[blindkid] blindkid Digest, Vol 121, Issue 18
nfbmd via blindkid
blindkid at nfbnet.org
Wed May 21 16:34:45 UTC 2014
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Subject: blindkid Digest, Vol 121, Issue 18
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Today's Topics:
1. Re: blindkid Digest, Vol 121, Issue 17 Discussion of the
right goals and IEP for a legally blind child (Pui via blindkid)
(Jennifer Duffell-Hoffman via blindkid)
2. Re: blindkid Digest, Vol 121, Issue 17 Discussion of the
right goals and IEP for a legally blind child (Pui via blindkid)
(Marianne Denning via blindkid)
3. Re: blindkid Digest, Vol 121, Issue 17 Discussion of the
right goals and IEP for a legally blind child (Pui via blindkid)
(Pui via blindkid)
4. Re: IEP Advice (Marianne Denning via blindkid)
5. Re: blindkid Digest, Vol 121, Issue 17 Discussion of the
right goals and IEP for a legally blind child (Pui via blindkid)
(Arielle Silverman via blindkid)
6. Two rooms that need to find takers (Bonnie Lucas via blindkid)
7. Re: blindkid Digest, Vol 121, Issue 17 Discussion of the
right goals and IEP for a legally blind child (Pui via blindkid)
(Marianne Denning via blindkid)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Tue, 20 May 2014 06:51:25 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jennifer Duffell-Hoffman via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
To: "blindkid at nfbnet.org" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blindkid] blindkid Digest, Vol 121, Issue 17 Discussion
of the right goals and IEP for a legally blind child (Pui via
blindkid)
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<1400593885.95775.YahooMailNeo at web163902.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Re: Discussion of the right goals and IEP for a legally??? blind
? ? ? child (Pui via blindkid)
I want to thank Pui and Heather for having this discussion on our listserve.
?The discussion, both from the standpoint of vision loss and the school's
response to my earliest inquiries about Braille services, reflects my sons'
experience very closely. ?My sons are 15 and 13 and both, as of this school
year, know the Braille code but are far from being Braille literate.
?Because they are not Braille literate and because they cannot sustain print
reading they face a jumble of accommodations to get them through each school
day, each quiz/test/standardized test and PSAT/SAT. If they were Braille
literate things would be much simpler not only for my sons, but also for the
classroom teacher and the TVI.?
My understanding of IDEA is that the school system must prove that Braille
is NOT an appropriate medium for the particular student--it seems to me that
the student has to be Braille-literate before it can be proven this is not
an appropriate reading medium!?
?
Jennifer A. Duffell-Hoffman
NFB BELL in SC, State Coordinator
SC Parents of Blind Children, State President
Lancaster, South Carolina
Mobile: 803-287-5391
E-mail: jaduffell at yahoo.com
The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines your or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can have the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.?
________________________________
From: via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
To: blindkid at nfbnet.org
Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2014 8:00 AM
Subject: blindkid Digest, Vol 121, Issue 17
----- Forwarded Message -----
Send blindkid mailing list submissions to
??? blindkid at nfbnet.org
To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
??? http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
??? blindkid-request at nfbnet.org
You can reach the person managing the list at
??? blindkid-owner at nfbnet.org
When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
than "Re: Contents of blindkid digest..."
Today's Topics:
? 1. Re:?
? 2. QWERTY mPower for Sale (Debby B via blindkid)
Thank you Heather for taking the time to reply. You write so eloquently of
the struggles I am having with the IEP, and the reasons why. I know the IEP
team wonder why I am "making my child blind" by insisting on braille.
Firstly, My husband and I did make our son blind because we are both
carriers of the genetic mutation that caused his LCA!! Secondly, now our job
as parents is to ensure he gets those blindness related skills so his vision
impairment will enable him to carry on with life just like his sighted
brother. When I found out my son had LCA and it was degenerative I asked
myself the same questions and did some research of low vision folks and
their experiences with schooling. I quickly concluded that my son would be
functionally illiterate without braille when the day would come when he
would lose more vision. Of course I don't look forward to him losing more
vision but it is what it is.
I just requested the district perform a LMA on my son. A few months back the
CA school for the blind did a technology assessment on my son at my request
and concluded that technology would be a part of his future. The VI
department did not label my son as a dual learner. I did. Their philosophy
is to not teach a student braille until they go completely blind. However to
their credit they did listen to me after I showed them the braille laws
under IDEA.
I know my child has a lot of functional vision and I do want him to utilize
it. I am not asking for him to do all his work in braille. I understand that
it will mostly be print, but I do want him to use braille on a daily basis
so he is a part of both worlds.
