MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An unexpected highlight of the third night of the Democratic National Convention was an outburst of pride from the son of vice presidential candidate Tim Walz.
“That’s my father!” shouted 17-year-old Gus Walz on Wednesday night, tears streaming down his face as he stood up and pointed to his father, the governor of Minnesota, who had accepted his party’s nomination for vice president.
Gus cried throughout much of his 16-minute speech and then took the stage with his family, hugging his father tightly and burying his face in his shoulder.
The high school student’s joy quickly went viral. As of Thursday, he was still trending on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. And his novel fame is drawing attention to the challenges faced by people with learning disabilities. His parents recently revealed to People magazine that Gus suffers from ADHD, an anxiety disorder and what is known as a nonverbal learning disorder. Google searches for the disorder and the teen’s name have skyrocketed.
There is no standard definition of nonverbal learning disorders. That doesn’t mean that those affected cannot speak. But according to the NVLD Project at Columbia University, those affected “struggle with a range of conditions, including social and spatial disabilities. They are often excluded and isolated; as a result, they may face social barriers throughout their lives.”
There has long been disagreement between Washington and local school districts over federal funding for special education. Federal law requires schools to offer special education, but it falls far miniature of covering the costs. When the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was passed in 1975, the federal government committed to paying 40 percent of the average per-pupil spending on special education. But currently, that figure is closer to 13 percent.
That’s one reason why the Democratic platform adopted at the convention this week states: “We support fully funding the IDEA to prioritize students with disabilities and special education students.” There is no mention of special education in this year’s Republican platform. But dozens of national education groups have long called for full funding of the costs that the IDEA imposes on local schools.
The actual prospects for more money under a Harris-Waltz administration are unclear. Much would depend on the future budget situation and the composition of the next Congress. In addition, election programs for candidates are not binding.
Yet Walz has approved enormous increases in education funding as governor, including special education. The two-year budget he signed in 2024 called for a 6% raise in per capita funding for local schools and tied future funding to inflation. He also called for a enormous raise in state support for special education to close the gap in federal funding.
Ensuring full funding for special education at the national level is the “top policy priority” of the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, said John Eisenberg, the group’s executive director. The association calls the federal law “first and foremost a civil rights law designed to protect the right of students with disabilities to receive an education in the nation’s public schools.”
Eisenberg said the unmet federal commitments are a nationwide problem. He said the most Washington has provided over the years has been 16 percent, meaning local counties and states have had to bear most of the costs of mandates under the law.
“The cost of educating students with disabilities is increasing massively,” Eisenberg said. “The number of students with disabilities has doubled since 1975. The needs of students have grown exponentially since 1975.”
Although bills requiring full funding have received bipartisan support over the years, they have never become law.
Governor Walz, a former social studies teacher, and First Lady Gwen Walz, a former English teacher, revealed Gus’ learning difficulties in a statement to People magazine released this week.
“As our youngest son, Gus, grew up, it became increasingly clear that he was different from his classmates,” they said. “Gus preferred to play video games and spend more time alone.” They continued, “When he became a teenager, we learned that in addition to anxiety and ADHD, Gus also has a nonverbal learning disorder, conditions that millions of Americans also have.”
The Walzes told People that it took them some time to figure out how to set Gus up for future success, “but what became immediately clear to us was that Gus’ condition is not a setback – it’s his secret strength.”
They also said he is “brilliant, very attentive to details that many of us miss, and most importantly, he is a great son.” However, they did not elaborate on how his condition has affected his life, and the Walz campaign team did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. They had previously noted that Gus got his driver’s license last fall.
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Associated Press reporter Heather Hollingsworth contributed to this story from Mission, Kansas.
