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Show 4D 30, 1981 December FOCUS Handicapped Awareness Legislation Determines Whether the Handicapped Continued from Cover the Utah State Department of Social Services, private donations and school district funds. Not only do the DDI students meet with speech and physical therapists, but they have a chance to interact with normal children too. The afternoon sessions are mainstreamed with the Park City and both teachers and parents have noted some mutually beneficial side effects. The learn patience and tolerance and the DDI children are provided with peer models. The DDI kids most of whom are used to special attention also learn to share and that some of their Shay Geggs involvement with the needs of her son grew to encompass not only infants and noi only Park Gty but all of the handicapped in Summit and Wasatch Counties. She is now a member of the Utah Council for the Handicapped and with Developmentally disabled and has been recognized by the community as a tireless advocate for the handicapped. One of Shay Clegg's major concerns is a lack of funding for special education and care facilities for the disabled within the local communities. Her concerns have led her directly to the state legislature where she says, "Decisions are made affecting programs at the grass roots level." Pre-scho- pre-school- attention getting habits wont work with their peers. From Park Gty, the bus Specifically, Clegg and many of those directly associated with handicapped disaband developmental led programs in Utah want to see: 1. The Title XIX (that section of the Social Security 'Act which grants federal funds to Medicaid) funding threshold increased; 2. Additional budget support fa developmental disables and mentally retarded services in the community and at the Utah State Training School; 3. 100 percent funding for special education; and 4. Passage of the "Architectural Barriers to The Handicapped bill. To these ends, she invited State Representative Glenn Brown and Alarik Myrin, Senator Glade Sowards, and FOCUS to accmpany Barbara Dyer (Coordinator for DDI in Summit County, Ineda Roe (Executive Director for the e Utah Council), Tom (Northeastern Utah's Special Education Coordinator), Jim Wheeler (Director of State Social Services in Summit and Wasatch Counties) and several concerned parents on a tour of the existing facilities in the two counties. The tour began at 8:3( a.m. at the Marsac School in Park City, where DDI leases several rooms in the base- ol moved on to North Summits Shay Clegg and a studeat The Developmental Disabilities program in Park City represents the first time many parents in Summit County have been able to find professional help close to home. Before DDI came to at the Wasatch Activities Center. town, parents drove their children to Provo, Ogden, or Salt Lake City or they just kept them home. Now DDI offers evaluation and assessment of developmental disabled children from 0 to 5 years of age, tailors therapy to suit each individual child and also trains parents how to continue the training at home. Economic assistance in meeting the fees is provided by Title XX contract program for the severe multiply handicapped in Coalville. Mary Lanman currently teaches six students who have a variety of handicaps ranging from autism to learning disabilities. Because of the students disabilities, they require constant attention. Back on the bus, Tom Burc-hett- ment of the abandoned school building. "Are yout programs always relegatec to disgarded facilities? asked Senator Sowards. "Actually, we feel verj fortunate, replied Barbar; became obvious it And Dyer. that abandoned or not, there was significant progress being made in Marsacs basement. What happens to the adults? Mainstreaming of handicapped children in normal school programs benefits all of the students. |