Assemblyman Leland Yee: System Failing Needy Children

Part of my responsibility, as a legislator, is to ensure that the government keeps its promise to provide a well-rounded public education for all California children.

Unfortunately, I have discovered that our educational system is failing our blind or visually impaired students. When I learned that more than half of the blind population, including approximately 93,600 school-aged children, is illiterate, I knew that I must do something to make sure the state lives up to its promise, including providing a quality education for these very special children.

The numbers are astounding; I have read statistics that show a steady decline in Braille literacy among the visually impaired since the '60s - when 52 percent of the blind aged 18 and under were literate in Braille. By 1990, that figure dropped to 10 percent.

A reason for this steep decline is that many schools districts have found it easier to hire a reader or provide tape recording devices or other audio tools for visually impaired children, rather than teaching them to read Braille.

Predictably, this decision directly affects the quality of education that children receive. These visually impaired children are now dependent on a device, rather than their ability, to read and think critically. A child will have great difficulty becoming a self-sufficient productive member of society, able to compete in today's labor force, without these basic skills. This is unacceptable.

The federal and state governments have made promises to make public education a top priority. A stated goal of the federal government's "No Child Left Behind Act" is to make sure all children are proficient in reading by the third grade.

Governor Gray Davis, when first elected, promised to make public education a number one priority for California. In 1999 the governor signed the "Braille Bill" (AB 306), which allows instructional aides to teach visually impaired students under the supervision of a properly trained teacher, and the "Reading Standards in Braille" bill (AB 2326), which created a task force to develop standards for K-12 instruction for visually impaired students.

However, there was no incentive for teachers to go into this special education field. That is why I have introduced Assembly Bill 1010, the "Loan Forgiveness for Teachers of Blind and Visually Impaired Pupils" legislation.

AB 1010 will establish loan forgiveness for teachers of blind and visually impaired pupils. This will afford teachers an incentive to develop the specialized skills required to provide visually impaired students with a quality education. A teacher can receive a credential in special education for the visually impaired and, after teaching for four years in that field, may receive reimbursement for the cost of that credentialing program.

With the shortage of special education teachers, it is imperative that the state offer incentives, such as the loan forgiveness program. AB 1010 will be heard in the Assembly's Higher Education Committee on Tuesday, April 1. I invite you to voice your support for this important bill and feel free to call my Sacramento office at (916) 319-2012 for further information.

Leland Yee is the Assistant Speaker pro Tempore at the California Assembly.