Dear Friend of NCLD:
It's official! On December 3, 2004, President Bush signed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA), completing the law's much-awaited reauthorization. The National Center for Learning Disabilities is very proud of the work we did to help shape this legislation and ensure that all children in special education continue to receive a free, appropriate public school education.
NCLD is especially proud of the law's language promoting early intervention for young, struggling learners. Because of our efforts, as soon as a child is struggling in school"even as early as kindergarten"they can begin to receive services that can help them succeed, while there is still time for them to catch up with their peers. An alternative to the IQ-achievement discrepancy formula is now endorsed so that eligibility decisions can be based on a child's actual response to targeted instructional interventions.
In this issue of
LD News, we have two very informative articles on what the new IDEA can mean for you and those you love. Laura Kaloi, NCLD's public policy director, explains in detail about the early intervention provisions of the new law. Candace Cortiella, director of The Advocacy Institute, talks about how IDEA will work in conjunction with provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
Read more about our work on the bill and its specific provisions for those with learning disabilities.
We also have interviews with two good friends of NCLD,
Elaine Antonetty and her daughter
Carmen. Carmen, who was diagnosed with dyslexia in the first grade, talks about coming to terms with a learning disability and what it takes to still be successful in school. Mrs. Antonetty talks about the difficulties she and her husband encountered in raising and educating Carmen, and their tremendous pride in seeing their daughter succeed against difficult odds.
We thank you all for your gracious support of our work on IDEA. We here at NCLD would like to wish you the most joyful of holiday seasons and health and happiness for the coming New Year.
Best regards,
James H. Wendorf
Executive Director, NCLD
P.S. Recently, you should have received an email regarding NCLD's new FRIENDS program. You can become a friend of NCLD for a $35 donation, funds that directly support the programs and services we offer. If you haven't already become a friend, won't you please
visit NCLD's FRIENDS page and consider joining? You'll become a part our growing community of parents, educators, professionals and individuals with learning disabilities, and will be directly helping to ease the burden of all those who struggle to learn. Thank you.
