Handicapped Children

Maryland is failing to ensure that the state's 88,000 schoolchildren with disabilities are getting a proper education, a new federal report says.The report, written by auditors from the U.S. Department of Education and released by state education officials yesterday, finds three significant shortcomings in Maryland's compliance with federal law:* Children who are placed in "special education" programs because of mental, emotional or physical handicaps are...

Anne Carlsen, 87, who was born without hands or feet and gained national acclaim as a teacher of handicapped children, died Sunday in Jamestown, N.D. She was a teacher, principal and administrator for more than 40 years at the Jamestown school that now bears her name. Former Gov. William Guy awarded her the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award, which is North Dakota's highest honor, in 1966. Ms. Carlsen was the youngest of six children. Her mother died when she was 4 and her father became the guiding influence in her life.

Several handicapped children who were left without a way to get to summer camp because of cuts in Baltimore County's budget will be given free rides by a private ambulance company.Joe Dulany, chief executive officer of the Advanced Care Ambulance Co., learned of the children's plight after reading news reports outlining the difficulties of transporting a severely handicapped child. This is the first year Baltimore County has eliminated its transportation for handicapped campers."It's ludicrous.

Winning lottery ticket bought in Edgewater hasn't been redeemed Saturday night's winning lottery ticket worth $2 million was purchased in Anne Arundel County, state lottery officials said. It had not been redeemed as of yesterday. The winning numbers were 01, 05, 13,14, 21 and 25. The winning ticket was purchased at a High's store on Mayo Road in Edgewater, officials said. The claimant has 182 days from the date of the drawing to redeem the ticket. Pasadena play area opens for handicapped children Anne Arundel County's first playground for handicapped children has opened at Lake Waterford Park in Pasadena.

Winning lottery ticket bought in Edgewater hasn't been redeemed Saturday night's winning lottery ticket worth $2 million was purchased in Anne Arundel County, state lottery officials said. It had not been redeemed as of yesterday. The winning numbers were 01, 05, 13,14, 21 and 25. The winning ticket was purchased at a High's store on Mayo Road in Edgewater, officials said. The claimant has 182 days from the date of the drawing to redeem the ticket. Pasadena play area opens for handicapped children Anne Arundel County's first playground for handicapped children has opened at Lake Waterford Park in Pasadena.

A Catonsville High School flute player who uses a wheelchair may be able to practice with the school band, thanks to the loan of a device that will give her access to the building's basement.An organization representing handicapped children will lend a portable wheelchair lift to the Baltimore County schools for the use of Randi Wixom, 16. She sued the school system last April because she was unable to get down a flight of steps to practice with the band.Samuel Edwards, president of the Columbia-based Society of Underprivileged and Handicapped Children of Maryland Inc., said the device, called a Garaventa Stair-Trac, usually costs about $7,000.

Last year, Baltimore County asked the parents of handicapped children to chip in $200 to pay for transporting each child to summer camp. This year, after another round of budget cuts, the county dropped the transportation program."

Maria Lee Garitee, a retired guidance counselor whose work with handicapped children went far beyond her school duties, died Friday at her home in Towson after a five-year battle with cancer. She was 64.An educator in Baltimore County for 33 years, Mrs. Garitee committed her life to helping others, said her daughter Meridith Muehleib of Fairfax Station, Va."She wasn't satisfied to just get her handicapped students through school, she also worked hard to prepare them for the community and job market after graduating," Mrs. Muehleib said.

Howard County Council member Charles C. Feaga, the west county Republican known for his candor, said yesterday that county schools should reduce special education instruction and suggested Howard schools suffer because they attract too many disabled students from other counties."

Three lead-poisoned children of a Baltimore woman and a young cousin were awarded nearly $1 million in Baltimore Circuit Court yesterday when attorneys and insurance companies for several area landlords agreed to settle the case.The settlement provided a total of $967,500 to be divided between about $200,000 in hospital bills and trust funds for the four youngsters.That amount probably is the largest lead-paint award ever to come out of Baltimore courts, according to Ira C. Cooke, a lawyer who is a lobbyist for the Property Owners Association of Greater Baltimore Inc. The association represents owners of about 75,000 rental units.

