[blindkid] IEP advice

Sat May 17 20:52:09 UTC 2014

My sentiments exactly Traci, thank you!! There are studies that show that a child must be immersed in braille in order to learn it sufficiently. That is what the braille provision act under IDEA tries to cover. The IEP team kept talking about the kindergarten year and focusing on that, but the braille provision act also states that future years of schooling must also be taken into account. I hate to nit pick and keep going back to the laws but that is only what school districts hear. Maybe one day my son will be blessed with a wonderful insightful TVI, we hope.

Thanks,
Pui

Sent from my iPad

On May 17, 2014, at 1:41 PM, "oandemom . via blindkid" <blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> I think at his young age, its important to immerse him in  braille and it
> be everywhere.  You want everything the others see in print, to be in
> braille for him.  Our aides make the most wonderful adapted materials for
> my kids - I love them to pieces.  90 minutes is far less reading/writing
> direct instruction than those sighted children are getting.  Would you only
> want 90 minutes for your sighted child?  I wouldn't (although I don't have
> a sighted child! )   Anywho, our school is a resource school and I love
> it.  We know our team, although I have to still fight for some items in
> technology, I know the braillists are on my side and they work the hardest
> to be sure my kids get what they need to make it through every day!  They
> are my key to making sure I am in the loop and know about anything that may
> be going on at the school that I need a heads up on, especially when we
> went through a time with a not so good TVI.    And to me, print is not
> acceptable, it has to be braille, why should he fatigue himself just to
> make their job easier???
> 
> Good luck!
> 
> Traci
> Evan 7, Olivia 9, both LCA
> 
> 
> On Sat, May 17, 2014 at 2:36 PM, Arielle Silverman via blindkid <
> blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
>> 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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> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Traci Wilkerson
> Cell – 919-971-6526
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