The Foreign Service Journal, June 2008

J U N E 2 0 0 8 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 89 S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT aving a child with special learning, physical or psychological needs is a challenging and frustrating, but potentially rewarding, experience for any family. All of these emo- tions are multiplied exponentially when a family is internationally mobile. It is not only necessary for the employee parent to find an appropriate position every few years, but also to iden- tify locations where the educational and medical needs of all family members can be addressed. Until recently, it was not possible to consider a career in the Foreign Service if the family included a special-needs child. That has changed, but there remain concerns about the complexity of choosing assignments that provide need- ed educational and medical resources, especially when the time to identify appropriate bids is limited. Within the Department of State, a number of offices and a myriad of professionals stand ready to assist and support families from civilian foreign affairs agencies headed overseas. Often, however, just the question of where to start can seem overwhelming. And, unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation that can lead families in the wrong direction. To help give families with special-needs children a head start, let me dispel some of the common misconceptions held by internationally mobile parents. Misconception 1: The Americans with Disabilities Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requirements apply to all American or international schools, no matter where they are. Until the late 1950s, children and young people with physical or mental disabilities were simply allowed to fall by the wayside in regular schools. Or, if the disability was severe, they were placed in schools or institutions where care was custodial at best. The activist spirit of the 1960s and the efforts of disabled veterans returning from Vietnam turned all this around. Federal laws were enacted requiring that in the U.S. those with challenges have physical access to build- ings, jobs and transportation, and that an appropriate and free public education in the least restrictive environment be available to all children of school age. But this legislation has never applied to private schools anywhere, and definitely not to public or private education- al authorities outside of the United States. Most of the schools our children attend overseas are independent insti- tutions with boards of directors that set policy. Even though many of these schools get grants, albeit relatively small ones, through the Office of Overseas Schools and other divisions in the Department of State, they are not obligated to adhere to IDEA or any of the other U.S. federal mandates on spe- cial needs. That said, there are numerous programs and initiatives designed to encourage the schools that serve our families to provide services. These programs include special grants for the salaries of specialists; summer workshops for faculty and administrators; consultants for in-service training; the devel- opment of targeted training materials, such as the publica- tions Transitioning Overseas with a Special-Needs Child, Making the Difference: Differentiation in International Schools; and more. The Office of Overseas Schools puts out a list, updated yearly, of several hundred schools around the world that provide special services. Misconception 2: None of the various offices in Washington involved with identifying special needs and evaluating services at Foreign Service posts talk to S PECIAL -N EEDS K IDS AND THE F OREIGN S ERVICE : D ISPELLING THE M YTHS C ORRECTING MISCONCEPTIONS CAN HELP FS PARENTS OF SPECIAL - NEEDS KIDS GET OFF TO A GOOD START . B Y P AMELA W ARD Dr. Pamela Ward has been a Foreign Service officer and par- ent, a university professor training special educators and an administrator in schools — public and private, in the U.S. and abroad. Formerly education and youth officer in the Family Liaison Office, she is now the regional education offi- cer for Africa in the Office of Overseas Schools. H