[blindkid] Structured Discovery

Amber Hall ahall238 at yahoo.com
Wed Oct 21 15:39:50 UTC 2009


Hello everyone,

I am having an issue with my daughter's local  public school with getting a blind O&m instructor in to teach her. 
I went to the convention in Detroit this summer. At the time my daughter ,7, was only receiving O&m 2
x's a month, wasn't even using her cane outside of school. She would
leave it in the car after school was out.( She was doing alot of hand
holding when we were out in public).She wasn't tapping her
cane, she
would just scoot it directly in front of her. (She is missing things on
both sides  of her body.)  At the convention,  I learned how important
the cane was for her and that she needed good instruction, more
often..I know she learned more in the 1 week we were in Detroit  than
she learned all last year. But she still needs alot of work.  Since the
convention,we take her cane  everywhere. No exceptions. 
She was receiving O&M
last
year,the old style,not structured Discovery. And griping  about using 
her cane the whole time. She is the only blind child at her school. And
that bothered her. She doesn't have the confidence she needs right now. 

I found a Blind O&M instructor from the NFB and took him
to our 1st case conference I called after school started.  I told the
VI teacher  I wanted My daughter to receive O&M from this blind
instructor I met at the convention. I wanted her to learn from the
Structured Discovery Method.And I wanted her to start getting 2-3 times
a week verses 2 times a month. I told them her skills were poor,
because she wasn't receiving enough instruction. They said they
couldn't do that. That at our state blind school they only do
"intensive O&M"  for 6-9 weeks. She said that would be daily and Id
have to get into a program 1 week out of the month and go to the Blind
School. I wanted to get O&m at her public school,I shouldn't have
to go to the blind for O&M, they don't even teach the Structured
Discovery Method there.  I talked to her current instructor and he said
the way they teach isn't really that different. 
The school thinks she should get intensive O&M  for 6 weeks at the blind school  and then go back to 2 times a month. 
I
want my daughter to learn with the Sructured Discovery Method ( like
she's learning at home) by a blind man who lives it everyday.( 2 times
a week at least ) And will help give her the confidence she needs to be
and independent adult. 
Since the case conference, the VI teacher
is having my daughter show her how she gets around.( My daughter uses
it O.K. when she knows she's being watched, but all the other times
shes scooting it along like its a chore to have it. ) The VI teacher
leaves me notes and said she is doing great. I know she does the 5 min.
shes around her. After that back to the scooting. 
The school
agreed to let the O&m instructor I wanted to do  a 5 hr. assessment
on my daughter.  Then they would go over the assessment and take it
from there. But they said they couldn't do 2 or 3 times a week.  The
assessment is complete and being written up. Soon I'll get a call to
talk about it with VI teacher and want to have all my ducks in a row
before the meeting. 
I need some advice on things to say when we go
back for our case conference to talk about the assessment.  I want
others expertice on saying Structured Discovery  Vs old O&M. Pro's
Cons etc. The VI teacher wants to use the TAPS program(from the Texas
school for the Blind  website ) to check her progress. Does anyone know
if this will work with Structured Discovery?  
I'm going to go into
this meeting and hear,"The Structured Discovery method is the same as
the other O&M she gets" And " We cant give you 2 or 3 times a week
,isn't 1 enough?"  Shouldn't I have the right as a parent to say I want
a certain type of O&M? And have a decision who is the instructor? 
I know it's going to be a fight. Can anyone help with good advice? 
Thanks!


      


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