Parents and advocates gathered alongside students at a rally in support of special education funding outside the State House with many more students and educators participating from their classrooms via Zoom. They say the state shouldn't downshift costs to the local level, which would continue to squeeze these badly needed, and legally-requires services. 

The Monitor spoke to attendees about the impacts special education has had in their lives. Here are some of those individuals and their stories.

Sarah Georges

As a child with dyslexia, Sarah Georges spent time in a resource room during the school day. She knew she had to work harder to read than some of her peers, but she did not let that stop her. Now an adult, she says her experiences with special education taught her resilience.

“When I was growing up, I saw I was different,” Georges said. “Being uncomfortable reading in class and doing a test or extra work in a resource room, in those moments I learned to be a lot stronger in my own self. In those moments, I wasn’t the only one who had a difference. For us when we came into that space, we could all help each other out. Going into the real world, it made me stronger, it made me stand out a lot more, speaking up for myself, for my classmates. Even going into college I learned how to advocate for myself.”

She forged lifelong relationships with the other students who shared the resource room in high school. She recalls how their instructor, Ms. Perkins, supported her even after she graduated and needed advice on learning accommodations in college.

Georges, a member of the University of New Hampshire Leadership Series, now has several nephews and nieces who receive special education services at their schools. Using self-advocacy she learned in her own schooling career, Georges helps support her family as they navigate getting the learning support they need. She wants more people – including legislators – to have a better understanding of the impacts special education can have.

“Special education needs more attention and awareness when it comes to it, especially in our public schools. A lot of those kids get flown under the radar and no one really educated them or their parents. I’m hoping people understand how important it is for us to have it,” Georges said.

Debra Foster

When Debra Foster served on the Dunbarton School Board, she saw the support local schools were able to provide to students who needed special educations services on.

“Investment into special education funding for our children and our town actually paid off. The earlier we got to them, the less they needed as they got through the school system. It was absolutely worth every penny,” Foster said.

Her son, William, who passed away in his early 20s, had disabilities that required extra support. Special education allowed him to participate in school in a way he would not otherwise have been able to, according to Foster. William eventually moved to a residential learning environment. The impact that special education had on her son decades ago brought Foster out to the rally in support of funding these services.

“He actually had a life. He was treated like a regular kid even though he couldn’t speak or talk or walk,” Foster said. “He was part of a community. He just thrived as much as he could. ”

Foster said that cutting special education could leave students without the services they need to thrive if the taxpayers aren’t able or willing to pay. It saddens her to see how support for special education has waned in the past few decades.

“I felt so fortunate to live in New Hampshire,” Foster said. “Our legislature was so accommodating and compassionate at supporting these kids. I thought, wow I’m so glad I live in NH. Now I’m not so sure. It’s really discouraging to see.”

Colby Dudal

Colby Dudal experienced hearing and vision loss from a young age. As a student, he received special education services that he says have helped him decide what sort of life and career he wanted to build for himself.

“I wore hearing aids in class,” Dudal said. “I sat up front in class. Teachers would write in darker colors so I could see. Because of my vision and hearing impairments, I had accommodations. Because of those, I was able to be successful in high school and go off to college.”

He got a degree in journalism from Keene State and now works at New Hampshire Public Radio.

“Special education funding is important for people’s present day and also their future,” Dudal said. “Having appropriate special education can help build the future they want.”

As conversations around special education funding continue both state-wide and nation-wide, Dudal wants people to consider the value these services hold for students who need tailored support.

“I just hope people take notice and understand the importance of special education funding in New Hampshire,” Dudal added.

Kristen Sheppard

Kristen Sheppard credits special education as the reason for her sons graduating high school. Her older son already received his diploma but she thinks his learning disabilities might have prevented from doing so without special education. Her younger son, who has developmental disabilities, will graduate at the end of this month.

“Without special education, he would have failed out of school,” Sheppard said. “My husband and I moved to New Hampshire 13 years ago because of how the special education was here, much better than in Massachusetts.”

Sheppard, who lives in Derry, explained that special education takes into account more than learning disabilities. It also provides support with mental health, speech development and more, she said. Budget cuts will impact schools’ abilities to offer these services.

“All this is going to do is push those with disabilities down into the shadows,” Sheppard said. “The big thing is never take no for an answer. As parents we have to fight for our kids, that’s out job. And that includes fighting for the correct education for them.

Lisa Steadman

Lisa Steadman’s son Maxwell has received special education services from age three, when he moved into a public preschool.

“He’s always been included with all of his peers in the regular education classroom,” Steadman said. “But because funding is low, it’s been a struggle to get him the one-to-one support inside the classroom that we really prefer for inclusion. Instead he’s pulled out and put into a bulk classroom with other students with similar needs to do his special education math and English work. As a result he misses things his other peers experience in an regular education classroom.”

This year, Maxwell started 7th grade at the regional high school serving the town of Troy, where he lives with his family, who learned that the shift meant he will spend most of his time in a specialized classroom rather than included with his peers.

“It’s heartbreaking,” she said. “Schools should have enough funding to be able to personalize services for those students and be able to support them inside the regular education classrooms instead of grouping them into one room and having these economies of scale, which makes sense, but at the same time it’s not what’s best for the kids.”

Steadman, director of the board of Able NH, said she knows it’s expensive to provide special education services. Rather than having it be the responsibility of different towns and local taxpayers, she wants it to be a funding priority of the state.

“Imagine you’re the family of that student who has those needs and you move into a neighborhood and all eyes are on you because you have that expensive kid. The state should be insulating families from that kind of scrutiny from their neighbors. The state should be paying costs for special education so that the neighborhoods don’t have to worry about it as much.”

Rachel Wachman can be reac hed at rwachman@cmonitor.com