KIDS ARE PEOPLE TOO!!!!! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE US BEHIND!!
Tuesday, December 30, 2003

Dear Senators and Representatives,

My name is Matthew Ross and I am 12 years old. I live in Zephyrhills, Florida and am diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. I am a smart boy but I have problems with social skills and receptive skills. I need Occupation Therapy because I have trouble using my hands at things you take for granted such as buttoning the buttons on a shirt or tying my shoes. Other than that, I am JUST LIKE YOU.

I am mainstreamed in my middle school classes and I participate in Future Farmers of America (FFA) showing sheep where I have won Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion for my chapter. I also participate in Special Olympics where I am a National Champion in Golf and have State Championships in Cycling, Soccer, Golf, and Basketball. I enjoy watching the NBA, Major League Baseball, (GO YANKEES!) and the NFL. I am JUST LIKE YOU and your children.

Before my mom even new about IDEA, I was put into a class where all the kids banged their heads on the desks, walls, and even the floor. I thought that was normal until someone asked me why I did that. I told them it was because everyone else did it so I did it too. School administrators had put me into an Autistic class and I spent the entire day playing in a sandbox, walking holding onto a rope, or banging my head. Someone finally said to mom one day that I could be a regular person too. So mom went to school and they did an IEP for me. Boy did mom get mad that day!!

She sat in a big room with a whole lot of people and just her not knowing what was going on. They told my mom what they would do for me and didn't ask her what she wanted for me. She was pretty upset and even more when a letter came in the mail and said the total opposite of what she agreed to at the meeting. No notes were taken so it was her word against my mom's and that means 22 people saying it didn't happen like she said it did. Mom started reading and made some phone calls to find out that meeting wasn't legal according to the law. But how did she know that. She trusted the people at my school and they lied to her and it hurt me.. She then called the Advocacy Center in Tampa and they helped her through this mess. That is when mom learned all about IDEA and that this law is there to protect us disabled kids. I am JUST LIKE your children.

Now that the schools learned that there is a Federal Law to protect us kids and that they have to follow that law, I am mainstreamed in my middle school. But the Vice Principal still thinks it is ok to retaliate against me and my mom. I was not allowed to play on the school basketball team and now may not get to participate in the State Fair showing sheep. This is what it is like when you speak up against the school and the way they do their jobs. My mom got threatened with being arrested for walking onto school grounds even though it was for official business.

A lot of parents do not say anything about their children's education because they are scare of the retaliation to them and their kids. They are good parents and try to protect them from harm. So the schools get away with not following the law that is there to protect us disabled kids. Would you like this to happen to you or your children? I am JUST LIKE your children.

When you were a child did you ever misbehave in school? You are lucky you are not disabled or in school these days or you would be thrown out onto the street and you would end up in jail or dead. That is what you are trying to do to me and other disabled kids like me. I have SOCIAL PROBLEMS. It is part of my Asperger's Syndrome. I did not ask to be born with this disease but I have it and try to do my best in school, at home, at church, and wherever I go. Sometimes I just cannot control my behavior even though I am on medications. Is this a reason to throw me out of school and to end my education? The change to the present law you are proposing is doing just that. You are putting an end to my education and to my dream of earning a living and having a family. I am not normal but why should that mean that you get to pass a law which penalizes me because I am not normal? What if this was your child or grandchild? Would you like this to happen to them? I am JUST LIKE your children and grandchildren.

My teachers are upset that Congress is trying to do away with benchmarks on my IEP. My doctors are upset too. They use those to measure where I am in my progress. I know if I have to improve on time management skills or self help skills or social skills. I know what I have mastered and those which need more improvement. This is not the same as my report card where I am graded in academic subjects. They are two different things. My report card is the same as your child's or grandchildren's, but my benchmarks are JUST for me. They show who I am and what are my strengths and weaknesses outside the classroom.

These skills as they improve will help me get better grades and get into college one day. When mom and my teachers sat down for my IEP conference, it took them just 10 minutes to complete it. They were able to look at my benchmarks and figure out if I met them or did not. If I did they raised the bar so I can improve and if not, they put me in classes where I could get the help I need. Why all the complaints about the paperwork. My IEP is about 3 pages long and 2 pages of benchmarks. I guess the teachers complain about all the extra work they have to do like Medicare stuff which has nothing to do with my IEP. I am different and I may not be perfect but, with my IEP and my benchmarks I am closer to my goals.

I AM JUST LIKE your children and grandchildren.

Please do not leave me or my classmates behind. We are people too!! We all want to have jobs, pay taxes, and have families one day. What you are trying to do hurts all of us and excludes us from the life all of you and your children enjoy. Inclusion has taught me how to be more normal and gave me a life. IDEA gave me my life back and now I have been able to set my goals in life. To take away my rights is to take away my life and leave me behind. Is this what you would want for your children or grandchildren if they were disabled? If this is what you would want for them, then you need to resign and let someone with compassion and a sense of justice sit in your chair.
PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE ME BEHIND!!!! DISABLED ARE PEOPLE TOO!!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my letter.

Sincerely,

Matthew Ross
Zephyrhills, Florida