[blindkid] IEP advice

Sat May 17 18:36:23 UTC 2014

Hi Pui,
I totally agree with you but I am also thrilled to see that Jack
already can read basic sentences in contracted Braille. Given he has
learned the basics already, could the 90 minutes/week be spent on
producing all his materials in Braille so he can practice and expand
his skills? In other words, he might not need daily instruction
anymore but should still be getting everything he needs in Braille. I
know I could red basic books in contracted Braille by the time I
entered kindergarten and I no longer required direct instruction. My
TVI managed most of the Braille production herself, but I don't know
how many minutes/week I was given.

Best,
Arielle

On 5/17/14, Pui via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hello fellow parents,
>
> Hoping to get some advice on my son's kindergarten IEP. He is 5 years old
> and has LCA. His current vision is 20/250 but LCA is a degenerative disease.
> He has good functional vision but has nystagmus and suffers from eye
> fatigue. His fine motor skills are a little behind but his gross motor
> skills are very deceiving. He moves around his environment very well.
>
> I wanted our district to spend him to a school 14 miles away with a TVI on
> campus and a resource room. He would have been in the regular classroom most
> of the time though. Our district offered our local school which my eldest
> sighted child attends. I agree that my youngest could do well there and we
> want him to have neighborhood friends. However, they want to send him there
> with 90 minutes of TVI services a week. I asked about an aide who could
> magnify print, braille work etc. and they said no. I asked about stipulating
> minutes to do such activities and they said the TVI would take care of it
> all. I was livid at the IEP meeting because they want to cut his TVI service
> time from 300 minutes weekly at preschool (this was hard fought for) to 90
> minutes.
>
> They kept going on about how bright he is, his positive attitude blah blah
> blah. I told them that with the IEP they are offering he more or less ends
> up as a regular sighted child in the classroom, but he's not because he is
> visually impaired. The more I read the Braille provision act under IDEA  the
> more I am convinced that they do not have a legal leg to stand on. Correct
> me if I am wrong parents. Studies tell us that learning braille at the
> beginning is intensive and involves daily instruction. The braille act also
> states that braille cannot be denied to a child with good functional vision
> but has a degenerative condition. The district is not denying braille but I
> believe that 90 minutes weekly goes against the act in ensuring that braille
> is learnt fully. I am interpreting the act to say that districts must do
> whatever to ensure that braille is learnt so the child can fully participate
> in the curriculum. The United States Dept. of Education on 6/19/13 outlined
> their position in a letter to districts regarding braille instruction.
> "Systematic and regular instruction from knowledgeable and appropriately
> trained personnel is essential for a child to become proficient in braille.
> IEP teams must ensure that the instructional time allotted for braille
> instruction is sufficient to provide the level of instruction determined
> appropriate for the child." Studies show that in addition to instructional
> time braille learners need to complete work in braille, they need access to
> books in braille etc. That is additional VI time that needs to be stated in
> his IEP I believe, and I am fine with an aide proficient in braille doing
> some of this with my son instead of the TVI. My son is a dual learner, so
> would 90 minutes a week be sufficient to learn braille?
>
> ,Our district has 1 TVI for 40 students and probably another 20 in a
> neighboring district. He is also not very good but that's another
> discussion. In private he told me it would be best for my son to attend a
> school with a TVI on campus but at the IEP meeting they all toe the party
> line. The TVI workload is insane and the district has trouble finding
> another. I think they are also unwilling because of budget cuts. Nonetheless
> this is of no concern to me because they cannot deny my son adequate service
> because of it.
>
> I love how all the 'experts' give their advice at IEP time. Your son is so
> bright, he is so motivated by his vision, he would do well with large print,
> everything in kindergarten is large print, he may keep his vision for years.
> Why does it have to be print versus braille? Why not both? When they give
> their advice all I hear is blah, blah, blah. If your recommendations for my
> son fall within the law that stipulate what my son is entitled to then I
> will listen. As it is my son can read basic sentences in contracted braille
> and print. He is ready to do both and we don't want him to lose that
> advantage. We don't want him to get to third grade for the school to realize
> that it is a struggle to read print because of the magnification and eye
> fatigue. Yes, I know this because I have read about the struggles of other
> low vision kids who were not proficient in braille. Of course the experts at
> the IEP don't share that. Or maybe they're not really experts??!
>
> I asked them what it would mean if I didn't sign the new IEP. They said his
> service hours would remain the same (bingo!) but they tried to say he would
> fall behind because his goals would remain the same. Never mind the fact
> that he has been working on kindergarten level goals already while in
> preschool.
>
> Sorry, but rant over. In response to another posted question: I don't need
> counseling for my son going blind but I do need counseling for the level of
> stupidity shown at IEP meetings! I try to not let my emotions get in the
> way. However, I believe the laws are quite clear when it comes to the
> education of our VI/blind kids. I am not one for bringing in lawyers as a
> knee jerk reaction but I would if we were not getting anywhere. Amazingly
> the parents in this district are used to getting this amount of service
> because they have been doing it for years like this. When I asked for my
> son's services to be done outside of his regular preschool day (which is
> only 3 and a half hours) their first response was no, that is not how it's
> done. I asked them for legal clarification of this, and presto they agreed.
> So I have figured out what makes the district folks tick so we are going
> back on that merry-go-round.
>
> Okay, rant is over. Any advice would be welcomed. If anything, parents keep
> fighting for what our kids need to succeed. The IEP team can't see beyond
> kindergarten but I approach IEP meetings with my son's future in mind. How
> to get him into college and graduate school. How to ensure he stays
> competitive in a sighted world. Yes, my son is using taxpayer's money (that
> we pay for too) but one day he is going to pay all that back and more.
>
> Pui Burmahln (don't mess with the mother of a VI kid)
>
> Sent from my iPad
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