Howard County Council member Charles C. Feaga, the west county Republican known for his candor, said yesterday that county schools should reduce special education instruction and suggested Howard schools suffer because they attract too many disabled students from other counties."

Maria Lee Garitee, a retired guidance counselor whose work with handicapped children went far beyond her school duties, died Friday at her home in Towson after a five-year battle with cancer. She was 64.An educator in Baltimore County for 33 years, Mrs. Garitee committed her life to helping others, said her daughter Meridith Muehleib of Fairfax Station, Va."She wasn't satisfied to just get her handicapped students through school, she also worked hard to prepare them for the community and job market after graduating," Mrs. Muehleib said.

Teachers At RiskMuch is said these days about the inclusion program in the Baltimore County schools. The term is a euphemism for placing emotionally and otherwise handicapped children in ordinary classrooms with the general school population and with teachers who are rarely equipped or trained to handle many of the extraordinary problems that these children display.Little consideration has been given to the disruptive effect of these children, and especially the severely emotionally disturbed, on the general school population and how their presence suppresses learning by children who are not handicapped or disturbed.

Several handicapped children who were left without a way to get to summer camp because of cuts in Baltimore County's budget will be given free rides by a private ambulance company.Joe Dulany, chief executive officer of the Advanced Care Ambulance Co., learned of the children's plight after reading news reports outlining the difficulties of transporting a severely handicapped child. This is the first year Baltimore County has eliminated its transportation for handicapped campers."It's ludicrous.

Last year, Baltimore County asked the parents of handicapped children to chip in $200 to pay for transporting each child to summer camp. This year, after another round of budget cuts, the county dropped the transportation program."

Washington -- HBO, the cable movie channel, showed a film last week called ''A Private Matter.'' The story was about Sherri Finkbine, who was ''Miss Sherri'' on a children's television program called ''Romper Room.'' She and her husband Bob, a high school teacher, had four children.When she became pregnant again, she took a drug that Bob had bought for her in London which was supposed to help her sleep. The drug was Thalidomide. It was discovered to cause severe birth defects when a woman took it during pregnancy.

Washington -- HBO, the cable movie channel, showed a film last week called ''A Private Matter.'' The story was about Sherri Finkbine, who was ''Miss Sherri'' on a children's television program called ''Romper Room.'' She and her husband Bob, a high school teacher, had four children.When she became pregnant again, she took a drug that Bob had bought for her in London which was supposed to help her sleep. The drug was Thalidomide. It was discovered to cause severe birth defects when a woman took it during pregnancy.

Anne Carlsen, 87, who was born without hands or feet and gained national acclaim as a teacher of handicapped children, died Sunday in Jamestown, N.D. She was a teacher, principal and administrator for more than 40 years at the Jamestown school that now bears her name. Former Gov. William Guy awarded her the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award, which is North Dakota's highest honor, in 1966. Ms. Carlsen was the youngest of six children. Her mother died when she was 4 and her father became the guiding influence in her life.

A Catonsville High School flute player who uses a wheelchair may be able to practice with the school band, thanks to the loan of a device that will give her access to the building's basement.An organization representing handicapped children will lend a portable wheelchair lift to the Baltimore County schools for the use of Randi Wixom, 16. She sued the school system last April because she was unable to get down a flight of steps to practice with the band.Samuel Edwards, president of the Columbia-based Society of Underprivileged and Handicapped Children of Maryland Inc., said the device, called a Garaventa Stair-Trac, usually costs about $7,000.

Randi Wixom is a little more optimistic she will be playing the flute along with her friends in band class as a senior at Catonsville High School this fall. Soon, she may know just how convenient that will be.Wixom, 16, who has an undiagnosed neurological disease that keeps her from walking, is the focus of negotiations between attorneys from the National Disability Action Center and the Baltimore County Board of Education.Yesterday, the attorneys held a conference telephone call with U.S. District Court Judge Marvin J. Garbis to discuss alternatives to help Wixom move throughout areas in the school now inaccessible because of her condition.