Special Education Today newsletter 5(16)

Who wants to take a look at a newsy week?

Here you have this week’s edition of the newsletter for Special Education Today. It is for the week that began 13 October 2025. It was a week chocked full of news about events in the US, but there were other things happening, too. Share it at will!

Raise your hand if you know how many posts have appeared on SET. Yes, 1463 is correct. So this is the 1464rd post in history. Now, let’s see if y’all know the answer to this question: What will you get in this edition of the newsletter…get ready… 👏🏽. Yes! Photo, Status, Spedlets, and, uhm, what was it? Editorial? Commentary? Drivel? Yes. Right! Photo, Status, Spedlets, and Drivel!

Photo

As some of you Dear Readers may have noted, I was sick this week. It started out last Friday (the 10th) and then got worse. I tested for Covid-19, and this photo shows the negative result.

JohnL’s negative Covid-19 test. Photo © 2025 by John Wills Lloyd, Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

Yay for null results (researchers among the readers may be giggling or rolling their eyes). Even though the virus was not Covid-19, it knocked me back. I hope to be normal (someday).

Status

This week Substack told me that there are > 1000 subscribers who have joined our community. The group grew by about 15 members during the week covered by this newsletter. Hooray!

Special welcome to Nicole V. She became a supporter this week. She joined Kristin S., Callie O., Jenni R., Bear A., Angelique W., Anna O., Pam S., Jane N., Amanda H., Nancy S., Jean S. Linda L., Marilyn F., Mary R., Meg D., Nancy S., Pam S., Pam S. (too!), Rebecca B., Rebecca S., Riley M., Sally B., Vicki W., Ann R., Paige P., Ed P., Ed M., Clary K., Joel M., Dan H., Larry M., and Mike N. who are also among the supporters of SET. Thank you, one and all. Along with Anita A., Mike G., Li-Yu H., and Kathy M., that’s an august crew!

And, welcome, Jennifer K., Alli F., Kat A., Gabrielle S., Alexis S., Shannon N., L. H., Linda W., Angela L.-R., Shengeng G., Jill L., Lacey T.-B., Kyle, June M., and anonymous.

Traffic approached 10,000 view this past week. People were reading the posts about changes in the workforce at the US Department of Education frequently.

Comments: Flash of the electrons to Clay K., Mike N. (2), Joel M., Sally B., DC C. (2), Jane B. (2), and Dan H. for dropping comments this past week. When I see comments, I know at least some of y’all are reading and reflecting on the content published on SET. I should also note that one needs to be a paying subscriber to have the authority to comment, so these folks should receive ✨✨!

Spedlettes of the week

Here is the obligatory catalog of posts from the previous week.

1. Special Education Today newsletter 5(15): If you need a link to any posts for the week just passed, here’s a list of them [JWL]

2. ED RIFs update: # 1: What has been happening in sped world with the US Department of Education reductions in force? [JWL]

3. More about accessibility: Are you ready for some news and important ideas from Jack McElaney? [JWL]

4. ED RIFs update: # 2: What additional news is there about the US Department of Education reductions in force? [JWL]

5. The Learning Disabilities Strategy Summit is coming: Wouldn’t you want to be able to participate? [JWL]

6. Correcting the harm government is doing to children: What do we gain when we step back and look at the broad picture of government changes in children’s services? [JWL]

7. ED RIFs update: # 3: What more happened in sped world with the US Department of Education reductions in force? [JWL]

8. Gene therapy for deafness: What if it turned out that it is possible to reverse deafness? [JWL]

9. Do we need a category for profound autism?: What about those kids who need substantial help with self-care, communication, and behavior? [JWL]

10. Effects of disappearing structural supports at US ED: What will be the consequences of the extensive dismissal of special education staff members at offices administering [JWL]

11. ED RIFs update: # 4: What more happened in sped world with the US Department of Education reductions in force? [JWL]

12. Navigating Uncertainty: An update for special education leaders: What’s this about? [JWL & DB]

Drivel

I’m drivel-less. I’ll say that the past 10 days have given me an appreciation of the importance of one’s health, but also the extraordinary work that lies ahead of us. I have renewed appreciation for the efforts of our foremothers and -fathers who persisted in the face of substantive social and legal impediments to secure education for their children. Those people who formed the nascent organizations of the middle 1900s—the Association for Retarded Children, Association for Children with Learning Disabilities, Association for the Severely Handicapped, the National Alliance for Mental Health, and so forth—and joined with advocates the deaf, the blind, and those concerned with other disabilities actually secured access to education for their children.

Those historic accomplishments are now nearly legendary. They occupy a few pages in introductory textbooks that today’s prospective teachers read. The efforts of those people are just history, gradually fading. But their work must be honored by sustaining special education today.

Let’s make sure we honor the efforts of Gini Laurie, May and Leonard Mayo, Elizabeth Boggs, Ely Tash, Beatrice York, Jack and Ethel Hausman, and many others. We will likely need some of their focus, resolve, and drive to keep special education alive in these days.

And, as we work to sustain special education, we cannot forget to do what we need to do for our kids right now. So, get lots of rest (and get well, in my case), take care of those around you (make sure they are secure, safe, healthy, and know that they are loved), and (for damn sure) teach your children well.

JohnL

John Wills Lloyd, Ph.D.

UVA Professor Emeritus

Founder & Editor, https://www.SpecialEducationToday.com/