NY budget to ax schools for blind, deaf and severely disabled

Gov. Cuomo's budget ax may chop schools for blind, deaf and severely disabled

Gov. Cuomo wants to slash state funding to schools for the blind, deaf and severely disabled - and is asking local school districts to pick up the tab.

Cuomo's proposed budget eliminates all direct funding to 11 schools serving such children - including three in the Bronx, one in Queens and one in Brooklyn.

"To do this to our kids is just not right," said Jeannette Christie of Throgs Neck, the Bronx, whose son suffers from a rare vision disorder and attends the New York Institute for Special Education in her home borough. "These schools are needed."

Advocates say the move is a departure from tradition because the state has financed the education of the blind and deaf directly for more than a century.

That is VERY VERY VERY VERY WRONG.

What happened to NO Child Left Behind, or is that just for non-disabled kids only. I do not know about NY, but the schools around here are not getting proper funding, there is no way they can take up the slack for what these very specialized schools provide.

Not to sound completely heartless but...

This is what happens and will continue to happen to those who have trusted in their Governments to keep them safe, warm and fed.
In the history of man-kind, I think the single most stupid decision we ever made was to go along with this farce for as long as we have.

Now a lot of the worlds population rely on their local Governments to take care of them.
But when the fiat money stops rolling in... This is the consequences that you now have to live with.

For those in these situations... All I can say is, while you can, download all the information you can relating to your concerns and start dealing with the issue yourself!
Other than that... Get a small community Co-op going, where you all supply and share food and knowledge.
Even a co-op school with a curriculum based around the needs of the community co-op.

reply to post by Sovaka


I agree on local communities helping each other to be self sufficient in these times. A person can never be too self reliant, heres the but, these schools for the disabled are so few and far between that parents usually have to move to be near their child enrolled in one of these to begin with.

Furthering education should be one of the few things the government does continue to support and support whole heartedly. Not just for those who are capable, but also for those who desire to learn and who deserve an equal shot at knowledge (ie... everyone!). I've seen people with various handicaps struggle with studies because our town had one high school, 2 catholic schools, and the only alternative for the disabled was home-schooling, which can be alienating, or being committed to mental institution dealing with violent and severely handicapped individuals. And trust me, my father worked there, it was the extreme/violent cases so it wasn't a viable option for any sane parents.

Do you know how hard it was watching the kid born without functioning or completely formed arms try to keep up in the regular school setting? He was one of my closest friends, and it was challenging for him every day he came into school, but he had no alternatives. He had to bend over the table with his disfigured arm and pin a pen between his two fingers to write, or use his mouth. Can you all imagine taking a test and writing with your mouth? It was insane for him. He also had behavioural problems when he was younger, probably due to how "different" he was.
The good news is, since he was around a supportive network of friends, he has actually graduated before me at college with a degree in art. He can draw, as odd as it sounds, with a mixture of his usable 2 fingered arm and his mouth.

But I must be an idealist to want to see money go into beneficial things like education, haha.

As someone who has severe vision issues (I am legally blind from Keratoconus) and has a severely autistic child, this kind of news is very disheartening,

It's no surprise, though. It falls into the same category of removing funding from school programs covering the arts to pay for sports. There's no difference, really. Same ol' same ol'.

reply to post by Vitchilo


They won't be cut. This is simply a cowardly attempt to get support for tax increases. Politicians always put forth outrageous things that will be cut to generate alarm and then get support for tax increases.

No surprise at all. The one thing I've noticed is that they always cut budges with the most important and moral things first. Welcome to the new world.

WHY are we cutting areas like this INSTEAD of going after the big-shots and POLITICIANS who make UNREAL salaries with astronomical benefits and pensions and all the other perks they receive that DRAIN this country??

Politicians do less in a year than a blind or disabled person does in a single day to simply survive.

WHY are we NOT CUTTING THE FAT OF THE POLITICIANS IN OFFICE????

Get rid of the BUMS and cut THEIR benefits and salaries.

Why do we the people always get cut of what little we do have? And why the disabled folks now?

Good grief folks!!

Lets cut the real fat.. the politicians and their astronomical salaries and benefits and pensions...

edit on 24-2-2011 by pplrnuts because: (no reason given)

reply to post by pplrnuts


The top ten politicians are worth about $2.8 Billion motherjones.com... . It really goes to show just who these guys care about.

Hey Vitchilo, thanks for post it. I was surprise to see this topic posted in ATS. It's still a hot issue in deaf community around in America.

I will read this thread to see what overall comments from others. I know it's not easy to accept the fact that everything is being cut and disability are first target. I have experience it in my whole life as I am deaf and grew up in deaf community. One person did claim that what did disability people has contribute to America. The answer is nothing, then why are we wasting our money on them. I guess this person forgot that we are America and we live in higher standard that we respect all disability people.

I agree with some comments that it may be scare tactics to hike taxes. I hope this will be true to preserve school for disability people.

Again thanks for post it.