I remember reading an article in Reflections about your advice to a parent
of a low vision child learning braille. I purchased the Mangold program and
I put the sleep shade on him for the first few months. Now he is pretty good
at using his fingers without trying to read braille with his eyes which he
did a lot of last year. Seeing and hearing him read braille letters,
contractions and basic sentences (with guidance) tells me that braille is
working for him. He has some bad habits that are typical for beginners such
as rubbing the braille sometimes, not always tracking correctly, not using
all his fingers, incorrect fingering on the brailler etc. However I believe
those are reasons why he needs daily braille. It isn't the minutes that
matter as much to me as the fact that he continues daily instruction at
school. Otherwise he gets the impression that school is for print everyday,
and braille sometimes if the TVI shows up. I believe that will make him
resistant to braille because he likes to do what everyone else is doing and
is even sensitive about wearing glasses sometimes. I have read too many
stories of adults who wished they had learned braille as a child.
Most of my comments I have made public on this forum even though many of you
have been kind enough to offer an opportunity for me to discuss this
privately. I have chosen to do it like this to aid other parents with low
vision kids who may have similar issues.
Thanks,
Pui
Sent from my iPad
On May 19, 2014, at 1:14 AM, Heather Field via blindkid
<blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hello Pui,
> Sorry this e-mail is so long but I really wanted to share all my thoughts
with you. Congratulations on standing up to the IEP
>
> team. That's a hard thing to do. You're obviously a great mum!
> I would agree that these goals are too easy. He should know more than this
at the end of kindergarten. Also, it may be that
>
> you are dealing with a more complex situation than you realise. I have
observed this situation many times when attending IEP
>
> meetings as an advocate with parents who are fighting for braille for
their child. To most IEP team members, including the
>
> TVI, parents Insisting on braille for a child who appears to be
successfully functioning like a sighted child, seems bizarre,
>
> even cruel and harmful to the child; because, to them, "braille" equals
"blind". They cannot imagine why you would want to
>
> "make your child blind". This reflects their lack of experience with low
vision adults who use braille as one of their tools.
>
> Yet, to you, understanding the degenerative nature of your son's eye
condition, and knowing that braille is an invaluable
>
> tool in the skills toolbox of many successful low vision adults, you are
in a position to see the situation from a different,
>
> completely functional, unemotional perspective. I believe you're taking
the right approach in trying to reason with the
>
> district staff. You are on a mission to educate them regarding your son's
real learning media needs, despite the TVI.
>
> However, rather than arguing with them about instruction time I would take
another tack.
> In the light of no hard evidence, IEP team members usually give far more
weight to what the "professional" TVI says than they
>
> give to what the parent says. They usually write you off as a difficult
parent who doesn't really understand what's going on
>
> with their child.So, what you need is evidence to show the IEP team that
children with some functional vision are often
>
> taught braille on the basis of researched, needs-based factors. To this
end, I believe that having your son assessed, using
>
> the NFB's Reading Media Assessment (RMA), would give a clear,
evidence-based determination on whether or not he should be
>
> treated as a duel learner or a braille reader/writer. The RMA does take
future learning needs, as well as parent observations
>
> into account in determining the results. It also considers the future
needs of your child as a learner with this particular
>
> eye condition. In my experience, most TVIs don't have a grasp of the
future ramifications of the reading media decisions they
>
> make for children and their decisions are driven much more by the emotions
around "making a child blind" by insisting they
>
> use braille, or by the need, albeit unconscious - to lessen their heavy
case load and keep a child using print as long as
>
> possible. They already have heavy case loads and they don't want to have
to find 300 minutes per week for a child who, in
>
> their opinion, doesn't need braille only instruction. Furthermore, the
members of your son's IEP team are almost certainly
>
> ill-prepared to make an informed decision on his future reading media
needs for the three following reasons.
> 1. they fail to consider that your son's vision is currently the best it
will ever be; it will only get worse from here. Even
>
> those with normal vision experience some degree of vision loss as they
age. so, even under normal circumstances, your son's
>
> vision is going to get worse as he ages. With so little vision already,
any degree of loss has major implications for his
>
> functional use of print to read and write.
> 2. They do not really understand the degenerative nature of his eye
condition and how that plays out, with possible vision
>
> loss occuring even while he is still in elementary school. They don't want
to consider it for all sorts of emotional,
>
> personal fear-based reasons.
> 3. Few, if any, of the people on the IEP team - including the TVI, who are
supposed to be considering your son's future
>
> reading meadia needs, will even be acquainted with a blind adult, let
alone a person with your son's specific, degenerative
>
> eye condition. They don't know anything about what blind adults need to
function successfully in the sighted world.
> For these reasons, they are ill equipped to make any fact-based decision
regarding his future reading media needs.
>
> The place to look, when considering your son's future reading media needs,
is among the adult population of blind and vision
>
> impaired people. . As an adult blind person I have a number of adult
friends who have your son's eye condition and I can
>
> assure you that not one of them use print to achieve the tasks of daily
living and working. Some of them have the vision to
>
> read print if they need to,but braille is their medium of choice. One
woman I know has enough vision that, if she wears very
>
> strong glasses, she can see to read regular print. But, she only uses
those glasses if she needs to see something she hasn't
>
> labeled in braille, or to check a child's worksheet etc. It is such an
unpleasant, eye-straining, head-ache inducing
>
> experience that she only uses those glasses in essential, work related
situations. She doesn't even read her print mail with
>
> them; she scans it into her computer or uses a human reader. So, you and I
know what a difference braille will make in your
>
> son's life as a blind adult.
