March 16, 2006

The Honorable Ralph Regula
Chairman, Subcommittee on Labor/HHS/Education Appropriations
US House of Representatives
Washington, DC

Honorable David Obey
Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Labor/HHS/Education Appropriations
US House of Representatives
Washington, DC

Dear Representative Regula and Representative Obey:

On behalf of our membership of over 100,000 people with disabilities and their families around the country, the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) recommends and urges you to provide $10 million for the “Demonstration Projects to Ensure Students with Disabilities Receive a Quality Higher Education” in FY2007 appropriations legislation. These projects are authorized under Title VII, Part D of the Higher Education Act, but their funding, unfortunately, has been eliminated by the President’s budget.

AAPD is concerned that while students with disabilities increasingly participate in post secondary education, they lag far behind their non-disabled peers in both participation and graduation rates. We believe that these demonstration projects are critical to access to higher education for students with disabilities and carry out the recommendations of President Bush’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education in 2002.

By funding these demonstration projects, you will allow 27 institutions in 21 states to continue to provide technical assistance and innovation to college students with disabilities around the country.

AAPD is the largest national nonprofit cross-disability member organization in the United States, dedicated to ensuring economic self-sufficiency and political empowerment for the more than 56 million Americans with disabilities.

Thank you very much for considering our request.

Sincerely,

Andrew J. Imparato, President and CEO