[blindkid] Seeking advice: Schooling

Mon Nov 24 02:40:45 UTC 2008

Crystal---

I hear your frustration and uncertainty. I know you want to do what you feel
is in your daughter's best interest. I believe we have all been there, and
are still there! Every day seems to bring a new challenge in making sure we
are always striving to do the best with our children.

As I see it, you really have several options. The question is what options
you feel would suit her the best. So, before you can decide on the best
option, I think you need to decide what it is that you want for her. Do you
want to homeschool her? What are your reservations about homeschooling her?
Are there things you feel worried that you cannot provide if you homeschool,
but would like to see from a public school setting? Do you feel confident in
your ability to teach her, or do you want outside expertise?

In Oregon, the homeschooling of a disabled child is covered under Oregon
Adminstrative Rules, or OAR. The one related to special needs children is
581-021-0029. You can find a copy of all Oregon's OARs by following this
link:
http://www.sos.state.or.us/archives/rules/OARS_500/OAR_581/581_021.html

In regards to homeschooling, you have several options, all of which are
stated in the OAR. First, you can homeschool her yourself and refuse all
special education services. You can then identify privately-used resources,
such as ST/OT/PT through your medical insurance. These providers can become
the team members of your own PDP, or privately developed plan. In lieu of
testing, you would have your PDP members evaluate your daughter and issue a
statement as to whether or not she is making adequate educational progress,
given her disability. In this way, you avoid all standardized testing.

You can also choose to have your daughter evaluated by the district, and
have an IEP implemented. They can only implement an IEP under two
conditions---- that she only receive those special education services she
would get a school but no services that are not covered by the specialized
instruction need in IDEA, and these services must be able to be implemented
*in conjunction* with a homeschool program. In other words, if you were
willing to collaborate with your local school agency and you trust that they
could partner with you instead of undermine your homeschool and your
educational desires for your daughter, you can sit down in a TEAM and they
would write an IEP covering services that can be provided without needing a
full-time school program and can work within the context of a homeschool.
While I cannot tell you for certain, experience tells me that this would
most likely mean that she would receive OT/PT/ST services and the services
of a TVI. How many hours in a week would be determined by your IEP team, but
to be worthwhile would really be in the range of a couple of hours within a
week. You would have to bring her to the local school that is responsible
for implementing her IEP. The rest of the time would be home with you.

You mention your daughter is medically fragile and has been in/out of the
hospital for some serious things. This brings up your third option in
regards to "homeschooling". I put that in quotes because you would actually
NOT be considered a homeschooler by any legal definition, but she would be
at home with you. If you can get your daughter's TEAM of doctors to write a
letter of medical necessity for homebound services, your local school
district, along with yourself, would draft an IEP for your daughter. Unlike
the second option, they would be completely responsible for implementing and
carrying out her IEP with no restriction on the type of services that
would/could be offered. All of her service providers would be sent to your
home. In addition to OT/PT/ST and a TVI, this includes a responsibility for
meeting general education goals. Again, I can't tell you with 100% certainty
what would be decided, but my experience has shown me that school districts
use a 1:3 rule of thumb. That means that one hour of individual tutoring
instruction counts for three hours of in-class instruction. So, generally
homebound children expect to see a tutor for about two hours a day, provided
by the local school district, and this would be in addition to her other
services provided by the school. Again, the difference between this option
and option number two is that option number two is only to provide specific
specialized instruction, but the ultimate educational responsibility falls
on you as a homeschooling family. Option three means that the school is
responsible for implementing your daughter's entire educational program.

My oldest daughter is 7, and multiply disabled in addition to being blind,
though she is not medically fragile. She did homebound services through our
district for a little less than year. We held her back and  chose to send
her to her LEA's preschool program for the multi-disabled. She went to
kindergarten last year at the School for the Blind and we have been
homeschooling this year, and plan on homeschooling for the long-term. Each
option can work, but it depends on the specifics of what you want, what you
feel her needs are, what you believe she needs in order to have those needs
met. Without knowing the answers to those questions, it will be very hard to
give you advice as to what you should do, or what your best options are. If
you can start by laying out what you believe she *needs* right now, then
perhaps we can help you brainstorm a decision that will give you confidence
and peace.

All the best,
Rene in Colorado
**
On Sun, Nov 23, 2008 at 2:43 PM, Crystal Abel
<websurfergirl19 at hotmail.com>wrote:

>
> Now I am looking into ALL options for my daughter going into school. Please
> any and all suggestions would be appreciated. Again my daughter will be 5 in
> January. She is multiply disabled and developmentally delayed. She is
> totally blind in both eyes and isn't yet ambulatory on her own or
> potty/bowel trained.
>
> I talked with the School for the Blind in Salem, Oregon which is 2 hours
> from where we live and the head of the school indicated that he didn't think
> it best for her to go there until later because the youngest student there
> at his school now is 9 years old. He also indicate he didn't feel like the
> separation would be good on either of us because she would essentially be
> dropped off on a Sunday and picked up on a Friday (I think). The long drive
> would also be difficult for her and an expense for us in gas. My thought
> was, ok maybe I could rent an apartment closer and have my children with me
> (I would have to be away from my husband that whole time she would be in
> school, but I was willing to do that for her), but then we also run into
> problems he said...because if we did live closer the public schools would be
> better and I would be sending my boys to them instead of homeschooling them
> and then he said they would have no justification to send her to the school
> for the blind instead of the same school as my boys.
>
> So, here I am in a rut not knowing what to do still.
>
> I would also love more information on homeschooling her... The legallity
> behind it in Oregon state and what I would have to do in order to get around
> standardized testing. I also would love to know about the Montissouri or
> Waldorf approach in teaching her. Are there any good books on teaching a
> blind child Montissouri or Waldorf?
>
> Also, I would love to find out more about the schools public system. Here
> in Rainier, Oregon the public schools are not very good because we live in a
> small town and my daughter's teacher for the visually impaired is an hour
> and a half away from us so she doesn't come very often (maybe once a month).
> What are they likely to do with my daughter in class. Will they have someone
> work with her in a group of students or one on one or both?
>
> My daughter has been taken out of the ESD preschool because of getting sick
> from germs of other children so easily (she is receiving services at home
> now). She is imo medically fragile and has been in and out of the hospital a
> lot this year for various things some of which were quite severe.
>
> Finally, what questions have I left out or should I be asking? Can any of
> you answer those for me? Thanks!
>
> ~Crystal
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-- 
" I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up
where I needed to be."
-- Douglas Adam