[blindkid] National Media Reading Assessment

[Chantel Alberhasky]

It was my understanding the National Media Reading Assessment is in lieu of a Learning Media Assessment.  
Yes an IEP team must consider any IEE presented to it but it doesn't have to accept the IEE.  If you request an IEE at public expense (school pays for it), the school district must pay for it or file due process to have a hearing officer determine whether their evaluation is appropriate and an IEE is not needed.  The school district can provide you with a list of providers, but you are not required to use anyone on the list.  The school district can have a criteria the evaluator must meet - it can not be more stringent than that of its evaluators - and the evaluator need only met the criteria. 
If a parent has the financial resources to pay for an IEE, I find that is usually an easier route to just get the IEE on their own.  Many school districts have gone to automatically filing for due process when an IEE is requested as a way to deter other families from requesting an IEE. 
Finally, personally I don't think a Learning Media Assessment is a tool that should be used to determine whether a child learns Braille.  How a child learns has nothing to do with whether a child should be literate in Braille.  Many sighted kids are auditory learners, for example, but no one would ever then suggest the child should forgo learning print and just listen to books.  And yet our children are told this on a frequent basis in re to braille.   I have a low opinion of the LMA and how it has been used to prevent children from being taught Braille. 
Chantel L. Alberhasky, Esq
419 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65806
417.865.4444

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--- On Fri, 11/2/12, Emily <elgibbs at gmail.com> wrote:

From: Emily <elgibbs at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [blindkid] National Media Reading Assessment
To: "Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Date: Friday, November 2, 2012, 11:05 AM

Leah,

The National Reading Media Assessment is designed to be used as part of
Learning Media Assessment.