[blindkid] [blparent] Urgent: please sign this petition to help a blind kid!

Steve Jacobson steve.jacobson at visi.com
Tue Oct 30 14:47:27 UTC 2012


Beth,

It sounds as though you are moving in the right direction by trying to contact people in your area.  Thank you for your patience 
in dealing with the various responses.  We have seen cases on our lists and on others where people have forwarded various requests 
for help that were either long past the critical time for action or are even simply ways of collecting e-mail addresses for other 
purposes.  While I understand it is not the case with this petition, I am glad to see that other avenues are being followed such 
as contacting your NFB affilliate and the state's parents division.  While signing a petition like this may have some influence, 
it isn't likely that the school district is going to be influenced that much by people who don't know the child or even what is 
commonly done in California.  I am guessing that our national office would start by trying to get you in touch with people in the 
child's area who would have the most knowledge of how best to bring pressure to make something happen, and it sounds like you are 
already doing that.  

It is hard for me to know what is the best course of action from what has been supplied to document this.  I do not know much 
about the state school for the blind nor do I know much about the private school.  I also don't know what may exist in his school 
district for Early Childhood Family Education.  I am not even sure I'm ready to assume that he needs a totally separate learning 
environment if it were to mean taking him out of his home for example.  I have not seen the location of the schools discussed, 
although there has been some written on a number of lists and I may have just missed that.  In short, there are not enough details 
for me to be sure that I am really doing Nathan a favor by signing the petition, but there are enough details for me to know that 
there needs to be involvement from people in the area to sort it all out and help him get the services he needs.

>From what I know of local school districts, I have no problem believing they are being uncooperative, and to not to pay for 
something simply because they have not paid before even though they have paid for other similar services to another entity is 
ridiculous.  It seems very unlikely that a decision made for that reason, especially if we're talking about paying another state 
entity, could stand up if pressure is brought upon them in the right way, unless there are other issues about which we are not 
familiar.  If you don't hear anything as a result of the messages you have left, it could be that some of us on these lists might 
be able to help you get in contact with the right people.  Please remember that most of us who work at the state and local levels 
are not paid for what we do but are volunteers who think these issues are very important.  Therefore, please be patient if you 
don't get an immediate response, but let us help if you feel you are waiting too long.

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson

On Mon, 29 Oct 2012 18:53:37 -0700, Beth Koenig wrote:

>The school district won't pay for him to go. The parents could pay
>privately to send him but the school district is already paying for
>other children to go to BCLC. BCLC is a private preschool for the
>blind not a state school.
>The NFB is closed because of Hurricane Sandy. I have left messages for
>the state affiliate and California parents of blind children.
>Thanks,
>Beth Koenig
>bethko at gmail.com
>(714) 699-DEAF (3323)
>Director of Deaf Blind Services
>Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center
>1525 Durant Street 303
>Santa Ana, CA 92706
>http://www.deafadvocacy.org
>Health, safety, and productivity are the cornerstones of independence.
>At the Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center we provide the training and
>services necessary for the deaf and disabled to achieve equality and
>independence in all areas of life.


>On Mon, Oct 29, 2012 at 6:16 PM, Veronica Smith <madison_tewe at spinn.net> wrote:
>> Before I sign anything I need to know, is there someone saying he cannot
>> attend?  What state does he live in?  In NM, anyone who qualified can go
>> there.  So I'm a little confused here.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: blparent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Beth Koenig
>> Sent: Sunday, October 28, 2012 11:12 PM
>> To: Beth Koenig
>> Subject: [blparent] Urgent: please sign this petition to help a blind kid!
>>
>> I am forwarding this petition at the request of the parents, please excuse
>> the cross posting.
>>
>>  Click to view this email in a
>> browser<http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/999455/fb8e0d0ade/289385751/f4b9a
>> 7f060/>
>>   [image: whiteboard_top.jpg]   [image: spacer.gif]  [image: spacer.gif]
>> Support Sending Nathan to the Preschool School for the Blind!
>>      Hi Supporter,
>>
>> Nathan is a blind four year old. We are working with Nathan''s family to
>> help make sure that he receives the training that he needs to succeed in
>> school and grow up to be a competent adult. Nathan has every hope of being
>> able to be mainstreamed. However, in order to give him the foundation to
>> succeed he first needs to learn the adaptive techniques of the blind. He
>> also has to learn things like how to learn over a bowl, make friends, and so
>> many other things that we take for granted every day.
>>
>> Please go sign this
>> petition<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OrangeCountyDeafAdvo/fb8e0d0ade/f4b9a7f060/
>> 03005f538c>to
>> send Nathan to the Preschool to the Blind so he can get the best foundation
>> possible.
>>
>> *Click Here to
>> Sign<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?OrangeCountyDeafAdvo/fb8e0d0ade/f4b9a7f060/8ceb
>> c8056c>
>> *
>>
>> Thank you,
>>
>> Beth Koenig
>> Executive Director
>> Orange County Deaf Advocacy Center
>>
>>     [image: note_top.gif]
>> [image: Picture of young Nathan]
>>    [image: note_bottom.gif]   [image: spacer.gif]   [image:
>> spacer.gif]  [image:
>> spacer.gif]   [image: whiteboard_bottom.jpg]
>> _______________________________________________
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