One parent's commitment to getting the best education

I am a parent of a special needs child. I have been struggling for years to give my autistic daughter the education she deserves. We live in rural southwest Missouri and have limited options here. The public school in my district is a perfect fit for my other two children. However, it does not offer the special services a special needs child requires. Even though we have been given an IEP(Individualized Education Plan), we were still not receiving the education she needs. My daughter has every chance of becoming a successful person of society, but just needs the tools to get her there. I quit my job a few years ago so I could spend more time with her and help her. However, a year ago, my husband and I decided to revisit that decision. If I went back to work, we may be able to afford the private school that could give her what she needed, but I would not be around her as much in case she needed me. As any parent of a special needs child, you know that you may be called to pick up your child at any moment during the day. We did some number crunching and decided we could send her to the private school and I could work part time if we really cut back in other areas. The entire family agreed it was the best thing to do. My two other children, 8 and 10, were willing to let us cut back their allowance if it meant their little sister would get what she needed. I cannot explain the difference it has made in all of our lives. Our daughter is now thriving at this new school, smiling and learning and connecting with other children and her teachers. Our other two children are happy knowing that they played a part in this. It is a wonderful situation for all of us.

Unfortunately, not every other family has these options. I read about the special needs legislation that would give children with special needs a chance. It would start a special needs scholarship program, that would grant scholarships to parents/students to decide on where to attend school...whether it be private or public. For the benefit of these children and their parents, I really hope it passes! It would break my heart to see other families struggle they way we have and not have any other options.