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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Brett Zaffer, Parent from The Bronx, on Preschool Special Education Services
11:31:10
ยท
132 sec
Brett Zaffer, a parent from The Bronx, testified about his experience with preschool special education for his daughter Samantha, who has Down syndrome. He highlighted the benefits of the program but also expressed concern about service gaps due to provider shortages, calling for increased funding and support for special education services.
- Shared personal experience of two-month gap in occupational therapy services due to provider shortage
- Referenced Advocates for Children report showing thousands of children not receiving mandated IEP services
- Called for extension of $55 million funding and additional $70 million for preschool special education services and evaluations
- Emphasized the illegality of failing to provide mandated services and the need for continued advocacy
Brett Z.
11:31:10
Good evening.
11:31:12
Thank you for having me.
11:31:14
My name is Brett Zaffer, and I am a parent from The Bronx.
11:31:20
My daughter Samantha is three years old and attends a preschool special education program in our neighborhood.
11:31:26
Sami has Down syndrome and her IEP mandates several different support services.
11:31:31
We have seen the immense benefits of receiving preschool special education.
11:31:36
She is in a wonderful school and has great providers and we've witnessed her growth since the beginning of the school year.
11:31:42
However, like so many other families, we have experienced gaps in SAMI services due to the persistent shortage of providers in our city.
11:31:50
Just recently our school had to hire a new occupational therapist and it took two full months to find a provider with availability despite the school and the DOE doing everything they can to search for one.
11:32:02
That's two months that Sammy missed of her mandated services due to the provider shortage.
11:32:07
Unfortunately this was not the first time we experienced long gaps in services between preschool special education and early intervention.
11:32:15
As a parent it is a terrible feeling to know that your child needs a service but that the city is unable to provide it.
11:32:21
The citywide numbers shared in a recent report from Advocates for Children are extremely upsetting.
11:32:28
Thousands of children across the city are not getting the services mandated on their IEP, and in some cases, it's for the entire school year.
11:32:36
How can we let this happen?
11:32:38
It is unacceptable, and it is illegal.
11:32:42
It is illegal.
11:32:43
And it should not be this hard to have services in place.
11:32:48
So I echo the call of advocates for the council and the mayor to extend the $55,000,000 that was granted this year for preschool special education and to add another $70,000,000 to the city budget for services and evaluations as recommended by Advocates for Children.
11:33:04
I'll close by saying next Friday is World Down Syndrome Day.
11:33:07
It is a day of inclusion and advocacy and it is in that spirit that I am here to advocate for all children with disabilities to get the support services they are entitled to and the council and mayor will continue to hear from us until that becomes a reality.
11:33:20
Thank you for your time.