>
> As a blind person who is a certified special educator myself, and knowing
all of this other influencing background
>
> information, my hunch is that the TVI isn't doing what's best for your son
by labeling him as a duel learner. In your
>
> position, I would request he be assessed using the RMA. The RMA is the
only assessment which is research-based and the
>
> results have been found to be extremely reliable over time. Alternatively,
his current assessment, the one used to label him
>
> as a duel learner, was done using a Learning Media Assessment (LMA). The
LMA is not research-based. It is a set of tests and
>
> suggested observational situations that a TVI can use to make a subjective
assessment of how well a child can use their
>
> vision to function in the school setting. In this assessment, a child's
vision is assessed as being functional based on
>
> factors such as how well they use visual aids, preferential seating,
optimal lighting etc. Ie. it assesses how functional the
>
> child's vision is under optimal conditions at school. Worse, the
assessment is conducted by the same TVI who will be
>
> providing the instruction. She gets to decide, on the basis of her
subjective assessment, whether she wants to teach this
>
> student braille or not. At very least this can be called a conflict of
interest. On the other hand, the RMA is research-based
>
> and also asks questions of the parent(s) and the classroom teacher, does
not permit the use of visual aids or optimal
>
> lighting etc. It seeks to gather information on vision use by the child at
home and in the community in an effort to
>
> establish the true, real world "functionality" of the child's vision over
time and strain during the day. You are legally
>
> allowed to request that your son be given an independent assessment for
which the school district must pay. the Reading Media
>
> Assessment (RMA) is provided free, online by the NFB. The tester fills in
the information online where the assessment and
>
> results can be accessed by anyone who is given the private login info.
Everything is provided, even printable reading
>
> passages for each grade level, and instructions for how the student should
sit while reading, and that no reading aids can be
>
> used during testing. The results/Report/recommendations can be printed out
and presented at an IEP meeting. So, it should be
>
> very easy to find someone to administer an independent RMA, eg. a
counselor, a psychologist, a special education teacher, or
>
> a TVI from another district could do it. When the members of the IEP team
see the evidence, obtained independently using a
>
> research-based assessment tool, it will be extremely difficult for the TVI
to refuse to teach your son using the reading and
>
> writing media which the assessment says he needs. If the TVI objects you
can request an explanation of the objections to the
>
> results of a research-based assessment tool administered independently by
an unbiased tester.
> I suggest that you take this approach because, if your son turns out to
need braille exclusively and not to be a dual
>
> learner, then this "how much time" argument will disappear and no time
will be spent on goals such as developing visual
>
> efficiency and tracking. . You will be able to say that you are now not
discussing how much "braille" time your son receives
>
> but, instead, how much "reading and
> writing" time he gets; braille is just the format/code in which he is
> reading and writing. I encourage you to be proactive and continue to
reject the current IEP and request a new assessment and,
>
> on the basis of that, a new IEP. This assessment can be done within a day
or two of your request as it takes only a short
>
> time to administer it and, as soon as the parent report, and classroom
teacher report if you think it will be helpful, are
>
> entered on the website the results will be there at the click of one
button.
> not signing it or arguing for more time will not be as effective as having
> your son assessed using the research-based Reading Media Assessment.
> e-mail me off list if you'd like to chat about this more. I often attend
IEP
> meetings in my area, assisting as a parent advocate in the same kind of
> disagreements. So, I am very aware of how hard they fight to keep from
> having to provide braille.
> Again, sorry for the long e-mail but I hope it helps.
> Warmest regards,
> Heather Field
> _______________________________________________
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> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
blindkid:
>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindkid_nfbnet.org/pburmahln%40yahoo.com
Winona is selling her 32-cell Braille Note QWERTY mPower. It is in like-new
condition, although it hasn't been used for several years and the battery
has died. All cords, straps, instruction books, cds, and case are included.
Due to the battery issue, she is only asking $1000.
We would love to deliver it to someone at convention!
Please contact Winona at wbrackett42 at gmail.com or myself at
bwbddl at yahoo.com.
Thanks,
Debby Brackett
bwbddl at yahoo.com
~"Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can
read."~Mark Twain
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------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Tue, 20 May 2014 09:57:10 -0400
From: Marianne Denning via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
To: Jennifer Duffell-Hoffman <jaduffell at yahoo.com>, "Blind Kid Mailing
List, (for parents of blind children)" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blindkid] blindkid Digest, Vol 121, Issue 17 Discussion
of the right goals and IEP for a legally blind child (Pui via
blindkid)
Message-ID:
<CANZu-JiOqSq0K024sfd_3EuJOkA5Jay4sDh1xc4xC1oaWYR4LQ at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Your children can still become braille literate. I did not begin
learning braille until I was in the 7th grade and I am braille
literate. I know it is hard to find the time to work on braille at
this point but it is critical for their future success.
