But despite her achievements, Claire's fight for equal education is far from history. Her older son, a bright, creative, attractive boy, has been diagnosed with multiple disabilities. He doesn't use a wheelchair; his disabilities are hidden, invisible. And as Claire and Ardeshir strive to secure the best education for Cyrus, they find themselves frustrated by the same discrimination that hindered Claire's own schooling 30 years ago.

By the time that Cyrus was four and a half, Claire and Ardeshir had serious concerns. Staff at his play school had complaints about behavior, saying that he was difficult to control. The Mehtas wondered if they needed to know more about parenting, and consulted their physician for advice.

After tests, it was determined that Cyrus had Tourette's syndrome, a neurological disorder that can cause uncontrollable movements and involuntary behavior. Although Claire and Ardeshir were stunned, the diagnosis at least provided answers, and they knew from firsthand experience that they were equipped to handle a disability.

Other disabilities were gradually uncovered over time. In the spring of 1993, Cyrus was diagnosed with learning disabilities, including attention deficit disorder. Early that summer, just days before the family was to leave for India, Cyrus was also diagnosed with epilepsy. Fearing their son might have a seizure on the flight, they were ready to cancel the trip. But the neurologist countered that decision: "He's going to have epilepsy all his life. You have to learn how to cope with it, and so does he."

Although the Mehtas did quickly learn to deal with their son's disabilities, it was a different story at school. When Cyrus was enrolled in senior kindergarten, Claire's regular calls were continually met with complaints about difficult behavior. After a doctor observed Cyrus in the classroom it was recommended that a teaching aide be assigned to the class. But the school did nothing until the second half of the school year, when the teacher reported that she could no longer effectively do her job while she had no assistance with Cyrus. An aide was quickly assigned.

For grade one, Claire and Ardeshir's first choice for Cyrus was the neighborhood school which his younger brother attended, but administration was reluctant to accommodate a child with different needs. Last year, Cyrus was under so much stress that his behavior escalated for several months. He kicked and slapped teachers, spat in people's faces, yelled and screamed. Finally one evening, the principal phoned Claire at home. He told her that he had decided to suspend Cyrus in order to communicate to him that his behavior was not acceptable.

Claire was furious. She insisted that since the problems were related to a neurological disorder, making Cyrus stay home would not cause them to go away. When the principal asserted his authority to take such an action, Claire questioned whether such authority allowed him to suspend a child for having a disability. After a heated discussion, the principal reluctantly revoked his decision.

It seemed to Claire and Ardeshir that the staff at Cyrus' school were simply documenting problems rather than trying to find solutions to difficulties that arose. As with Claire's experience, there has been almost no willingness to acknowledge Cyrus' right to be in school, nor the school's responsibility to accommodate him. Parents pay taxes and the government provides funding for an education that we, as a society, have deemed a right and necessity. But gaining an education is still a struggle for those whose needs go beyond what is minimally necessary.

Claire and Ardeshir have also encountered an overall sense of disregard for their son's school work. They reacted with frustration and disbelief when they were not informed until three-quarters of the way through the grade one year that he had only learned four letters of the alphabet. They demanded what should have been obvious to the school, that Cyrus be given Language Arts lessons in a daily one-on-one tutorial until the end of the school year. He improved, but too late to avoid having to continue grade one in the fall.