Obama will try to help disabled students (1)

By Alfredo Santana

Despite the proposal of president-elect Barack Obama and vice-president elect Joe Biden to create a set of programs for disabled college students, and for those about to enroll in a university or a community college, Dan Duran is somewhat doubtful about what the newly elected leaders can realistically accomplish.

Duran is a counselor in the Center for Disabilities at CSUN. He lives with a disability, and moves around in an electric wheelchair.

Duran said the president’s-elect program for the disabled communities is good, because after eight years of being almost totally ignored by Washington, the proposed changes set the pace for a fresh start. Obama’s four-point program to improve higher education access for the disabled include: to end working discrimination against disabled workers, to create new educational programs, increase levels of employment, and to improve independent housing conditions for the disabled. Duran said the proposals are welcomed.

But after 20 years of almost daily experience working in public schools with disabled individuals, Duran is a bit skeptical about the potential reach of Obama’s plan.

“President-elect Obama has very good proposals. I think he has developed a good political agenda. Being a person with a disability I feel happy with his proposals,” Duran said. “However, with the years I have working in this field, I know many of his proposals could be postponed, changed or ignored.”

Obama proposed to start a special educational program at the community college level nationwide for disabled students. The classes would focus on emerging technologies, green technologies, and concepts about hybrid and alternative fuel sources applied to automobiles and trucks.

The two-year colleges would receive special funds to improve and update existing classrooms, tools and computers, settings and teaching materials. Classrooms would provide access for students with special physical and mental disabilities. The colleges would also furnish associate in arts diplomas to those who successfully graduate.

Duran said the current financial, real estate and automobile industry crises would not allow an easy road for the Obama plan to garner Congress support. He said the president-elect will have to canvass many legislators to convince them about the benefits of his proposal, a work difficult to accomplish.

“These programs will cost millions and millions of dollars. This plan is a retooling of the general budget plan,” Duran said. “How [Obama] will work to convince millions of Americans of a programs for people with different needs of living?.”

Obama also proposed the creation of a special program whereby college-bound disabled students would clinch $4,000 to cover their first expenditures up to that amount. This financial package will also include high-school university or community college transfers.

Dr. Olivia Raynor, director of the National Arts and Disabilities Center (NADC) at UCLA, said it’s motivating to hear positive changes can become reality in the near future for students and adults alike. Nonetheless, Raynor also showed a dose of skepticism.

“Obama supports the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and other social programs. I’m happy about his proposals. It’s just too early to see what he can be able to achieve,” Raynor said. “We hope the president-elect can implement his plan to the largest extent possible.”

Raynor recently returned from Washington, D.C., where she attended a series of workshops with Obama representatives.