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FEDS LOOKING FOR PARENTS EAGER TO GET INVOLVED

** UPDATED ** October 13, 1999

Parents feeling helpless in the face of government bureaucracy now haven an opportunity to get involved in special education policy implementation at the highest level, through the Federal Interagency Coordinating Council. The council, formed by the 1994 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to help various federal and state agencies work together on special education programs, is recruiting parents to serve three-year terms starting next spring.

The Federal Interagency Coordinating Council is charged with cutting down on duplication of early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and preschool services for children with disabilities by federal, state and local agencies. The group also works to coordinate various federal early intervention and preschool programs and identify gaps in federal programs. The 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act added the Departments of Health and Human Services, Defense, Interior and Agriculture and the Commissioner of Social Security to the council's purview.

The council is accepting applications until Jan. 15, according to current FICC member Hedy Hansen, of Garden Grove, Calif. Nominations can be e-mailed to nomination@fed-icc.org. "I can attest to the importance and value of the experience for any parent," Hansen told parent support groups in an e-mail this month.8