Dr. Tiegerman Speaks

There have been ongoing attacks on the special education system citing two major complaints – unreasonable parents and escalating costs.  In this article let’s address the issue of unreasonable parents.  Within the negative comments of parents who have children with disabilities, critics usually make the following kinds of statements: “Parents should be satisfied with comparable programs that are less expensive.  Parents are difficult to deal with and they threaten legal action.  Parents are demanding the best when their children are only entitled to what is appropriate.  Parents are demanding services when their children are not severe enough to warrant those services.”  The underlying implication is that children with disabilities really do not need special education services and that their aggressive parents are taking “resources” away from typical children.  To all of these critics I have the following questions:  Have any of you attended a Committee on Special Education meeting?  Have any of you read the psychological or educational reports generated by professionals on these children?  Have you visited special education programs and sat in to observe children during an instructional day?  The answer to all of these questions is probably no.  To write a fair, balanced and accurate article about parents of children with disabilities, you have to “walk the walk.” 

             Critics suggest that parents of children with disabilities are fighting for programs and services their children do not need or deserve.  Parents do not place their children – a committee is mandated to make that decision.  Do you think that the licensed professionals serving on Special Education Committees are going to lie or exaggerate test results to recommend services that are not appropriate?  Wow!  What evidence is there to this insidious accusation?  If anything, parents resist the placement of their children in special education.  Most parents are concerned about the stigma of the label following the child for the rest of his life.  What parent of a typical child would accept a label of mental retardation or autism so that her son could receive speech, occupational and/or physical therapy services?  You think so?  I have been involved with thousands of committee meetings involving parents, professionals and school districts.  There has never been a single instance of such a situation. 

So why are parents of children with disabilities in the news and on “the radar screen.”  Unlike parents of typical children, parents of children with disabilities often find themselves in an untenable position.  If they do not advocate for their child, no one else will.  It is a simple but frightening fact of life.  A child with a disability is going to need services for the rest of his life and the one constant advocate that he has is his parent.  Why would anyone be critical of a child advocate?  Would anyone be critical of advocates for the elderly or the mentally disabled?  Would anyone have the nerve to question the veracity or the motivation of any of these advocates?  The answer is no to all of these questions.  So why are parents of children with disabilities so maligned within the press?  The answer is that they cannot compromise about their children’s needs and some are prepared to take legal action.  These are the cases in the media and the press.  The vast majority of parents fight alone without advocacy support. 

Let us not forget one of the most famous advocates for a child with a disability – Annie Sullivan.  She sacrificed most of her life to teach Helen Keller.  The result was a remarkable student who led an extraordinarily gifted life.  But the struggle was at great personal sacrifice to Annie Sullivan, the teacher.  Parents are teachers and their children are worth the sacrifice and the fight.  We need to support and not criticize parents of children with disabilities because without them, children like Helen Keller would be where they were 100 years ago – in institutions.

Ellenmorris Tiegerman, Ph.D.

Founder and Executive Director

School for Language and

Communication Development