In last Thursday's NWS, Shelley Shelton gave readers an inside look at the life-skills classes in the Amphitheater, Marana and Flowing Wells school districts.
The story focused on uplifting programs that teach teens with a variety of developmental and physical disabilities the critical things they need to succeed.
Cooking for themselves, knowing the difference between men's and women's public restrooms, reading warning signs, and learning how to make choices to be responsible for the outcomes of those choices are some of the things addressed in the classes.
The students graduate with social and living skills that will enable them to live productive, relatively independent lives. They'll be able to work, volunteer and be contributing parts of the larger community.
"We're trying to give them the ability to use what they'll see when they leave school," Canyon Del Oro High School Principal Mike Gemma said in last Thursday's NWS.
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Reaction to the story was mostly positive; however, one reader's reaction reminded us of a larger, more complex issue: Bias against mentally handicapped people is still rampant.
How often have you heard or made a disparaging remark about someone's IQ or mental competency?
Dismissing a person because of his or her intellectual limitations is not fair game. It is easy to focus on what a person cannot do — or what he or she is doing wrong — rather than what he or she can do or has the potential to do.
"People need to accept people who are different," Mountain View High School special education teacher Deanie Wood said in last Thursday's Star. "They try harder, put forth more effort on a daily basis than most people do to succeed."
These programs give students a chance to gain real-life skills they can apply in the community. We hope that these teens will be able to find employment and be given the opportunity to work hard and live their lives without facing discrimination or prejudice.
Pseudoephedrine move solid
We know it's an inconvenience when your nose is stuffy and your head is aching, but the Marana Town Council's decision to make products containing pseudoephedrine more difficult to buy is solid.
Pseudoephedrine is an important ingredient for over-the-counter cold medicines, but it's also the key ingredient for illegal methamphetamine.
The new ordinance, passed last week, will require that products containing pseudoephedrine be kept out of the reach of customers. Merchants must also keep a log that includes the transaction date, with the age of the buyer and how much was purchased. Those records must be available to law enforcement agencies.
That the records will be readily available to law enforcement sends up a cautionary red flag as it seems close to infringing on the right of privacy for those who just want an effective decongestant to relieve their cold or allergy symptoms.
However, Marana law enforcement personnel said that a significant share of crimes in Marana are committed by meth addicts, the NWS reported last week. This is a step to help control crime.
Capitol Media Services reported Jan. 1 that legislation approved earlier this year addressed the cold-medication shoplifting problem by putting cold medicine that contains only pseudoephedrine behind the counter and permitting the sale of no more than 9 grams at any one time — about 150 doses.
Expect more discussion on this issue at the state level as Gov. Janet Napolitano and some legislators want tougher regulations to keep people from going from store to store to stock up.