On 5/20/14, Jennifer Duffell-Hoffman via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
wrote:
> Re: Discussion of the right goals and IEP for a legally blind
> child (Pui via blindkid)
>
> I want to thank Pui and Heather for having this discussion on our
listserve.
> The discussion, both from the standpoint of vision loss and the school's
> response to my earliest inquiries about Braille services, reflects my
sons'
> experience very closely. My sons are 15 and 13 and both, as of this
school
> year, know the Braille code but are far from being Braille literate.
> Because they are not Braille literate and because they cannot sustain
print
> reading they face a jumble of accommodations to get them through each
school
> day, each quiz/test/standardized test and PSAT/SAT. If they were Braille
> literate things would be much simpler not only for my sons, but also for
the
> classroom teacher and the TVI.
>
> My understanding of IDEA is that the school system must prove that Braille
> is NOT an appropriate medium for the particular student--it seems to me
that
> the student has to be Braille-literate before it can be proven this is not
> an appropriate reading medium!
>
>
>
> Jennifer A. Duffell-Hoffman
> NFB BELL in SC, State Coordinator
> SC Parents of Blind Children, State President
> Lancaster, South Carolina
> Mobile: 803-287-5391
> E-mail: jaduffell at yahoo.com
>
> The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
> characteristic that defines your or your future. Every day we raise the
> expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
> between blind people and our dreams. You can have the life you want;
> blindness is not what holds you back.
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> To: blindkid at nfbnet.org
> Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2014 8:00 AM
> Subject: blindkid Digest, Vol 121, Issue 17
>
>
> ----- Forwarded Message -----
>
> Send blindkid mailing list submissions to
> blindkid at nfbnet.org
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> blindkid-request at nfbnet.org
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
> blindkid-owner at nfbnet.org
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of blindkid digest..."
>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Re:
> 2. QWERTY mPower for Sale (Debby B via blindkid)
> Thank you Heather for taking the time to reply. You write so eloquently of
> the struggles I am having with the IEP, and the reasons why. I know the
IEP
> team wonder why I am "making my child blind" by insisting on braille.
> Firstly, My husband and I did make our son blind because we are both
> carriers of the genetic mutation that caused his LCA!! Secondly, now our
job
> as parents is to ensure he gets those blindness related skills so his
vision
> impairment will enable him to carry on with life just like his sighted
> brother. When I found out my son had LCA and it was degenerative I asked
> myself the same questions and did some research of low vision folks and
> their experiences with schooling. I quickly concluded that my son would be
> functionally illiterate without braille when the day would come when he
> would lose more vision. Of course I don't look forward to him losing more
> vision but it is what it is.
>
> I just requested the district perform a LMA on my son. A few months back
the
> CA school for the blind did a technology assessment on my son at my
request
> and concluded that technology would be a part of his future. The VI
> department did not label my son as a dual learner. I did. Their philosophy
> is to not teach a student braille until they go completely blind. However
to
> their credit they did listen to me after I showed them the braille laws
> under IDEA.
>
> I know my child has a lot of functional vision and I do want him to
utilize
> it. I am not asking for him to do all his work in braille. I understand
that
> it will mostly be print, but I do want him to use braille on a daily basis
> so he is a part of both worlds.
>
> I remember reading an article in Reflections about your advice to a parent
> of a low vision child learning braille. I purchased the Mangold program
and
> I put the sleep shade on him for the first few months. Now he is pretty
good
> at using his fingers without trying to read braille with his eyes which he
> did a lot of last year. Seeing and hearing him read braille letters,
> contractions and basic sentences (with guidance) tells me that braille is
> working for him. He has some bad habits that are typical for beginners
such
> as rubbing the braille sometimes, not always tracking correctly, not using
> all his fingers, incorrect fingering on the brailler etc. However I
believe
> those are reasons why he needs daily braille. It isn't the minutes that
> matter as much to me as the fact that he continues daily instruction at
> school. Otherwise he gets the impression that school is for print
everyday,
> and braille sometimes if the TVI shows up. I believe that will make him
> resistant to braille because he likes to do what everyone else is doing
and
> is even sensitive about wearing glasses sometimes. I have read too many
> stories of adults who wished they had learned braille as a child.
>
> Most of my comments I have made public on this forum even though many of
you
> have been kind enough to offer an opportunity for me to discuss this
> privately. I have chosen to do it like this to aid other parents with low
> vision kids who may have similar issues.
>
> Thanks,
> Pui
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On May 19, 2014, at 1:14 AM, Heather Field via blindkid
> <blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
>> Hello Pui,
>> Sorry this e-mail is so long but I really wanted to share all my thoughts
>> with you. Congratulations on standing up to the IEP
>>
>> team. That's a hard thing to do. You're obviously a great mum!
