| With the passing of the Individuals with Disabilities | | | | would not have qualified for such services in the past, |
| Education Act, schools across the nation are now | | | | are now eligible and taking advantage of the free |
| required to offer services that were before | | | | school-provided services. |
| considered a luxury for students with disabilities. One | | | | The Florida schools require speech and language |
| such service is for speech and language therapy. | | | | therapists to hold a minimum of a master's degree, as |
| In a memorandum to all Florida schools' special | | | | well as be certified and licensed to practice within the |
| education directors, Chief of Exceptional Education | | | | state of Florida. Unfortunately, the Florida schools' |
| Bambi Lockman wrote that federal officials found that | | | | therapists are paid little more than a beginning teacher, |
| the Florida schools had "failed to provide speech and | | | | who is required only to have a bachelor's degree and |
| language-related services to children with disabilities". | | | | who may or may not be certified in their area of |
| She further noted that the officials stated that these | | | | expertise. For example, the Florida schools' St. Lucie |
| services were necessary as outlined by the Individuals | | | | School District pays therapists only $8,000 more than |
| with Disabilities Education Act, without which the | | | | a beginning teacher. |
| children could not fully benefit from their special | | | | The majority of speech and language professionals |
| education. | | | | are moving to work in medical and hospital settings, for |
| Speech and language therapists help children who | | | | private companies, or to go into business for |
| have trouble pronouncing words due to physical | | | | themselves as private contractors. In the St. Lucie |
| disabilities, such as a cleft palate, autism, or hearing | | | | area, a speech therapist can earn upwards of $100 an |
| impairments. Other children have problems expressing | | | | hour as a private contractor. As with many teachers |
| themselves, and some children cannot speak at all. | | | | over the years, therapists are opting for higher wages |
| Therapists help these children overcome a wide range | | | | and better working conditions. |
| of obstacles that interfere with their ability to learn. | | | | This makes competition for the Florida schools very |
| Throughout the Florida schools there are nearly 93,000 | | | | difficult. The St. Lucie School District had a difficult time |
| children who are considered speech or language | | | | hiring 16 additional speech therapists last year. This |
| impaired. That is 18 percent of all Florida schools' | | | | year, they prepared to meet the demand by hiring |
| students. Under the disabilities act, other students also | | | | aides and college graduates, who are still working |
| will qualify for speech and language services, such as | | | | toward their master's degrees and certifications. |
| those children who are learning English as a second | | | | The Florida schools' Palm Beach County School |
| language. The demand for therapists by the Florida | | | | District has gone beyond the federal requirements and |
| schools already is greater than the availability of such | | | | will have an even higher demand for therapist services. |
| professionals, and officials expect that demand to | | | | They developed a plan that offers extra speech and |
| grow even more once services are more readily | | | | language services to all of their elementary-level |
| offered. | | | | students with disabilities. |
| Speech and language therapists have been in short | | | | With language and speech playing a crucial role in a |
| supply in the Florida schools, as well as across the | | | | student's development and the Individuals with |
| United States, for many years. Experts blame the | | | | Disabilities Education Act requiring the Florida schools |
| shortage on the increasing demands for therapists by | | | | to provide such services, therapists are much in |
| school districts across the nation and the considerably | | | | demand and the shortage is even greater. This means |
| low pay offered, compared to the amount of | | | | that until the Florida schools can hire all of the needed |
| education, certification and licensing required by the | | | | therapists, the services offered will be limited to how |
| schools. | | | | many therapists each school district can manage to |
| With the disabilities act, school caseloads have | | | | hire. |
| ballooned and are overwhelming. Many students, who | | | | |