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Mainstreaming On The Rise, But Advocates Question To What Extent |
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Written by Michelle Diament (Disability Scoop, LLC.)
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Saturday, 03 July 2010 01:40 |
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The number of mainstreamed students with intellectual disabilities is up dramatically in Connecticut, but advocates say schools have not done enough to truly include such students.
A lawsuit settled in 2002 led Connecticut schools to sharply increase inclusion of students with intellectual disabilities. Today just over half of these students are mainstreamed, meaning that the state ranks second in the country for inclusion, state officials say. But with the settlement set to expire in August, advocates worry that the state’s schools could slide backward.
Already, advocates say many students with intellectual disabilities who are included in regular classrooms sit in the back or off to the side, often working on far different assignments than their peers. Many teachers are not properly trained to include such students and they rarely have teacher’s aides or other resources at their disposal, advocates say.
For their part, state school officials point to the progress made in increasing the number of students in mainstream classrooms and say they will continue their efforts even after the settlement period comes to a close. But plaintiffs say the state has not yet done enough and are asking a judge to rule that the state has not met the terms of the agreement, reports the Hartford (Conn.) Courant.
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Despite Demand, Recruiting New Psychiatrists A Tough Sell |
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Written by Michelle Diament (Disability Scoop, LLC.)
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Saturday, 03 July 2010 01:32 |
The need for psychiatrists is rising faster than any other type of doctor, according to a medical recruiting firm, but few physicians are choosing to specialize in the mental health field.
The recruiting firm Merritt Hawkins says that requests for psychiatrists grew 47 percent between April 2009 and March 2010. This news comes as fewer medical students are choosing to specialize in psychiatry compared to other areas of medicine, which often pay more.
Meanwhile, many psychiatrists are retiring, creating dire shortages. In Iowa, for example, a number of hospitals have shut down their inpatient psychiatric units.
Demand isn’t likely to let up anytime soon. Government projections suggest that the need for psychiatrists will grow nearly 20 percent from 1995 to 2020, while the demand for child psychiatrists is expected to jump 100 percent, reports USA Today.
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Arrests Don’t Hamper Hiring At Texas Residential Facilities, Report Finds |
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Written by Shaun Heasley (Disability Scoop, LLC)
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Saturday, 03 July 2010 01:36 |
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Criminal histories of robbery and assault failed to raise red flags on employment applications for Texas facilities serving children with disabilities, a newspaper investigation found.
Records reviewed by The Texas Tribune and the Houston Chronicle indicate that Texas regulators didn’t flinch at approving applications for workers with histories of prostitution, theft, assault with a deadly weapon and reckless driving, among other charges, to work at a Houston facility called Daystar Residential, Inc.
Some criminal offenses — such as robbery or sexual assault — do prohibit individuals from working with children in Texas, but other crimes do not necessarily stand in an applicant’s way. It is unclear if any of the prospective employees were ever convicted of the crimes uncovered in their criminal background checks or if they were hired.
Representatives of Daystar say it is unreasonable to expect that all workers at facilities for those with disabilities would be free of criminal records. After all, the work typically offers low pay and is often situated in outlying locations.
Advocates counter that no good can come from employing those with questionable histories to work with a vulnerable population, reports The Texas Tribune
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Congress To Consider Ban On Paddling |
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Written by Shaun Heasley (Disability Scoop, LLC)
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Saturday, 03 July 2010 01:27 |
A pair of Washington lawmakers is pushing for a ban on corporal punishment in the nation’s schools, citing a disproportionately high use of the practice among minorities and students with disabilities.
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., and Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., want an upcoming education reform bill to put an end to paddling. They say the practice leaves emotional scars and sends the wrong message by essentially teaching students to resort to violence to resolve problems. What’s more, the lawmakers point to statistics showing that physical discipline in schools is more commonly used with students from minority populations and those with disabilities.
While corporal punishment was abandoned long ago in many areas of the country, it persists largely in the South. In 2006, more than 223,000 kids were paddled at school, federal government statistics indicate. And the practice still garners support among some educators and members of the public who say that it can be an effective way to root out bad behavior, reports ABC America News. To read more click here.
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Jonathan Shar