Special Education Access Has Dramatically

Special education access has dramatically increased in the past decade thanks in large part to strong legislation. The passage of the 2004 IDEA Act. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act has ensured that services to children with disabilities are being met on a national level. IDEA governs how stats and public agencies will provide early intervention, special education and other related servces to more than 6.5 million children and youth with disabilities in America. Despite the recent surge in special education awareness however, there are startling statistical evidence that shows special education may be biased through a variety of socio-economic, and cultural factors. The below study will attempt to analyze how poverty, race, ethnicity and the dominant culture all work together to effect students, families and schools from their delivery of special education services.

Statistics show that minority children, particularly those of black and American Indian ethnicity, are represented in disportionately large numbers in many high-incidence special education categories. At the same time, all minority students other than Asians are represented in disproportionately small numbers in talent and gifted programs. The problem with minority special education is that they are distinctly associated with risk factors that lead to developmental problems at an early age. Poverty is associated with higher rates of exposure to harmful toxins, including lead, alcohol and tobacco in the early stages of childhood development. Mal-nutrition can also have a severe effect on children as they are likely to be born with low birthweight. The developmental stages of early child care environments are also significantly less supportive of early cognitive and emotional development. With deep and consistent poverty, the number of risk factors that will affect child development rise dramatically.

Students are at greater risk of needing special education services when they come from poor or minority backgrounds. Therefore it is critical that special education services and access to these provisions are available to those coming from underprivileged backgrounds. The passage of IDEA 2004 was to institute measures that would protect both newborns from the age of one to three as well as children from three to twelve. In order for these provisions to adequately apply to minority children, they must be of access in inner city areas and regions where there are a disportionate percentage of minority populations. The problem inherent within delivery of special education access is that diagnoses is extremely difficult in low-income areas. Many poverty stricken children for instance do not suffer from severe disabilities but rather poor eyesight from prolonged television access or other environment driven causes. The lack of qualified physicians means that children are not fully identified to have special needs driven problems until much too late. IDEA provides provisions for testing at an early stage for at-risk situations, however access to medical facilities and general examination is extremely hard for the majority of underprivileged families and as a result care for infants cannot be universally applied. It is well documented that social class difference in health is likely to have a "palpable effect on academic achievement. The influence of each may be small, but combined, the influence of all is probably huge." There is little that the government can do to further the cause of IDEA within impoverished arenas under Part C until medical access for these regions increase to a certain recognizable level.

Dominant culture has a strong implicit effect on special education services. Children of educated parents will receive intensive care in a variety of ways. Frequent doctor's appointments and testing at an early age will immediately determine any possible signs of special education needs. As a result, children within the middle class and above receive adequate attention and treatment for special education needs at an early stage. Young children of educated parents are read to more consistently, and are encourage to read by themselves at an early age. Statistics show that most children with parents who have college degrees are read to on a daily basis before they begin attending kindergarten. In application to special education access this implies that the majority of children from affluent families will have the greatest access to the provisions of IDEA because they will have diagnosis at an early stage. Parents who care strongly about the future of their children will most likely conduct the most research and to seek special education facilities much more than underprivileged children.

The problem with delivery of special education facilities is that IDEA provides for special facilities as well as schools to children with disabilities. However, access to these facilities are through references from doctors, medical professionals and teachers. Low income children, especially those living in ethnic ghettos have dramtically less access to these recommendation facilities which will dramatically affect how they are perceived and held accountable for their actions. Black parents, who grow up in a culture of underachievement are much less likely than white parents to pay particular attention to the needs of their children. The implicit problem with delivery is that self-motivation is a critical determinant of how much access to specific resources are available to those with special education needs. This is of course, severely impedes individuals from underprivileged backgrounds from getting the access to special education that the federal government provides under IDEA.