Today is the 21st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. You may not have noticed because though it was landmark civil rights legislation many people are unaware of what it means.

In early education, new disability challenges are emerging. For example, the ranks of families raising a child diagnosed with autism and other disabilities appears to be rising, and that means more families are likely looking for child care, preschools and pre-kindergarten classrooms that can accommodate their children’s special needs, as we wrote last year.

Amid this growing demand, access to mainstream high-quality early education is a big issue.

“We need to have preschools that are truly inclusive,” said Alison Piepmeier, a professor at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, who works on disability issues. “It is good for kids with disabilities and good for kids without disabilities.”

In an inclusive preschool classroom, children with disabilities can see what more typical children are doing and then can model that behavior, according to Piepmeier. Being around children with disabilities may well promote moral development among students developing in more typical ways, Piepmeier adds.

Despite this potential, it is unclear how much access parents with disabled children have to high-quality child care. Anecdotal reports suggest many parents do not send their children with disabilities to organized child care. Often, one parent stays home.

The growth of prenatal testing creates another challenge.

Even as the ADA (Americans with Disability Act) has affirmed disability as one aspect of human diversity that should be respected and protected, technological advancements in prenatal testing have raised the possibility of fewer people with disabilities being born. While many people welcome the chance for parents to screen for severe disabilities, others worry that we may be raising the bar for what is considered an “acceptable” child. – “The Americans with Disabilities Act: A Civil Rights Landmark for People with Disabilities, Including Down Syndrome,” Council on Contemporary Families Discussion Briefing. 7/26/11.

Both the lack of access and rise in prenatal testing technology likely will only increase in the coming years.
What other disability issues are emerging in early education? Send me an email or share your comments.