TO THE EDITOR:
The Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute and the cause of young children and children with disabilities lost a dear friend in the passing of U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.). The blizzard of legislation that he supported for children with mental retardation, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, State Children’s Health Insurance Program and others provided the basis for much of our work.
Some may remember his visit to the University a few years ago where he convened a number of us to discuss the proposed legislation for No Child Left Behind.
He wanted to be sure that its provisions were based on sound scientific grounds and quizzed us extensively about that and early childhood.
It was typical of his attempt to reach across the aisle to accomplish meaningful goals for children. His real contribution, I believe, is that he inspired those he interacted with in the belief that the world could be better, more equitable, and that every child and every adult had within them the ability to be better and that our job was to create the conditions for making that happen.
