A Memphis grandmother of 18 and great-grandmother of one is hopeful about today's historic vote on the Safe Chemicals Act. "This is a step in the right direction," said Sue Marsh.
After raising her seven children, Marsh went back to school to become a special education teacher, eventually earning her doctorate in leadership and policy studies. She now supervises special education programming at Memphis City Schools, soon to become Shelby Consolidated Schools.
Speaking from her own perspective, Marsh says it breaks her heart to see more and more children and families dealing with learning disabilities. ..."a huge increase in autism, attention deficit disorder, just a huge increase in disabilities." She's hopeful that measures in the Safe Chemicals Act might help protect the most vulnerable children from suspect toxic exposures.
As President of the Learning Disabilities Association of Tennessee, Marsh, EdD welcomes a grant from parent group Learning Disabilities Association of America for the Healthy Children Project. She'll be using the grant to reach out with education and awareness programs for parents of at-risk children, helping them find practical solutions to navigating consumer product choices. She wants parents to have more and better information about the products they bring into their homes, especially substances leading scientists say can cause harm. "To me, it's just critical that we know," expressed Marsh. Part of LDAs mission is to "reduce the incidence of learning disabilities in future generations."
Marsh will also be encouraging her US Senators from Tennessee, Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander, to support the Safe Chemicals Act as it heads toward the Senate Floor and a step closer to becoming reality. Today's historic vote moved the measure out of a Senate committee where Alexander serves, where he was noticeably absent during this morning's vote. Marsh speaks with the heart of a grandmother and a caring educator who sees too many families and schoolchildren already at a disadvantage, "We have to look out for people who cannot look out for themselves."