[blindkid] Pressure on the school/Evaluations

[holly miller]

Thanks Eileen!
Were you happy with Overbrook?  I was just looking at their website last
night.  Kind of neat that they do an outreach program helping blind schools
in China!

Hank is already getting speech 30 x 2 & OT 30 x 1.  He also gets reading as
a small group pull out 90 min x 5
All that is expected to stay the same for next year.  Frankly I'm not 100%
convinced how much benefit he's getting from speech anymore but it's
something I want to speak w/ the ST about before making up my mind.
He got PT in K but has outgrown the need (I'm ok with that).

I *finally* got the draft of next year's IEP in the mail today (meeting is
Thursday).  It does show pre-braille instruction 1x45.  And that's the only
mention of braille in the whole doccument (aside from the parental concerns
that I wrote)   Not a single thing in there about *using* braille next
year.  Not a single thing about any kind of braille equipment or materials
being provided. Not even a single goal relating to braille skills.  No ESY
for braille. No dialog about why braille is considered not appropriate.  No
mention of O&M anywhere.   I know it's just a draft, I know it changeable
but it shows so very very clearly what their attitude is towards this.  They
will give him braille instruction to shut me up but they don't actually
expect him to use it. And if they pretend O&M doesn't exist, maybe it will
go away.   I've been waiting to see this to see when push came to shove what
they would put in writing.

Monday morning a letter will be delivered to the superintendant (he used to
be our sp-ed director).  I am taking one last stab at resolving it at a
district level and if I don't have what Hank needs by the end of the week, I
expect we will start due process proceedings.  I know some think we are well
beyond that point already but I have to admit, the whole idea terrifies me
:::sheepish look::::   I need to know I took every reasonable opportunity
and 5 more days isn't going to make or break anything.

I am so glad I have you guys to keep me focused.  I'm pretty sure they could
have had me convinced I was crazy if I didn't have the support!
Holly

On Sat, Mar 21, 2009 at 4:47 AM, <EMMOL at aol.com> wrote:

> Holly,
> I don't know about the number of requests, but yes, you want to request a
> Functional Vision Assessment, a  Learning Media Assessment, and  an O&M
> Evaluation.
> Are there any speech &/ language concerns? If so, you would want  a
> Speech/Language Evaluation.
> Are there any fine motor or sensory concerns? If so, you would want an
> Occupational Therapy Evaluation
> Are there any gross motor concerns? If so, you want a Physical Therapy
> Evaluation.
> Sorry, if you discussed these other areas previously and I missed it, but
>  if
> he needs the evaluations, request them now. It is easier in the long  run.
> My son's initial evaluations were completed by Overbrook School for the
> Blind in Philadelphia. We later had some contact with PCO. They seemed
> knowledgeable at the time, but we just had one visit/evaluation there
>  relating to some
> possible light perception.
> Good luck. Keep us posted.
> Eileen