>> I would agree that these goals are too easy. He should know more than
this
>> at the end of kindergarten. Also, it may be that
>>
>> you are dealing with a more complex situation than you realise. I have
>> observed this situation many times when attending IEP
>>
>> meetings as an advocate with parents who are fighting for braille for
>> their child. To most IEP team members, including the
>>
>> TVI, parents Insisting on braille for a child who appears to be
>> successfully functioning like a sighted child, seems bizarre,
>>
>> even cruel and harmful to the child; because, to them, "braille" equals
>> "blind". They cannot imagine why you would want to
>>
>> "make your child blind". This reflects their lack of experience with low
>> vision adults who use braille as one of their tools.
>>
>> Yet, to you, understanding the degenerative nature of your son's eye
>> condition, and knowing that braille is an invaluable
>>
>> tool in the skills toolbox of many successful low vision adults, you are
>> in a position to see the situation from a different,
>>
>> completely functional, unemotional perspective. I believe you're taking
>> the right approach in trying to reason with the
>>
>> district staff. You are on a mission to educate them regarding your son's
>> real learning media needs, despite the TVI.
>>
>> However, rather than arguing with them about instruction time I would
take
>> another tack.
>> In the light of no hard evidence, IEP team members usually give far more
>> weight to what the "professional" TVI says than they
>>
>> give to what the parent says. They usually write you off as a difficult
>> parent who doesn't really understand what's going on
>>
>> with their child.So, what you need is evidence to show the IEP team that
>> children with some functional vision are often
>>
>> taught braille on the basis of researched, needs-based factors. To this
>> end, I believe that having your son assessed, using
>>
>> the NFB's Reading Media Assessment (RMA), would give a clear,
>> evidence-based determination on whether or not he should be
>>
>> treated as a duel learner or a braille reader/writer. The RMA does take
>> future learning needs, as well as parent observations
>>
>> into account in determining the results. It also considers the future
>> needs of your child as a learner with this particular
>>
>> eye condition. In my experience, most TVIs don't have a grasp of the
>> future ramifications of the reading media decisions they
>>
>> make for children and their decisions are driven much more by the
emotions
>> around "making a child blind" by insisting they
>>
>> use braille, or by the need, albeit unconscious - to lessen their heavy
>> case load and keep a child using print as long as
>>
>> possible. They already have heavy case loads and they don't want to have
>> to find 300 minutes per week for a child who, in
>>
>> their opinion, doesn't need braille only instruction. Furthermore, the
>> members of your son's IEP team are almost certainly
>>
>> ill-prepared to make an informed decision on his future reading media
>> needs for the three following reasons.
>> 1. they fail to consider that your son's vision is currently the best it
>> will ever be; it will only get worse from here. Even
>>
>> those with normal vision experience some degree of vision loss as they
>> age. so, even under normal circumstances, your son's
>>
>> vision is going to get worse as he ages. With so little vision already,
>> any degree of loss has major implications for his
>>
>> functional use of print to read and write.
>> 2. They do not really understand the degenerative nature of his eye
>> condition and how that plays out, with possible vision
>>
>> loss occuring even while he is still in elementary school. They don't
want
>> to consider it for all sorts of emotional,
>>
>> personal fear-based reasons.
>> 3. Few, if any, of the people on the IEP team - including the TVI, who
are
>> supposed to be considering your son's future
>>
>> reading meadia needs, will even be acquainted with a blind adult, let
>> alone a person with your son's specific, degenerative
>>
>> eye condition. They don't know anything about what blind adults need to
>> function successfully in the sighted world.
>> For these reasons, they are ill equipped to make any fact-based decision
>> regarding his future reading media needs.
>>
>> The place to look, when considering your son's future reading media
needs,
>> is among the adult population of blind and vision
>>
>> impaired people. . As an adult blind person I have a number of adult
>> friends who have your son's eye condition and I can
>>
>> assure you that not one of them use print to achieve the tasks of daily
>> living and working. Some of them have the vision to
>>
>> read print if they need to,but braille is their medium of choice. One
>> woman I know has enough vision that, if she wears very
>>
>> strong glasses, she can see to read regular print. But, she only uses
>> those glasses if she needs to see something she hasn't
>>
>> labeled in braille, or to check a child's worksheet etc. It is such an
>> unpleasant, eye-straining, head-ache inducing
>>
>> experience that she only uses those glasses in essential, work related
>> situations. She doesn't even read her print mail with
>>
>> them; she scans it into her computer or uses a human reader. So, you and
I
>> know what a difference braille will make in your
>>
>> son's life as a blind adult.
>>
>> As a blind person who is a certified special educator myself, and knowing
>> all of this other influencing background
>>
>> information, my hunch is that the TVI isn't doing what's best for your
son
>> by labeling him as a duel learner. In your
>>
>> position, I would request he be assessed using the RMA. The RMA is the
>> only assessment which is research-based and the
>>
>> results have been found to be extremely reliable over time.
