August 6, 2008

Higher-Education Bill Would Bring Benefits to Disabled Students

Washington — Tucked inside the vast bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act that now awaits President Bush’s signature are several provisions designed to improve disabled students’ access to higher education.

The bill would, for the first time, allow students with intellectual disabilities to receive some types of federal aid: Pell Grants, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, and work-study assistance. Under some circumstances, for example, mentally retarded students in formal transition or living-skills programs would now qualify for federal financial aid.

The bill would also establish two national entities to support students with disabilities — a National Center for Information and Technical Support for Postsecondary Students With Disabilities, and an Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials. In addition, the bill would support “model demonstration programs” to improve the quality of instructional materials and to allow colleges and universities to collaborate in their development.

Under current regulations, former students who struggle to pay off educational loans because they are disabled must, to get those loans discharged, demonstrate that their conditions will result in death or last indefinitely. The new bill, however, would allow loans to be discharged if a borrower’s condition is expected to last at least five years.

A bill more narrowly focused on disability services passed the U.S. House of Representatives in June and awaits a vote in the Senate. That legislation would also expand benefits for students with disabilities. It was intended to reverse judicial rulings that it says “have narrowed the broad scope of protection intended to be afforded” by the Americans With Disabilities Act, which was passed in 1990. —Sara Lipka

Comments

1. I think I’m missing something here – federal financial aid so a mentally retarded student can attend college?

   — Lee    Aug 7, 08:06 AM    #

2. We have admitted some students to our institution who “graduated” with special education type certificates of attendance. I have yet to find a student in this situation who was successful.

   — M    Aug 7, 08:15 AM    #

3. It is mostly highly functional mental rerardation…not the low functional.

   — Kathy    Aug 7, 08:37 AM    #

4. I assumed that it was probably talking about special programs for those students. For example, a student who might not be admitted to a 4-year school can still go to a vocational school and get a Pell Grant. I think this change just broadens the definition of what programs are eligible for federal aid, so that post-secondary programs geared toward training of mentally handicapped people can qualify.

   — Bonnie    Aug 7, 08:41 AM    #

5. Bonnie, I hope you’re right.

   — FG    Aug 7, 08:49 AM    #

6. With so few dollars in Title IV gift aid and a Formula that leaves many working poor not eligible for any asistance other then taking on loan debt why in the word would you give funding to those who can not possibly benefit from higher education?

   If you want to help those with intellectual disabilities why not fund the programs that serve this group? Accross the nation thousandds of the “formal” transistional programs have been cut and these programs do provide services that this group can benefit from. Another example of our tax dollars at work and how capable of making rational decisions those in Congress really are.

   — Jan    Aug 7, 08:49 AM    #

7. The last frontier of prejudice will persist among the “intellegencia” until the end:

   When people no longer prejudge others for the color of their skin, their religion, affectional preferences, ethnicity, sex, height and etc., it will always be OK to pitch jibes and insults and compromise the lives of those, through no fault of their own, who are born or who acquire intellectual challenges.

   For people with cognitive impairments, the eternal pecking order is the fence in the barnyard we can never get over.

   The irony is that any one of us can be thrust into this group in one unlucky fall, a mild stroke or age-related diminution of function. And from there, the greatest pre-disposing factor to head injury is a previous one.

   Think different, you- who are so- good- with- words. Make this the world YOU want to live in.

   Ask anyone who has cognitive problems what is the most difficult impediment to living a good, independent life and you will find it is not the disability itself, but rather, invariably, how we are treated by others.

   Look in the mirror and see who is lacking and look outside yourselves to those who deserves a break.

   — Heather Dunbar    Aug 7, 09:42 AM    #

8. Don’t let stereotypes about the terms “disability,” “mental retardation,” or “intellectual disability” misdirect your reactions. There is considerable documentation of students with intellectual and other disabilities successfully completing college programs and making substantial contributions to their field.

