[blindkid] school placement told if I want an aid have to go aspecial school

[DrV]

Hi Lauren,
Aides are used in the "regular" school setting with a wide variety of kids, 
ranging from autism to behavior problems to blindness & for a host of other 
reasons.
The use of aides is common-place.
I suggest finding out if the district uses aides for any of the kids in that 
particular school or district - I would be quite surprised if there truly 
were no aides providing support for any of the students in a mainstreamed 
classroom nowadays.
As Joy mentions, if the IEP team determines that an aide is what is needed 
to make it work for a given child, then the aide must be provided.
It would be a very good idea to find out ahead of time who will be at the 
meeting & to request that someone with decision-making authority at the 
district level, such as the district Special Ed director, participate in the 
meeting.
The diagnoses of legal blindness & dyslexia should not mean a child has to 
attend a special school with a "special ed center".
Many legally blind students & many dyslexic students attend regular 
classrooms all over the country with or without the additional support of 
aides.
Good luck,
Eric V


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joy Orton" <ortonsmom at gmail.com>
To: <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2009 22:25
Subject: Re: [blindkid] school placement told if I want an aid have to go 
aspecial school


> Lauren,
> Have you had an IEP meeting yet? That meeting is the place where the IEP
> TEAM, including the parents, have to decide on placement and 
> services--which
> school, how much time with an aide, and so on.
>
> Don't go on what one person tells you--who said it, do they have the
> authority to say it, do they know what they are talking about? We have had
> people tell us crazy things like, "I don't think your child in that class
> would be best for the other kids," and "My blind friend tells me that
> Braille is on the way out." Use the education talk of "Free and 
> appropriate
> public education" in the "Least restrictive environment."
>
> I ditto the advice to get it in writing.
>
> Joy Orton
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