Alternatively,
>> his current assessment, the one used to label him
>>
>> as a duel learner, was done using a Learning Media Assessment (LMA). The
>> LMA is not research-based. It is a set of tests and
>>
>> suggested observational situations that a TVI can use to make a
subjective
>> assessment of how well a child can use their
>>
>> vision to function in the school setting. In this assessment, a child's
>> vision is assessed as being functional based on
>>
>> factors such as how well they use visual aids, preferential seating,
>> optimal lighting etc. Ie. it assesses how functional the
>>
>> child's vision is under optimal conditions at school. Worse, the
>> assessment is conducted by the same TVI who will be
>>
>> providing the instruction. She gets to decide, on the basis of her
>> subjective assessment, whether she wants to teach this
>>
>> student braille or not. At very least this can be called a conflict of
>> interest. On the other hand, the RMA is research-based
>>
>> and also asks questions of the parent(s) and the classroom teacher, does
>> not permit the use of visual aids or optimal
>>
>> lighting etc. It seeks to gather information on vision use by the child
at
>> home and in the community in an effort to
>>
>> establish the true, real world "functionality" of the child's vision over
>> time and strain during the day. You are legally
>>
>> allowed to request that your son be given an independent assessment for
>> which the school district must pay. the Reading Media
>>
>> Assessment (RMA) is provided free, online by the NFB. The tester fills in
>> the information online where the assessment and
>>
>> results can be accessed by anyone who is given the private login info.
>> Everything is provided, even printable reading
>>
>> passages for each grade level, and instructions for how the student
should
>> sit while reading, and that no reading aids can be
>>
>> used during testing. The results/Report/recommendations can be printed
out
>> and presented at an IEP meeting. So, it should be
>>
>> very easy to find someone to administer an independent RMA, eg. a
>> counselor, a psychologist, a special education teacher, or
>>
>> a TVI from another district could do it. When the members of the IEP team
>> see the evidence, obtained independently using a
>>
>> research-based assessment tool, it will be extremely difficult for the
TVI
>> to refuse to teach your son using the reading and
>>
>> writing media which the assessment says he needs. If the TVI objects you
>> can request an explanation of the objections to the
>>
>> results of a research-based assessment tool administered independently by
>> an unbiased tester.
>> I suggest that you take this approach because, if your son turns out to
>> need braille exclusively and not to be a dual
>>
>> learner, then this "how much time" argument will disappear and no time
>> will be spent on goals such as developing visual
>>
>> efficiency and tracking. . You will be able to say that you are now not
>> discussing how much "braille" time your son receives
>>
>> but, instead, how much "reading and
>> writing" time he gets; braille is just the format/code in which he is
>> reading and writing. I encourage you to be proactive and continue to
>> reject the current IEP and request a new assessment and,
>>
>> on the basis of that, a new IEP. This assessment can be done within a day
>> or two of your request as it takes only a short
>>
>> time to administer it and, as soon as the parent report, and classroom
>> teacher report if you think it will be helpful, are
>>
>> entered on the website the results will be there at the click of one
>> button.
>> not signing it or arguing for more time will not be as effective as
having
>>
>> your son assessed using the research-based Reading Media Assessment.
>> e-mail me off list if you'd like to chat about this more. I often attend
>> IEP
>> meetings in my area, assisting as a parent advocate in the same kind of
>> disagreements. So, I am very aware of how hard they fight to keep from
>> having to provide braille.
>> Again, sorry for the long e-mail but I hope it helps.
>> Warmest regards,
>> Heather Field
>> _______________________________________________
>> blindkid mailing list
>> blindkid at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> blindkid:
>>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindkid_nfbnet.org/pburmahln%40yahoo.com
>
>
> Winona is selling her 32-cell Braille Note QWERTY mPower. It is in
like-new
> condition, although it hasn't been used for several years and the battery
> has died. All cords, straps, instruction books, cds, and case are
included.
> Due to the battery issue, she is only asking $1000.
>
> We would love to deliver it to someone at convention!
>
>
> Please contact Winona at wbrackett42 at gmail.com or myself at
> bwbddl at yahoo.com.
> Thanks,
>
>
> Debby Brackett
> bwbddl at yahoo.com
>
> ~"Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can
> read."~Mark Twain
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> blindkid mailing list
> blindkid at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
> _______________________________________________
> blindkid mailing list
> blindkid at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> blindkid:
>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindkid_nfbnet.org/marianne%40denningweb.
com
>
--
Marianne Denning, TVI, MA
Teacher of students who are blind or visually impaired
(513) 607-6053
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Tue, 20 May 2014 07:21:25 -0700
From: Pui via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
To: Jennifer Duffell-Hoffman <jaduffell at yahoo.com>, "Blind Kid Mailing
List, (for parents of blind children)" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blindkid] blindkid Digest, Vol 121, Issue 17 Discussion
of the right goals and IEP for a legally blind child (Pui via
blindkid)
Message-ID: <77195CE8-1E89-40E6-B710-6A2776EB6B85 at yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Thank you Jennifer for sharing your sons' experience. Those are the very
same issues I anticipate for my son at the same age, and that is why I am
standing my ground.
