Environmental Constraints Affecting Services for the Handicapped

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Abstract
Social policies that affect handicapped infants and preschoolers should assure that families have the necessary resources to meet the needs of these special children and should not usurp the authority or responsibilities of parents to their children. Aspects that affect the formulation of policy include economics factors, tax policies, geographic factors, prevention efforts, and current progress in early-childhood special education. The cost-effectiveness of programs must be a criteria in outlining how to best serve the handicapped child. The emotional strain a family must cope with in caring for a handicapped child should also be addressed by educating the parent as well as the child. Public policy that deals with handicapped citizens should explore preventative measures as well as remediation. Education should stress prevention of birth defects and the effects of substance abuse on the fetus. Federal funding for programs serving handicapped persons has consistently registered moderate increases even in times of decreased revenues that have produced cuts in nearly all other federal education programs. There is a bipartisan commitment to at least keep funding levels for these special programs in line with inflation whatever the impact of tax and economic policies in general.

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