Two weeks ago, Josh started 3rd grade!
Although he is totally blind, he has attended our local public elementary
school since kindergarten. Every year in April, his "team" and
I meet for his annual IEP (Individualized Education Plan). His
"team" consists of his Vision Specialist/Braille Teacher, his O&M
(Orientation & Mobility Specialist), his OT (Occupational Therapist), his
APE (Adaptive Physical Education) teacher, his regular classroom teacher for
the year, the principal and his case manager from the district. The one person
who is NOT invited to attend these meetings is Josh's one on one aide, who is
with him everyday in class. This makes absolutely NO sense to me at all!
Why wouldn't they want the input of the one person who works the closest
with him on a daily basis?
Anyways,
these meeting are long and tedious but have generally gone smoothly. I
consider myself very lucky to have been blessed with teachers, specialists and
principals of whom most are quite good at what they do and have grown to love
and care about Josh. Each specialist at the meeting goes over the prior
years goals that they had set and whether or not each was met. Then they
go over their most recent assessment of where Josh's current status in that
area, and then they go over the new goals they have set for him for the next 12
months.
Well this
year began with a bit of a bump in the road. When I took Josh to his
classroom a few days before school started to meet with his classroom teacher
and O&M so that he could get a feel for the layout of the room, I was
informed by the teacher that Josh would not be having Science or Social Studies
this year! "Why not?" I asked. It was explained to me
that the only time his braille teacher could meet with him for his daily lesson
was that time of the day when the rest of the class would be doing those
subjects. Both his teacher and I were outraged over this and she said that she
had called for an immediate IEP meeting to discuss this issue! I went straight
over to the principal’s office and asked her if that was legal and she said
that it was because Science and Social Studies are not part of the Core
Curriculum and therefore do not legally have to be taught. They said that
Josh would simply receive a "no grade" in those subjects on his report
card.
Now any of
you reading this who know me, know that it is hard to get me angry. I am
the calmest, happiest, easy going person around, but don't mess with my child
because I become a momma bear!
I went home
and contacted a friend of ours who is a blind transcriber in another district.
I told him about the situation and asked him what to do. He told me
that yes it was in fact legal and that most parents of blind children just
accepted it. I told him that I would not and he asked me if all of Josh's
text books were ready in braille in his classroom for the first day of school?
He said that if they were not, then the school had a big problem on their
hands. Well that was all that I needed to know!!!! I contacted the
classroom teacher and asked her and she said that yes his brailled text books
were there and ready to go.....EXCEPT for his math book!!!!
A week and a
half later the team met for an emergency IEP. They knew that I had no
intention of laying down for this one, so the principal and the braille teacher
had already come up with a plan which they then presented to me. Josh's
OT, O&M and Braille lessons would no longer interfere with his daily school
work. Most lessons would now be held after school in order for Josh to
remain in the classroom. Problem solved! But I had a little
surprise up my sleeve for them at the very end of the meeting. I
announced that I wanted all of them to be know that I was well aware of the
laws being broken because a braille version of the math book was not supplied
to him. They told me that they had ordered it through the state of
California but that the State didn't have it in braille! I said that as
long as Josh's work was always prepared for him in braille in time, I would not
make a big stink about this issue.....but that because I owned a non profit
that works to help the blind and visually impaired, I would need to take up
this issue on a bigger level to raise awareness. I felt the room get a
bit tense and that information was added directly into my IEP paperwork.
And the fight continues, now I look out for retaliation!
