Sarah and the Dogs (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} imafarmgirl) wrote in ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} indi_issues,@ 2008-03-22 14:13:00 |
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Disability in Indian Country
03/19/2008
http://www.daily-times.com/ci_8619916?s
In a country with as much abundance as ours we sometimes do a pathetic job of taking care of those who need the most help.
The disabled in the United States — individuals who should receive assistance first and foremost — are faced with discrimination, social stigma and neglect.
Many times they end up smothering in red tape before they are finally able to get the help they need.
We know that if Americans have a hard time navigating the multiple and complex public service systems in this country, those on the Navajo Nation have twice
the problems with infrastructure.
While there's nothing new about the fact that there is a lack of resources on the Navajo Nation, a 2007 survey of American Indians living with disabilities
in the Four Corners educated all of us about how shocking and grave the situation has become.
The survey found that 41 percent of American Indians living with disabilities could not get the services they needed in schools. An additional 27 percent
reported a child was disciplined unjustly in school for behavior related to a disability.
Conducted by the Native American Disability Law Center, the survey confirmed a number of suspicions about students with disabilities and quality of education,
Director Therese Yanan said.
The findings raise questions for the law center, Yanan said. With a staff of 11 attorneys and advocates based in Farmington and Gallup offices, it lacks
the resources to address every complaint.
The nonprofit organization advocates for rights of more than 67,000 American Indians with disabilities on the Navajo, Apache, Ute and Hopi reservations
and border towns. Its services include educating parents about rights for children with disabilities, providing legal assistance and mediation, and directing
clients to community, state or federal resources.
"Even if we tripled our staff, we would still be running as fast as we can," Yanan said.
American Indians are more likely to report disabilities than the general population, and the gap widens with age, according to United States census statistics.
In a 2006 survey, 8 percent of American Indian children ages 5 through 15 reported a disability, compared with 6.3 percent of the general population. The
gap widens as the population ages, with 20 percent of American Indians ages 16 to 64 reporting a disability, compared with 12.3 percent of the general
population.
Participants in the study cited quality of special education programs in reservation schools as one of the top complaints, Yanan said. Other issues included
difficulties finding housing and medical care.
"I haven't heard of anywhere else in the country where you have a person living in one state and getting services in another state from a program that's
run by a tribe but funded by the federal government," she said. "You have this sort of bureaucratic quagmire, and the delivery system for resources to
Native Americans with disabilities can be overwhelming."
When a disability is untreated, a student does not progress. The result is adults with disabilities who lack the skills to attend college, find jobs or
achieve financial independence.
We can't just sit by and shake our heads in disbelief. People who care need to get involved. Voluntary efforts by all of us can help in a thousand ways.
Improvement demands a purposeful and cohesive commitment from all sectors of society — policy makers both nationally and American Indian; people with disabilities
and their allies; state and local government officials; nonprofit organizations; the private sector and the media.
03/19/2008
http://www.daily-times.com/ci_8619916?s
In a country with as much abundance as ours we sometimes do a pathetic job of taking care of those who need the most help.
The disabled in the United States — individuals who should receive assistance first and foremost — are faced with discrimination, social stigma and neglect.
Many times they end up smothering in red tape before they are finally able to get the help they need.
We know that if Americans have a hard time navigating the multiple and complex public service systems in this country, those on the Navajo Nation have twice
the problems with infrastructure.
While there's nothing new about the fact that there is a lack of resources on the Navajo Nation, a 2007 survey of American Indians living with disabilities
in the Four Corners educated all of us about how shocking and grave the situation has become.
The survey found that 41 percent of American Indians living with disabilities could not get the services they needed in schools. An additional 27 percent
reported a child was disciplined unjustly in school for behavior related to a disability.
Conducted by the Native American Disability Law Center, the survey confirmed a number of suspicions about students with disabilities and quality of education,
Director Therese Yanan said.
The findings raise questions for the law center, Yanan said. With a staff of 11 attorneys and advocates based in Farmington and Gallup offices, it lacks
the resources to address every complaint.
The nonprofit organization advocates for rights of more than 67,000 American Indians with disabilities on the Navajo, Apache, Ute and Hopi reservations
and border towns. Its services include educating parents about rights for children with disabilities, providing legal assistance and mediation, and directing
clients to community, state or federal resources.
"Even if we tripled our staff, we would still be running as fast as we can," Yanan said.
American Indians are more likely to report disabilities than the general population, and the gap widens with age, according to United States census statistics.
In a 2006 survey, 8 percent of American Indian children ages 5 through 15 reported a disability, compared with 6.3 percent of the general population. The
gap widens as the population ages, with 20 percent of American Indians ages 16 to 64 reporting a disability, compared with 12.3 percent of the general
population.
Participants in the study cited quality of special education programs in reservation schools as one of the top complaints, Yanan said. Other issues included
difficulties finding housing and medical care.
"I haven't heard of anywhere else in the country where you have a person living in one state and getting services in another state from a program that's
run by a tribe but funded by the federal government," she said. "You have this sort of bureaucratic quagmire, and the delivery system for resources to
Native Americans with disabilities can be overwhelming."
When a disability is untreated, a student does not progress. The result is adults with disabilities who lack the skills to attend college, find jobs or
achieve financial independence.
We can't just sit by and shake our heads in disbelief. People who care need to get involved. Voluntary efforts by all of us can help in a thousand ways.
Improvement demands a purposeful and cohesive commitment from all sectors of society — policy makers both nationally and American Indian; people with disabilities
and their allies; state and local government officials; nonprofit organizations; the private sector and the media.
