Palin Disability Plan Update

Almost as if she read my mind, Sarah Palin today announced her new plan for children with disabilities. Here are two articles about her 4 point plan:
PALIN ADVOCATES FOR SPECIAL NEEDS FUNDS
Palin outlines plans for special needs children

The problem is this: 3 out of 4 of her plan points are already in the 8-page Obama plan:
Obama's Plan
and have been since he put out his plan months and months ago.

Here's the big problem with her school choice proposal, as noted in the MSNBC article:
"McCain senior policy advisor Douglas Holtz-Eakin said the plan would not mandate private or parochial schools to accommodate children with special needs."

Private schools do not have to accept kids with disabilities - and many don't. So even with a voucher in hand, parents will get turned away. How do I know that? Because I tried to get my own son into several private schools - some of them were parochial schools - and I was willing to pay out of pocket. They said they couldn't handle him. So this is just another case of "that sounds pretty."

Obama's plan covers so much more than Palin's plan including mental health parity, Medicaid Waivers, and more. I particularly like the concept of the government hiring more people with disabilities-which brings them stable jobs with great benefits.

It is clear that Obama was thinking about people with disabilities long before Sarah Palin ever came on the scene to claim her "special" place on this issue. The playing field is not leveled by Palin's new plan - a plan which is coming just days before the election.