PITTSBURGH, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- A John McCain administration will be an advocate for special-needs children, Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said Friday in Pittsburgh.
Palin said she and McCain would increase federal education funding for families with children who have special needs and provide families with the latest information on available treatments.
Palin, the Alaska governor whose infant son was born with Down syndrome, says she's long been an advocate of supporting special needs families.
Noting that she and McCain have outlined her focus as vice president would be on energy independence and government reform, Palin said, "But there is another mission that's especially close to my heart and that is to help families of children with special needs."
The McCain-Palin plan would provide more choices for parents, fully funding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and efforts to reform and refocus on attention on children with special needs, she said.
"John McCain and I have a vision in which every child is loved and cherished and that is the spirit I want to bring to Washington," she said. "To the families and caregivers of special-needs children all across this country, I do have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters."
"And I pledge to you that if we are elected," she said, "you will have a friend and advocate in the White House."
