Alaska Gov. Palin calls for measures to help those with special needs during NY speech

Alaska Gov. Palin talks about special needs in NY

NEW YORK — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has called for measures to make life better for people with developmental disabilities during a speech in New York.

The former Republican vice presidential candidate’s son Trig has Down syndrome.

Palin says God has shown her family through the example of her son that “every single person has purpose no matter their developmental abilities.”

Palin was being honored Sunday at an anniversary celebration for the Long Island-based Independent Group Home Living Inc. after attending a New York Yankees game. She was joined by her husband, daughter Willow and a sister.

More than 20,000 people saw Palin on Saturday in upstate Auburn, where she led a parade to celebrate Founder’s Day and helped raise money for a museum honoring William Seward, the secretary of state who acquired Alaska for the United States.