If someone had told me that the federal official now overseeing special education believed students with disabilities “will never hold a job or pay taxes,” I would have assumed they were mistaken. Sadly, this is a reality. Secretary Kennedy’s appointment by the current president is more than just an error in judgment; it is a profound injustice. Beyond being inhumane and archaic, this perspective is demonstrably false. History is filled with monumental achievements by individuals with disabilities. Look no further than theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, prolific inventor Thomas Edison, or other brilliant minds like Beethoven, Alan Turing, Helen Keller, Temple Grandin, Mary Braun and Maya Angelou. Further, according to many parents I have spoken with over the years as a special educator, a child with a disability brings unique depth, resilience, and unconditional love to many families, fundamentally shaping that family’s values and life experiences. This situation presents a stark administrative paradox: Putting someone in charge of developing the potential of young people with disabilities when they have already dismissed their future societal and economic contributions. This is a direct affront to decades of hardwon civil rights under federal educational law. Please keep this decision, and the cascade of other callous actions by this administration in concert with the Republican controlled Congress, in mind this November. Vote for a change toward reinstituting authentic checks and balances, a return to sanity, and a renewal of truly American values.
Timothy Knoster, Lewisburg