The Now Way To Know

What's to happen with the mentally retarded in the years ahead? Have educators planned carefully the programs to promote the well being of these children? What will happen to the parents of these children? Can the public and private sectors cooperatively work to meet the needs of the mentally retarded? These are all difficult questions to find single answers for. But recently Dr. Edwin W. Martin, Jr., Associate Commissioner, Bureau of Education for the Handicapped, and Raphael Simches, President, The Council for Exceptional Children, and Assistant Director of the Division of Handicapped Children in the New York State Education Department, attempted to address themselves to these inquiries about the mentally retarded. This conversation develops some strategies for successful cooperation between public and private agencies, as well as the attitudinal barriers which must be overcome in order to implement early childhood programs and programs for the severely handicapped. Dr. Martin challenges special educators to become involved in the political process and public forums. Mr. Simches stresses the importance of interactive and collaborative programs between regular and special educators. Both men further consider the value of non-school-based programs, parent participation, community involvement, and refinement of evaluation techniques. In essence, this conversation brings to the foreground the directions the education of the mentally retarded will take in the future.