Lori Berger, a full-time assistant teacher at the Druid Hills Child Development Center, holds the same job she was given before graduation when she was a student intern 10 years ago. Unfortunately, the success of the DeKaIb program, which includes a partnership between government, private employer and Vocational Rehabilitation services, is the exception, not the rule, in both the state and the country. It's time that Congress, the administration and educators nationwide commit to putting teeth into IDEA through full funding, implementation and enforcement. The dream of bringing justice to children with disabilities and their families through enforcement of IDEA can become a reality for every child in the country. However, just as it took the efforts of many to get as far as we have, it will continue to take the dedication of advocates, families and persons with disabilities themselves to make full implementation a reality.
Parents are still responsible for getting needs met for their children with disabilities.
National compliance standards and objective measures are not in place to assess a state's progress toward better performance results.