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Parents of developmentally disabled Montanans probably left a recent legislative forum with more questions than answers.Most of the 14 legislative candidates attending the June 17 forum at City College in Billings admitted they didn’t know much about services for folks with disabilities.To their credit, the candidates came to learn.

f you are involved in the well-being of an infant, toddler, child, or youth with disabilities, you’ll find reading the exact language of IDEA both illuminating and important. In addition to being able to read it here online, you may also wish to download a full copy, print it out, and keep it handy.

We felt terrible for the school team. And we felt bad for the family, too; we heard that they had been banned from the school. One thing we knew for sure—we would never be the kind of parents who would go to due process. We were not lawsuit people and didn’t even know any lawyers. If we ever had differences, we would find a way to work them out. Due process for us? No way!

I gave birth to the most beautiful child I could ever have imagined. I love her eyes. I love her button nose. I love her little lips, her barely-there fuzzball head of hair. I love the way she coos, and the way she smiles a goofy, mouth-wide open grin. In five days, I will be handing her over to a team of pediatric surgeons. They will cut open her chest and, provided all goes well, they will repair her heart. In five days, I will face the hardest day I have ever had to face as a mother. I will face the hardest day I have ever had to face in general. It's there, just looming.