My understanding of IDEA is that for any blind or VI child, braille is the
default. My son is already considered "legally blind" so it's not like I'm
asking for braille because he is only a " little" visually impaired.
Last night, I sent off an email to my son's ophthalmologist to write to the
district to confirm that LCA is degenerative, and that his 20/250 vision
with nystagmus (dancing eyes), reduced field of vision and eye fatigue is
NOT the same as another student with 20/250 vision and without nystagmus
etc. Due to these factors, his ability to read even large print is
compromised.
Today, I plan to look at our state standards for kindergarten and align them
with his braille/VI goals so the IEP goals justify the service minutes and
daily instruction. Then I plan to forward case studies of students with low
vision who were given mostly large print. These studies detail how the
students started falling behind in third grade when the demands of the
curriculum increased. I want the district to know that I know that this will
happen, and that I did tell them this even before he started kindergarten.
My hope is that they would not want to be proven negligent in providing a
FAPE when his braille skills are not enough and his print skills not
sufficient once he's in third grade.
Yes, braille is hard at first for everyone but once the child has mastered
it, schooling becomes easier for everyone involved. Goodness knows I would
like it easier too!
Thanks,
Pui
Sent from my iPad
On May 20, 2014, at 6:51 AM, Jennifer Duffell-Hoffman via blindkid
<blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Re: Discussion of the right goals and IEP for a legally blind
> child (Pui via blindkid)
>
> I want to thank Pui and Heather for having this discussion on our
listserve. The discussion, both from the standpoint of vision loss and the
school's response to my earliest inquiries about Braille services, reflects
my sons' experience very closely. My sons are 15 and 13 and both, as of
this school year, know the Braille code but are far from being Braille
literate. Because they are not Braille literate and because they cannot
sustain print reading they face a jumble of accommodations to get them
through each school day, each quiz/test/standardized test and PSAT/SAT. If
they were Braille literate things would be much simpler not only for my
sons, but also for the classroom teacher and the TVI.
>
> My understanding of IDEA is that the school system must prove that Braille
is NOT an appropriate medium for the particular student--it seems to me that
the student has to be Braille-literate before it can be proven this is not
an appropriate reading medium!
>
>
>
> Jennifer A. Duffell-Hoffman
> NFB BELL in SC, State Coordinator
> SC Parents of Blind Children, State President
> Lancaster, South Carolina
> Mobile: 803-287-5391
> E-mail: jaduffell at yahoo.com
>
> The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines your or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can have the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> To: blindkid at nfbnet.org
> Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2014 8:00 AM
> Subject: blindkid Digest, Vol 121, Issue 17
>
>
> ----- Forwarded Message -----
>
> Send blindkid mailing list submissions to
> blindkid at nfbnet.org
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
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>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
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>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of blindkid digest..."
>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Re:
> 2. QWERTY mPower for Sale (Debby B via blindkid)
> Thank you Heather for taking the time to reply. You write so eloquently of
the struggles I am having with the IEP, and the reasons why. I know the IEP
team wonder why I am "making my child blind" by insisting on braille.
Firstly, My husband and I did make our son blind because we are both
carriers of the genetic mutation that caused his LCA!! Secondly, now our job
as parents is to ensure he gets those blindness related skills so his vision
impairment will enable him to carry on with life just like his sighted
brother. When I found out my son had LCA and it was degenerative I asked
myself the same questions and did some research of low vision folks and
their experiences with schooling. I quickly concluded that my son would be
functionally illiterate without braille when the day would come when he
would lose more vision. Of course I don't look forward to him losing more
vision but it is what it is.
>
> I just requested the district perform a LMA on my son. A few months back
the CA school for the blind did a technology assessment on my son at my
request and concluded that technology would be a part of his future. The VI
department did not label my son as a dual learner. I did. Their philosophy
is to not teach a student braille until they go completely blind. However to
their credit they did listen to me after I showed them the braille laws
under IDEA.
>
> I know my child has a lot of functional vision and I do want him to
utilize it. I am not asking for him to do all his work in braille. I
understand that it will mostly be print, but I do want him to use braille on
a daily basis so he is a part of both worlds.
>
> I remember reading an article in Reflections about your advice to a parent
of a low vision child learning braille. I purchased the Mangold program and
I put the sleep shade on him for the first few months. Now he is pretty good
at using his fingers without trying to read braille with his eyes which he
did a lot of last year. Seeing and hearing him read braille letters,
contractions and basic sentences (with guidance) tells me that braille is
working for him. He has some bad habits that are typical for beginners such
as rubbing the braille sometimes, not always tracking correctly, not using
all his fingers, incorrect fingering on the brailler etc. However I believe
those are reasons why he needs daily braille. It isn't the minutes that
matter as much to me as the fact that he continues daily instruction at
school. Otherwise he gets the impression that school is for print everyday,
and braille sometimes if the TVI shows up. I believe that will make him
> resistant to braille because he likes to do what everyone else is doing
and is even sensitive about wearing glasses sometimes. I have read too many
stories of adults who wished they had learned braille as a child.
