There are over 120,000 schools that have closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The education of students is being affected, but children with disabilities receive the most impact of them all. While other students can do homeschooling, children with disabilities often rely on a litany of service at school; it ranges from speech therapy to physical therapy to occupational therapy that is not readily accessible at home.
Adrienne Stuart, a mother of a 5-year-old child named Jack, is especially concerned about the current condition. Stuart has been looking forward to hearing her son say the word "hello." However, due to the closure of her son's school since mid-March, she is worried that she would have to wait some more time to hear from Jack.
About 7 million students who receive special education services are struggling to be educated since they have to practice social distancing. The US Department of Education suggested that all public schools providing virtual assistance to their students should do their best to provide learning despite the distance to students with disabilities even if they feel that it is inadequate.
However, in these few weeks, parents of students with disabilities said they are only receiving a portion of the services to which they are entitled. Schools have postponed meetings regarding updates in individualized education programs or IEPs, the legal document that contains an outline of the services for each disabled student.
Classwork is not made to fit each student. Sometimes, paraprofessionals or adults that work closely with students are losing their occupation.
The recent $2 trillion coronavirus bill has a provision that could allow the Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to waive portions of the Individuals with Disability Education Act. This federal law is responsible for the special education and calls for the disabled students to receive the same education with their non-disabled students.
Stuart, the director of public policy at the Washington State Developmental Disabilities Council, said that she does not know what to do as of the moment.
Stuart's son has a Rett syndrome, a neurological disorder wherein a person's ability to speak, move, eat, and breathe are affected. Recently, the school uses an eye gaze device to track Jack's eye movement, which allows the doctors to communicate with him through the computer screens.
Ever since Jack stopped schooling, his mom did not receive any instruction from the school. Since the device is complicated, Stuart feels unprepared as she directs her son. Stuart could not wait for the day when her son would be able to tell her if he is hungry, or if he is feeling hurt, or is frustrated.
Jack's mother feels devastated because he could not get the support that he needs, and this might cause a delay in his development.
Parents of disabled children are not sure whether to blame the school personnel because they understand that while school leaders are scared of facing lawsuits filed against them for lack of services to their clients, they are also afraid of the coronavirus.
Many parents are worried about how hard it is for their children to adjust when they go back to schooling. But there is nothing they can do but to wait till the pandemic is over before their child could receive the support that they are entitled.