   — Randall Parker    Aug 7, 09:48 AM    #

9. Assisting people with disabilities should be one of our goals in education. But, we should definitely look to see if the individuals can and will benefit from the assistance. Do not continue to waste the $$$$$ on project that are unsuccessful.

   — Jim Nickles    Aug 7, 10:28 AM    #

10. Bonnie’s got the picture and we should all listen, humbly, to Heather.

    — Janice    Aug 7, 10:57 AM    #

11. I think it is important to determine how you (or your campus) measures success. Social functioning and learning employable skills demonstrates success, and is degree-seeking a necessity?

    — Dena    Aug 7, 11:32 AM    #

12. Federal Title IV regs. now state a student must have the “ability to benefit” which basically means a high school diploma. If they are going to make exceptions for intellectually handicapped they need to remove this for all students as we all have the ability to benefit from some type of education in one form or another.

    — Chuck    Aug 7, 11:37 AM    #

13. #7: I appreciate your post and your point, which is well taken. But I have to say that there is a “last frontier” of prejudice among the intelligentsia of academe well beyond the one you mention. It is all too often that one can be talking to a faculty member who would bristle at any suggestion of presumption of ability of anyone due to race, gender, or national origin, but with one mention of the term “student athlete” every unquestioned stereotype immediately lunges forth. Sad.

    — Atokal    Aug 7, 12:13 PM    #

14. What section of the U.S. Constitution authorizes this kind of federal expenditure?

    — Steve    Aug 7, 12:18 PM    #

15. Over the last several years I have watched a student who was labeled “mentally retarded” by the public school system excel in applied sciences, calculus, etc.

    Opportunity and support, or labels and prejudice— where do you stand? Some in academia seem to have a fundamental disrespect for people with disabilties which leads to devaluing them as human beings, and assuming that resources used by them are “wasted”. (Remember that families which include people with disabilities pay taxes, just like you do!) I wonder why so many “educated” people feel that only those like themselves are worth investment?

    People with cognitive disabilities can’t be lumped into a homogeneous group. Some do need educational programs which don’t demand certain kinds of skills- programs which don’t fit into the traditional liberal arts model. For that reason, many institutions are developing new kinds of programs which are attainable for people with a variety of cognitive disabilities.

    The reality is that in today’s society a high school diploma = a life at the poverty level for many families. Additional education has become necessary to obtain a living wage. This is especially true for people with disabilties.

    — Anonymous    Aug 7, 01:19 PM    #

16. The ignorance about disabilities that is shown in many of the comments is astounding! This group of citizens experiences more discrimination than any other.

    First, to the individual who states, “these people cannot benefit from education,” I hope you can. People who have mental retardation can learn. Granted, they may not be in a 4-year college program, but many, many technical colleges have programs which are absolutely appropriate for high-functioning people. We have several people on our campus who are mentally retarded who are doing data entry work, basic auto mechanics, preparation cooking, library work and much more.

    To the person who feels poor students with loans need the aide more, who do you think people with disabilities are? They’re not exploding off the top 5% of income chart! People with disabilities are unemployed at approximately 86% and their SSI benefits barely allow them to pay rent in subsidized housing and eat.

    Granted, some people may not be the next great academic, but then again, just exactly how many of our students are going to be?

    We are all here because we value education and knowledge. Why deny that opportunity to anyone? Doesn’t that fly in the face of what we believe? Or do we believe education is good for some and not others?

    — Wazoo    Aug 7, 05:50 PM    #

17. Wouldn’t it be great if those of us who have committed ourselves to poor-wage jobs to work with individuals with disabiliies had OUR student loans dismissed after ony 5 years? That might do more to advance the ability for us to provide services than a revolving door student loan system for people who won’t be planning on going to work.

    — tired social worker    Aug 12, 12:40 PM    #

18. Somehow, I do not think your ability to provide services is truly hampered by your student loans; perhaps your choice of career is not adding up to what you expected.

    — untired social worker    Aug 12, 09:27 PM    #

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