I am the youngest of three boys in a special needs family. My oldest brother has severe autism, and I believe that in-person interactions and respite care for special needs children and adults are essential needs that are being overlooked during this pandemic.
Unlike other students, people with disabilities (in most cases) need face-to-face interactions with their teachers in order to grow and develop as individuals.
Can you imagine trying to teach folding laundry and other life skills to students with severe disabilities over a Zoom call? It’s not feasible.
How about dealing with violent behavior through Zoom? The idea is flat-out ridiculous.
In addition, the seven or eight hours a day that these children (and sometimes adults) are at school comprise the only time when parents are able to get the much-needed respite care they need in order to function as a family. The constant challenges only worsen as schedules are altered, and structure is thrown out the window.
I can’t imagine the difficulty that my family would have gone through during this pandemic had it happened when my brothers and I were in school. With two parents working full-time jobs and my oldest brother in constant need of stimulation and attention, a school shutdown would have been a nearly impossible mountain for our family to climb.
I truly believe that this pandemic could have been a breaking point had it happened during my brother’s most challenging years of development. I will spare you the depressing details of what our family’s life would have been like.
If school districts do not plan to have in-person classes this upcoming year, they must provide state-funded respite care options to the special needs families that request them. This is vital for not only children’s learning and growth but also for parents’ and siblings’ mental health.
For too long, politicians and the media have ignored cries from special needs families across the country because they are not a large enough voting demographic and they are not tied to one political party.
Governors need to step up and address this issue head-on because uncertainty is a luxury that special needs families do not have.
It should be mandated by every governor in the United States that in-person special education classes be offered to families this fall, regardless of the decision made for the other classes.
We cannot ignore the needs of special needs families and students any longer. It’s time to put them first.
Thomas Hern is the co-founder of the Ohio-based conservative marketing company, H&F Strategies. Prior to founding his own business, Hern was recognized as one of the 30 Most Influential Conservatives Under the Age of 30 for his work with Turning Point USA and ACT for America.
