ABILITY Wants Action This Day

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Letter to Editor

Thursday, 06 September 2012 02:30

By Salma Crump

Dear Editor, I was pleased to see the follow-up story to the article on special education in Monday’s (Sept. 3) issue of The Daily Observer, and I would have felt this way even if the article had come out against ABILITY.

At this point one of our aims is to engage the public. We need this issue to become more important, especially to the people who are not directly affected by it. We have to create widespread understanding and awareness among them. This is not just our problem. Like tourism; education is everybody’s business.

However, when I read the (unfortunate) comment made by Ms. Etinoff, the Chair of the Special Education Council; and I quote:

“The group is currently working on a number of initiatives to be announced at a later date”, I can’t help but think … Now isn’t that the story of our lives.

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I’m not entirely sure when this happened but somehow, somewhere along the line, our society has become stuck in tomorrow (future) even though it's not here yet. Tomorrow there will be this, tomorrow there will be that, tomorrow we'll have a better plan for your kids.

But the question is; who is thinking about today? Let us begin today! We only have that! Don't get me wrong... Hope is good; it makes you believe in the future, and we all want that - But hope without action will result in absolutely no progress. And alas, that’s where we’re at with regards to special education in our school system.

Fortunately we don’t get to choose to educate the children we used to have or want to have, but we have an obligation to educate all of our children. After all, isn’t that the basis for public education? Come… We’re open.

“The important work of moving the world forward does not wait for perfect men.” – George Eliot     


Best,

Salma Crump

(A Founding Member of ABILITY – A Special Education Lobby Group)

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