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Posted - October 23, 2009

IDEA Funding Needs Your Support

Please send a message to your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators asking them to co-sponsor and support legislation that fulfills the promise of full funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Recently, in the U.S. House of Representatives, Representatives Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Todd Platts (R-PA), and Tim Walz (D-MN) introduced H.R. 3578, the Everyone Deserves Unconditional Access to Education (EDUCATE) Act. In the Senate, Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Pat Roberts (R-KS) introduced S. 1652, the IDEA Full Funding Act of 2009. Both bills would bring the federal share of special education funding up to 40 percent over the next six years.

IDEA is the federal law that establishes a system for providing school-based services for students with special needs. In 2007, there were more than 1.5 million children ages birth to 21 with either speech, language, or hearing impairments receiving services through IDEA. These children represent more than 23 percent of all of the children receiving services under IDEA (6,718,203) in 2007. Please urge your Representative and Senators to support increased IDEA funding today!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Neil Snyder, ASHA's Director of Federal Advocacy, at 800-498-2071, ext. 5614, or via email at nsnyder@asha.org. Thank you for your support and advocacy!

Sincerely,
Katie Bromley
Director, Grassroots and Congressional Advocacy
ASHA