Statement by Commissioner of Education Earl James McGrath, Making Education Provisions for Handicapped Children

MAKING EDUCATIONAL PROVISIONS FOR HANDICAPPED CHILDREN * One of the biggest jobs faced by the Nation's schools is to provide suitable educational ro trams for nearly 5,000,000 exceptional children. of these children more than 2,000,000 have physical handicaps, about 750,000 are mentally retarded or extremely slow-learning, and the rest are socially maladjusted, elotionally disturoed, or intellectually gifted. The vast majority of these exceptional chiluter can be educated for effective citizenship and occupational usefulness only through the provision Oi specialized services. Yet, the latest available information indicates that only about 15 percent of them are receiving this type of assistance. Much progress has been madé in developing day-school services for exceptional children since the turn of the century. This progress may be observed in all parts of the Nation and has been particularly rapid in the past 25 to 30 years. Since State and local governments have the responsioility for the education of all children, it is only natural that much of the progress in special ducational provisions for the handicapped should appear in strengthened State school laws. Year by year, additional States join the ranks of those which assist their local districts by providing then with financial assistance for the maintenance of special educational services. *By Earl James McGrath, U. S. Commissioner of Education, Federal Security Agency, Washing (ton, D. C., February 1952, for use in the May Day clip- sheet of the Children 's Bureau.