Abstract
The “Rehabilitation, Comprehensive Services, and Developmental Disabilities Amendments of 1978” (P.L. 95-602) should have a great impact on the welfare of deaf-blind children. This legislation mandates the removal of communication barriers to handicapped people through better quality and availability of interpreter and reader services. Research possibilities have been expanded with the formation of the National Institute for Handicapped Research. The Act also authorizes new facilities and programs for independent living. It mandates cooperation between agencies at the State and Federal levels of government, which should promote effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery. The Act removes upper and lower age limits and drops the requirement that clients be feasible for employment, making clear the intention of Congress that rehabilitation be considered a life-long process. In order to realize the worthy objectives of P.L. 95-602, adequate funds must be appropriated for its administration. Those concerned with the welfare of handicapped persons must keep pressure on Washington to turn these ideas into actualities.
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