Children and Education
With the rate of eye disease increasing rapidly in older Americans, focus has been placed mainly on the vision loss of that particular age group. However, this does not diminish the significance of the problems of vision loss facing young children and Americans under the age of 18. Vision disability is the single most prevalent disabling condition among children. This fact should not be forgotten when advocating for the visually impaired community.
Ensuring proper and regular vision screening for young children and the continued enhancement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act are two prominent issues confronting policymakers across the nation.
Vision Screening for Children
Issue Overview
Early detection of vision problems for infants and young children is an important priority for Lighthouse International. However, there is a large gap between prevalence of early screenings for children and the prevalence of eye diseases for children. When screenings do take place and a possible problem is discovered, follow-up examinations to determine if treatment or care is necessary are far too often disregarded.
All children, regardless of prior history of vision troubles, should undergo vision screenings and eye examinations regularly. If a routine screening indicates possible vision problems, a follow-up examination by an optometrist or ophthalmologist is necessary to determine what course of treatment, if any, should be taken.
Current Legislation
Vision Care for Kids Act (HR 507/S 1117)
This proposed Federal legislation would allow the federal government to award grants to states that the states can apply towards existing programs that promote three aspects of child vision care: detection, rehabilitation and education.
For more details on the bill, including bill text, recent legislative action and list of sponsors, click here.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
Issue Overview
IDEA was originally enacted in 1975, when it was known as the Education the Handicapped Act and underwent thorough changes in 1997. IDEA was last reauthorized by Congress in 2004. The mission of the legislation is to ensure that every disabled child receives a "free appropriate education." Every eligible student is assigned an "individual education program," with contribution from both the school and the parents. IDEA states that a student should be educated in the "least restrictive environment" possible for that individual.
Federal funding was set at 40% of the average per student cost for a special education student. However, recent funding levels have fallen far short of the initial legislative promise. Current Congressional funding is half of what legislation allows, falling short of 20%.
Estimating the total number of special education students with vision impairments is challenging. The American Foundation for the Blind created a chart comparing different estimates of the number of students with "severe vision impairments." The statistics can be found on the American Foundation for the Blind's website, here.
Current Legislation
There are a number of bills in the United States House of Representatives that would require IDEA to be funded at the levels at which it was initially authorized. The bills differ in the timetable set to achieve full funding, varying from 6 to 10 years. One of these bills is the Everyone Deserves Unconditional Access to Education (EDUCATE) Act (HR 821).
For more details on the bill, including bill text, recent legislative action and list of sponsors, click here
Read about other policy issues:
Vision Care and Rehabilitative Services