperson, has a child with epilepsy and he and his wife have been honored for their quest in epilepsy research. This may or may not be the same child with autism.
Senator McCain also supports adding people with epilepsy to the list of disabilities covered under the ADA, as does Senator Obama. Senator Obama's father-in-law also had multiple scerlosis.
Senator McCain's website says little about Americans with disabilities or children with special needs. I expect that to change soon. But it is very reflective of Senator Obama as a candidate and as a person that he has devoted much of his policy making to these issues before Governor Palin was chosen as McCain's running mate.
It echos a common theme in his campaign - that we are our the keepers of our brothers and sisters and that in this America, we can live out the American dream.
(Maybe his work as a community organizer helped shape those views, Governor Palin?)
If you want to vote on this alone, vote for Senator Obama.
“We must build a world free of unnecessary barriers, stereotypes, and discrimination .... policies must be developed, attitudes must be shaped, and buildings and organizations must be designed to ensure that everyone has a chance to get the education they need and live independently as full citizens in their communities.” — Barack Obama
Video on Senator Obama on disabilities.
[adapted from my blog, citzenpained.com]