[blindkid] Need help

Tue Dec 15 20:52:58 UTC 2009

Thank you Sandy for your warmth! I have called an ARD for Thursday morning. After speaking to the case manager this morning, I asked "What is it going to take? Do I need to contact the director of special education?"  The case manager informed me that the director already knows about the situation........I was dumbfounded! So the CTVI, case manager, choir director, school principal, and the director of special education are all aware that Kayleigh is looking for help with learning the routines and nobody has offered to help her????? Do you think these people just can' t imagine how to teach a blind person to dance and are stuck in their tracks? Surely this can't be the reason, but I'm beginning to wonder. Kayleigh knows exactly how she needs to be taught, but she just needs to find a person willing to help her.
There is nothing as sweet as parenting my lovely daughter, but life has been nothing but hell in every other area.  We have all felt it. This shouldn't be allowed for other people to have so much control over your own happiness or sanity! 
We'll see what happens at the ARD. I did ask for the choir director to be there. Of course, I requested that Kayleigh not attend as I'm sure it won't be pretty. This man needs to know that he is messing with the wrong momma! 
Regards,
Kim 

--- On Tue, 12/15/09, Dr. S. Merchant <smerchant at vetmed.lsu.edu> wrote:

From: Dr. S. Merchant <smerchant at vetmed.lsu.edu>
Subject: RE: [blindkid] Need help
To: "'Kim Cunningham'" <kim at gulfimagesphoto.com>
Date: Tuesday, December 15, 2009, 2:29 PM

Hi Kim,

I feel your frustration and your tiredness.  Too often we don't want to talk about us adults just being tired of the fight.  But... it has certainly happen to me, many times, and I just make do.  But... here we go again.  I would probably have a meeting with the school principal.  An email does seem to have gotten you anywhere.  If you want to kill two birds with one stone and you are up for it, I would request that the choir director be there (unless you think it will get ugly and there will be a back lash against Kayleigh) because choir director presence will be more confrontational.  Then I would change tact and ask the school principal for help with this matter - make is a personal plea.. ask him to be discreet and you also need to voice concern of a potential back lash.  When push comes to shove (and it seems to be there now), you need the principal on your side.  So a personal meeting will go a long way.  If the principal is a chauvinist
 or has a tendency to be one, you may want to bring your husband - unless it will get too confrontational if you do this.  

Just my thoughts.

Sandy

-----Original Message-----
From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kim Cunningham
Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 10:04 AM
To: Blindkid
Subject: [blindkid] Need help

I am having a problem with my daughter's school and I need your help. I have composed the letter below to send to all the school board members as all of my other pleas for help have fell on deaf ears. I would appreciate your opinions on how I should handle this matter. I have done nothing but fight for a equal education all my daughter's life. She is a senior now and I am at the point where I just want to throw the towel in and say "whatever - I'm too tired to continue this!". I'm sorry the letter is long, but I needed to state all the facts. My daughter actually gave a speech to the school board two years ago about the problems she has had in receiving an education as a blind student. Of course, this only led to bickering within the board members and the school lawyer. Not much came of the ordeal....
Please give me your feedback...I will not send the letter to the board until I calm down.
Regards,
Kim Cunningham

Dear All,

I am so upset right now that I pray I can write a civilized email to everyone. There has been an issue for the past 3 months or so, concerning my daughter, Kayleigh receiving extra help to learn the dance routines for the upcoming PHS school musical. Kayleigh tried out and won a part as a member of a singing and dancing group. Kayleigh was very aware that her dancing part of the audition didn’t go very well, but she was chosen nonetheless. Kayleigh knew from previous small routines done within the choir that she was going to have a hard time "visually" learning the routines since she is partially blind. Kayleigh is very capable of learning the routines, but she needs someone to give her more than visual instruction. 
We all know that Kayleigh is considered "special education" due to her blindness and has IEP's as part of the ARD process. One of Kayleigh's IEP's has been to advocate her needs.  Kayleigh has done this repeatedly with regard to looking for someone who could give her extra instruction to learn her part. Kayleigh has asked for help from her case manager, Mrs. Harris (numerous emails and conversations), and her choir teacher, Mr. Bready. There have been four or five rehearsals so far and NO ONE has been designated yet to help Kayleigh before, during, or after rehearsals! Kayleigh says she feels "foolish" because she knows she isn't dancing and moving like everyone else. Last week, Kayleigh asked Mr. Bready again for help and was told by Mr. Bready to ask Shannon (a student and choreographer/helper with the musical) to help her. The girls decided to meet on Monday, Dec. 14 prior to the evening’s rehearsal for one on one help. Of course, Shannon was
not there after school yesterday and Kayleigh again received no help during rehearsal; however she continued to try to do the best she could.
I requested two weeks ago in an email to Mrs. Harris, to have an ARD to discuss how we were going to assist Kayleigh with this problem as everyone was ignoring both our requests for assistance. I emailed Mr. Bready asking about Kayleigh getting help, and I also email Mr. Berger (school principal) requesting assistance with this matter. NO ONE CONTACTED ME ON ANY ACTION! NO ONE CALLED ME! NO ONE EMAILED ME!
Now......now, I find out that the choir director, Mr. Bready had the audacity to say during last night's rehearsal to Charles (the main choreographer). "When are we going to start removing some of the bad dancer's and specifically stated Kayleigh as being a bad dancer. This was told to me by someone who heard this discussion. She is a trusted student who knows my daughter and knows of Kayleigh's troubles in finding help. Thank God, the main choreographer said that he didn't want to pull Kayleigh as he could see she was trying to learn the routine. Ultimately, I don’t know who will have the final say – the choreographer or the choir director. How can Mr. Bready call himself a teacher? Kayleigh asked him for help and now he wants to punish her for not learning what she asked help for? This must have crushed Kayleigh as she learned of this as I was dropping her off to school. What kind of school is Pearland High School? What kind of message are
you sending to my daughter? I am hurt and deeply angered that Kayleigh heard this. She is already self-conscious about her dancing ability. I am sure her spirit is deeply wounded.
Kayleigh designed her whole schedule this year around the fact that she wanted an opportunity to be in a musical. This was a goal of hers for the year. She told the entire ARD committee last year of her plans. She tried out for musical and made it. We were so proud of her. Kayleigh is so distraught over the situation that I wished she would have never even tried. It breaks my heart to see my daughter hurting.
I'm not sure what my next step is concerning this matter. I do expect that a dialog should happen with Kayleigh and let her know if she is a valued part of the musical cast or if she is going to be removed. I don't want her anguish to continue....
Mr. Bready has been mainly non-compliant with Kayleigh's accommodations. He often forgets to have her work enlarged and gives her no considerations for her blindness. I enlarge many pieces of music (at my own cost) so she will be sure to have it. I also paid to have the script printed in large format and bound, again, so she was sure to have it. Kayleigh's accommodations are meant for ALL classes. Kayleigh has not wanted me to say anything to Mr. Bready about these issues because she wanted to try on her own and is afraid that he will hold it against her if I complain. This has moved out of her hands now and into mine as I won't take it any longer. 
I don’t know if this problem warrants a complaint against Kayleigh’s right to participate as a student, or if this is a discrimination issue because of her blindness, or simply a moral issue about attitudes of differently abled people.
I just thought that you should know how my daughter has been treated. If this can happen to my daughter, how many others is this happening to? You are the society that deems her as "disabled" when she is perfectly able......
Regards,
Kim Cunningham

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