Section 504
A lot of families of kids with disabilities are feeling scared right now as the current administration is seeking to dismantle the Department of Education & hand that power over to the states.
As a mom of a daughter with Down syndrome who will be starting kindergarten at a public school in just over a year (which is our only option as private schools don’t have the capability of accommodating Paige in their classrooms) I’m keeping myself informed, but also trying not to be consumed by the media.
I did my research on Fox News to try to get the perspective of the current administration & learned that the key laws the Education Department enforces are:
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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which “is a law that makes available free, appropriate public education for eligible children with disabilities. It provides special education services, supports early intervention for infants and toddlers, and awards competitive grants.”
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Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1976 which ”ensures that students with disabilities have equal access to education by prohibiting discrimination in programs or activities that receive federal funding from the U.S. Department of Education.”
I’ve seen a lot of posts from parents with disabilities sharing their fear of what this could mean.
History & government aren’t my strong suit, so I decided to ask ChatGPT:
I found myself starting to feel that rise of heaviness in my chest.
Honestly, sending my daughter Paige who has Down syndrome to kindergarten after being in such an incredible, inclusive preschool is already terrifying. She does require a lot of extra resources, but she also has so much to give to a classroom that they would be lucky to have her.
If you’ve had the pleasure of meeting her, you know : )
Then I took a deep breath to calm myself down as things were starting to feel hard. Hopeless.
What can I actually do?
Well, I can bring awareness to what I’m learning in a way that doesn’t assume the worst or simply hope for the best. (Check!)
Here’s an article from Axios that clearly outlines what this could mean for different states ending with the fact that the role of the president doesn’t have the authority to dismantle a federal agency. While this is comforting, I do still find myself feeling powerless.
The other thing I can do is to continue what I’m doing to support the fundraising efforts of nonprofits who are serving the disabled population & other populations at risk of losing their funding.
I’m feeling my chest loosen as I type this.
We’ve got six non-profit fundraising partnerships for March:
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Gigi’s Playhouse in Denver whose mission is to make a lifetime commitment to changing lives & providing hope through the consistent delivery of free educational, therapeutic, & career development programs for individuals with Down syndrome, their families, & the community. I have a call with Gigi’s Playhouse in Tampa later this afternoon to confirm the details!
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The Rio Grande Valley Down Syndrome Association whose mission is to build relationships, advocacy & support for individuals with Down syndrome & their families in the Rio Grande Valley.
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Girl Power USA who is committed to revolutionizing the social impact sphere & including everyone in the conversation of change.
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Young Life, Capernum whose vision is to invite teens & young adults with & without disabilities to discover authentic friendship, growth, & purpose.
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Partners for Education, Agriculture & Sustainability (PEAS) who exists to cultivate joyful connections with the natural world thought outdoor learning & edible education.
We set up a two week preorder window where you can buy a made to order handbag with the organization’s logo or design engraved on the front.
Then our artisan get to work, carefully handcrafting each bag.
When the bags arrive we ship them to those who placed an order & we donate 50% of the sale to to the organization.
It’s truly such a win for everyone - supporting organizations with needed funds, giving more work to our artisan partners in Ethiopia & having a handbag that reminds you of the organization you believe in every time you carry it.
So in times when things feel overwhelming, I encourage you to look outward.
What can you do to support the causes you deeply care about with what you have?
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xoxo, Jen Lewis, Founder of Purse & Clutch
P.S. If you want to support our partnerships with any of the organizations above, click a link below to access their custom fundraising landing pages to preorder a handbag:
RIO GRANDE VALLEY DOWN SYNDROME ASSOCIATION
You’ll see that technically their preorder windows haven’t begun, but y’all can have early access! I'm sure they won't mind : )
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And I haven’t finished building out the PEAS landing page yet as they just confirmed on Tuesday, but keep an eye out if you’re drawn to their mission as their fundraiser will start March 3rd.
