Bonnie Dunham

Dear Members of the Committee on Education Policy and Administration, I am writing to you as the parent of an adult son with disabilities who benefited from special education. I ask that you please oppose HB 1221. You cannot create centralized locations for students to receive services while also maintaining classroom integration – the two are polar opposites. A truly inclusive educational experience happens when schools foster a culture of belonging for all children, with and without disabilities, not when “some” children are removed from their neighborhood school and sent to a different “special” place just for children with disabilities. To even consider setting up separate locations for children with disabilities to receive services as a potential means to offset costs means that we have made a conscious decision that money matters more than children. Such an approach would fundamentally alter the structure and culture of our schools in ways that would harm children with and without disabilities. We live in Merrimack, NH and throughout his school career, while Sean received extensive special education services, he was primarily educated in general education classrooms alongside his typical peers with the supports that he needed to be successful. That inclusive education was (and is) a best practice, it provided Sean with positive learning, language, behavioral and social skills models. A major purpose of the Federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and NH’s special education law is to prepare students with disabilities for further education, independent living and employment. Being educated with his typical peers did prepare Sean for future employment (he has worked continually since he finished high school 20 years ago); he also gained skills that led to him becoming a fully participating and contributing member of the community. It is important to note that Sean was definitely not the only one who benefited. My husband and I have heard from many parents of children without disabilities who went to school with Sean about how much they appreciated their children having the opportunity to be in a classroom with many different kinds of learners, and where individual differences were supported. One example was when Sean was in high school, he was reading at an early elementary school level, but after speaking with her, the English teacher agreed to have him in her advanced English class. In that class, there were more discussions about the topics covered in the literature they were reading, and less of a focus on punctuation and grammar (which would not have benefited Sean given his very low reading level). His language and social skills improved greatly, and the teacher later said that she realized that she in more lively and dynamic activities because she thought that they would be helpful for Sean, but she found that all of the students benefited from that approach. We also learned that Sean liked Shakespeare! Please recommend HB 1221 ITL. Thank you in advance for considering my input. Bonnie Dunham