When Rice really wants to find his mother, he returns to New Rochelle, N.Y., to whatever classroom in whatever public school needs a teacher for special-needs students.

After working with special-needs students in the Palmer school district for years, Linda is now a foster mother to two adults in their 20's who have disabilities.

She is a public school teacher for special-needs students in Arlington, Virginia.

Thomas was married to the former Susan Roberts, a public school teacher for special-needs students in Arlington, Virginia; the couple had three sons and one daughter.

His mother retired as a teaching assistant for bilingual special-needs students in the New Bedford public schools.

Two years later, the school building was reopened under the direction of Astor Services and now functions as a school for special-needs students.

The school also offers programs for special-needs students under the Special Education department.

New York, where more than two-thirds of the 168,000 special-needs students are poor enough to qualify for Medicaid, has lagged far behind the state's other large school districts in filing claims.

This decision was not without controversy, as school officials, parents and teachers complained of inadequate staffing, increased neighborhood traffic and lack of attention for special-needs students.

The inclusion conference was held as a special conference for special-needs students for the first time in 2005; it was called G.O.A.L.