A Huge, Devastating Blow to Special Education

I struggled to write this story, because this topic in particular hits very close to me. In my previous story about special education, I shared my personal story of how the program changed my life and my concerns surrounding it. I'm emotional talking about it, because I was that kid. The kid on the autism spectrum who relied on the services that accommodated my personal needs. I had an IEP to assist me with whatever I needed. Over three decades later, I'm forever grateful for the teachers and other staff who took time out of their day to help me become the person I am today. They wanted me to become successful and live a productive life. Without it, I wouldn't be as successful as I am today. If you would like to read my previous story, you can click the link down below. It's worth the read and please share it with others to spread the word.

https://shopping-feedback.today/theSwamp/the-reasons-why-i-m-worried-about-the-future-of-special-education%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E%3Cstyle data-emotion-css="14azzlx-P">.css-14azzlx-P{font-family:Droid Serif,Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:1.1875rem;-webkit-letter-spacing:0.01em;-moz-letter-spacing:0.01em;-ms-letter-spacing:0.01em;letter-spacing:0.01em;line-height:1.6;color:#1A1A1A;margin-top:32px;}

Friday, the Trump administration announced that the office that oversaw special education has been dissolved, laying off dozens of staff. This action will affect around 7.5 million students with disabilities.

One genuine question I would ask the President is why? Why cut the much-needed resources away from children who rely on it? The role of being the commander-in-chief is having empathy towards people's plights and walk inside their shoes. Having compassion for others is neither a Republican nor Democrat thing. It's a human decency and respect thing. Parents of children and adults with disabilities have to take on the roles of caregivers to meet the individual's needs. Special education teachers and paraprofessionals deserve all the praise for all they do, because in my opinion, they're unappreciated. Also, day programs might be affected by these cuts. Back in the summer of 1997, I attended a summer camp for children with disabilities at a high school for an entire week. I took part in the different daily activities in order for me to interact with the other children. According to an article about this topic from NPR, nothing explicitly was stated if or how day and summer programs would be affected by the recent layoffs. If they were to face any sort of cuts, it would be disappointing to parents, teachers, counselors, caregivers, legal guardians, and the children themselves. The link to the NPR article will be found at the end of this story for your convenience.

More funding for special education programs is not only important, but essential. Making these resources difficult for everyone to access is not the solution. Advocacy and educating everyone on this topic are key. As someone who can speak from experience, the only people who are suffering because of the recent cuts are these children and adults with disabilities. It severely punishes them for simply existing and being affected by decisions made by the government that wasn't their fault. As a nearly 40-year-old man with autism, I overcame many obstacles and barriers in life. My hope is that my previous story and the current one will reach to one or a few people. Individuals with disabilities deserve to be treated with dignity, compassion and respect. I would urge the Trump administration to listen to the stories from parents, teachers, caregivers, and so on. That way, they'll have a better understanding of why these cuts are hurting those who are unable to speak up for themselves. Not only that, but for the administration to see things from other people's perspective. Being in special education over 30 years ago inspired me to become an activist and a voice to others who need someone that they can look up to.

If you enjoyed this story, please give it a like. Make sure you follow me on my socials. Finally, like this story and please leave a generous one-off tip. It'll be found at the end of this story. Big or small, your tips will support creators like me so we can keep publishing new stories and share them with everyone.

https://www.npr.org/2025/10/13/nx-s1-5572489/trump-special-education-department-funding-layoffs-disabilities