[blindkid] [blparent] Urgent: please sign this petition to help a blind kid!
Brandy Wojcik
ballstobooks at gmail.com
Tue Oct 30 18:20:04 UTC 2012
BCLC is a private preschool that does receive some small amount of public
funding of some kind. They serve both both blind and sighted children, and
are not a residential school. I attended this school from 6 months till a
few months before I was 5 and entered kindergarten. It is a great program!
I'm pretty sure most everyone I knew is retired or has moved on to something
else. I've visited for a few reunions over the years. it is a great place!!!
Bran
-----Original Message-----
From: blindkid [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Arielle
Silverman
Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2012 12:01 PM
To: blindkid at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [blindkid] [blparent] Urgent: please sign this petition to help
a blind kid!
It sounds like BCLC is a private preschool that does not provide education
beyond the age of 6. It also sounds like BCLC is a day school so Nathan
would not need to be separated from his family. I attended a similar private
preschool in Arizona and by the time I was ready to start in mainstreamed
kindergarten, I could read and write Grade 2 Braille fluently and knew the
basics of cane travel. Because of this I needed very little additional
support as a mainstreamed blind student, beyond the transcription of my
materials and regular O&M. It was undoubtedly the best choice my parents
could have made regarding my early education. My parents paid for my
admission to the school out of their own pockets, although I believe the
school charges on a sliding scale or a donation basis, so low-income
families can send their kids without the sponsorship of their local school
district. I don't think my parents had any dealings with our school district
at all until I was ready to start kindergarten. They dealt directly with the
preschool (Foundation for Blind Children). Perhaps BCLC does not allow for
payment on a sliding scale? I do think that the school district should pay,
but if they continue to refuse, I hope that the parents can find some other
way to send Nathan to BCLC before he ages out and misses the opportunity
for quality Braille instruction in a local setting (i.e. not having to board
at a school for the blind in elementary school years).
Best,
Arielle
On 10/30/12, Steve Jacobson <steve.jacobson at visi.com> wrote:
> 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/2893857
>>> 51/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/f4b
>>> 9a7f060/
>>> 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/f4b9a7f
>>> 060/8ceb
>>> 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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>
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