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

Wed Oct 31 04:24:17 UTC 2012

Hi Beth,
I have circulated the petition among my Facebook contacts and I know
that several of them have signed and/or circulated it to their own
networks. I will also send it to the NABS list (NFB National
Association of Blind Students). One suggestion I would make, if you
are able to revise the petition, is to add some more detail about what
is currently going on and about BCLC. In particular, I think adding in
the petition letter that Nathan is the only verbal kid in his class is
a very compelling indication that something is wrong, and is likely to
motivate more signatures and enthusiastic sharing of the petition.
Best,
Arielle

On 10/30/12, Brandy Wojcik <ballstobooks at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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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>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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