HELPING SPECIAL KIDS GET A FAIR SHAKE : MOTHER'S EFFORTS ALLOW STUDENTS TO ATTEND COLLEGE.

Byline: Alicia Doyle Daily News Staff Writer

Nine-year-old Elizabeth Rubenstein never talks about college. But some day she will.

A child born with Down syndrome, Elizabeth is fully included in her second-grade class at Big Springs Elementary School, where she learns the same core curriculum as her nondisabled classmates.

Her favorite subjects are P.E., social studies and reading - even though she can't comprehend words half as well as her first-grade sister.

And when she grows up, she wants to be a teacher.

``There's this general attitude that special-needs children can't accomplish anything,'' said Kim Rubenstein, Elizabeth's mom. ``But Elizabeth loves to learn. And she has the same dreams as any child.''

Rubenstein doesn't know which road her daughter will choose. But should Elizabeth decide to go to college a decade from now, Rubenstein hopes to pave the path for her to get there.

As president of the school district's Special Education Advisory Committee, Rubenstein is raising scholarship money for special-needs students who want to go to college after high school.

Donations will help eligible graduating disabled students continue their education.

``By providing this opportunity, we are telling them that we think their educational experience is valuable,'' Rubenstein said.

Disabled students face twice as many hurdles as nondisabled students, Rubenstein said. When these students graduate from high school, many dream about continuing with their education - either by going to college or vocational school.

But in most cases, scholarship opportunities are not available to special-needs students, Rubenstein said.

``They can't qualify for regular scholarships,'' said Rubenstein, who said that special-needs students have fewer scholarship opportunities than the deaf or the blind. ``So there's not much out there for them.''

According to research by the Office of Special Education Programs for the U.S. Department of Education, merely 13 percent of students with special needs across the nation went on to higher education in 1994. That same year, there was a 38 percent dropout rate for special-needs students in the country - almost double the dropout rate for students without disabilities.

``Without giving them the opportunity, where are they supposed to go?'' Rubenstein said.

Mary Schillinger, program specialist with the Simi Valley Unified School District, said she knows of only one program that offers scholarship opportunities to special-needs students.

While the Autism Society of America offers such programs in many states, Schillinger said these opportunities are simply not enough.

``Many of these students don't have the incentive to move on to further training because they don't know about any scholarships available,'' Schillinger said. ``They need to know opportunities are out there, so they have the desire to go on.''

There were four recipients of the SEAC scholarship last year, Rubenstein said. One student went on to a four-year college in Northern California, while another started attending California Polytechnic State University, Pomona, with a major in equestrian studies. The other two recipients have until October to decide how to spend their scholarship money.

``The message we want to send out is that people with disabilities have many abilities,'' Rubenstein said. ``We want to give them the chance to use those abilities, and grow to become productive adults.''

To make a donation to the SEAC scholarship fund, call Rubenstein at [phone].

Checks should be mailed to the Special Education Advisory Committee, c/o Simi Valley Unified School District, 875 East Cochran Street, Simi Valley, Calif. 93065. Make out checks to: Simi Valley Unified School District.

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2 Photos

Photo: (1--color) Elizabeth Rubenstein takes a homeworkbreak with her mother. Kim Rubenstein raises funds for special-needs students in Simi Valley.

(2--color) Elizabeth checks out her math homework. The second-grader plans to teach when she grows up.

Michael Owen Baker/Daily News