Member Advocacy Spotlight: Dr. Sarah Howorth, Vice President of the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (DADD)
Following the October 10 reduction-in-force that decimated the federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), educators and families nationwide have sounded the alarm about what the loss of oversight could mean for students with disabilities. Drawing on both lived experience and professional expertise, Dr. Sarah Howorth brings lived experience and professional insight to underscore why strong, sustained federal support is essential.
“My child was diagnosed with autism at age eight. If it wasn’t for the oversight of their Individualized Education Program (IEP) implementation, they might not have stayed in school,” she shared. “Today, they're a university sophomore majoring in environmental science.”
Her family’s story doesn’t end there. “My family member, now 41, had a severe math learning disability. Without their IEP team’s oversight, they might have dropped out of high school. Instead, they're now a thriving digital media professional in Los Angeles.”
OSEP’s impact has also shaped Dr. Howorth’s professional path. “My own Ph.D. was funded by an OSEP grant. In the ten years since I graduated, I’ve prepared more than 1,500 highly qualified inclusive educators as a special education faculty member. That ripple effect began with OSEP’s investment.”
As an associate professor of special education at the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development, Dr. Howorth leads research focused on social coaching and assistive and emerging technologies.
When asked about the potential impact of OSEP staffing reductions, Dr. Howorth is direct: “Schools may simply refuse to provide services if there’s no oversight. That would be horrifying for families. We risk returning to the days when institutions like Willowbrook existed.”
She worries about the loss of essential programs as well. “With no one ‘at the wheel’ of OSEP, TPSID programs could be delayed, funding for rural special education decimated, and civil rights violated.”
Her message to fellow CEC members and advocates is clear and urgent: “Flood your congressional representatives’ offices, phones, and inboxes. Speak out publicly about what’s at stake. Share real stories about real people whose lives are being affected.”
Dr. Howorth’s leadership and advocacy remind us that the work of OSEP, and the protections guaranteed under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, are not abstract policies. They are the foundations that allow students like her relatives, and thousands of others to learn and thrive.