>
> Most of my comments I have made public on this forum even though many of
you have been kind enough to offer an opportunity for me to discuss this
privately. I have chosen to do it like this to aid other parents with low
vision kids who may have similar issues.
>
> Thanks,
> Pui
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On May 19, 2014, at 1:14 AM, Heather Field via blindkid
<blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
>> Hello Pui,
>> Sorry this e-mail is so long but I really wanted to share all my thoughts
with you. Congratulations on standing up to the IEP
>>
>> team. That's a hard thing to do. You're obviously a great mum!
>> I would agree that these goals are too easy. He should know more than
this at the end of kindergarten. Also, it may be that
>>
>> you are dealing with a more complex situation than you realise. I have
observed this situation many times when attending IEP
>>
>> meetings as an advocate with parents who are fighting for braille for
their child. To most IEP team members, including the
>>
>> TVI, parents Insisting on braille for a child who appears to be
successfully functioning like a sighted child, seems bizarre,
>>
>> even cruel and harmful to the child; because, to them, "braille" equals
"blind". They cannot imagine why you would want to
>>
>> "make your child blind". This reflects their lack of experience with low
vision adults who use braille as one of their tools.
>>
>> Yet, to you, understanding the degenerative nature of your son's eye
condition, and knowing that braille is an invaluable
>>
>> tool in the skills toolbox of many successful low vision adults, you are
in a position to see the situation from a different,
>>
>> completely functional, unemotional perspective. I believe you're taking
the right approach in trying to reason with the
>>
>> district staff. You are on a mission to educate them regarding your son's
real learning media needs, despite the TVI.
>>
>> However, rather than arguing with them about instruction time I would
take another tack.
>> In the light of no hard evidence, IEP team members usually give far more
weight to what the "professional" TVI says than they
>>
>> give to what the parent says. They usually write you off as a difficult
parent who doesn't really understand what's going on
>>
>> with their child.So, what you need is evidence to show the IEP team that
children with some functional vision are often
>>
>> taught braille on the basis of researched, needs-based factors. To this
end, I believe that having your son assessed, using
>>
>> the NFB's Reading Media Assessment (RMA), would give a clear,
evidence-based determination on whether or not he should be
>>
>> treated as a duel learner or a braille reader/writer. The RMA does take
future learning needs, as well as parent observations
>>
>> into account in determining the results. It also considers the future
needs of your child as a learner with this particular
>>
>> eye condition. In my experience, most TVIs don't have a grasp of the
future ramifications of the reading media decisions they
>>
>> make for children and their decisions are driven much more by the
emotions around "making a child blind" by insisting they
>>
>> use braille, or by the need, albeit unconscious - to lessen their heavy
case load and keep a child using print as long as
>>
>> possible. They already have heavy case loads and they don't want to have
to find 300 minutes per week for a child who, in
>>
>> their opinion, doesn't need braille only instruction. Furthermore, the
members of your son's IEP team are almost certainly
>>
>> ill-prepared to make an informed decision on his future reading media
needs for the three following reasons.
>> 1. they fail to consider that your son's vision is currently the best it
will ever be; it will only get worse from here. Even
>>
>> those with normal vision experience some degree of vision loss as they
age. so, even under normal circumstances, your son's
>>
>> vision is going to get worse as he ages. With so little vision already,
any degree of loss has major implications for his
>>
>> functional use of print to read and write.
>> 2. They do not really understand the degenerative nature of his eye
condition and how that plays out, with possible vision
>>
>> loss occuring even while he is still in elementary school. They don't
want to consider it for all sorts of emotional,
>>
>> personal fear-based reasons.
>> 3. Few, if any, of the people on the IEP team - including the TVI, who
are supposed to be considering your son's future
>>
>> reading meadia needs, will even be acquainted with a blind adult, let
alone a person with your son's specific, degenerative
>>
>> eye condition. They don't know anything about what blind adults need to
function successfully in the sighted world.
>> For these reasons, they are ill equipped to make any fact-based decision
regarding his future reading media needs.
>>
>> The place to look, when considering your son's future reading media
needs, is among the adult population of blind and vision
>>
>> impaired people. . As an adult blind person I have a number of adult
friends who have your son's eye condition and I can
>>
>> assure you that not one of them use print to achieve the tasks of daily
living and working. Some of them have the vision to
>>
>> read print if they need to,but braille is their medium of choice. One
woman I know has enough vision that, if she wears very
>>
>> strong glasses, she can see to read regular print. But, she only uses
those glasses if she needs to see something she hasn't
>>
>> labeled in braille, or to check a child's worksheet etc. It is such an
unpleasant, eye-straining, head-ache inducing
>>
>> experience that she only uses those glasses in essential, work related
situations. She doesn't even read her print mail with
>>
>> them; she scans it into her computer or uses a human reader. So, you and
I know what a difference braille will make in your
>>
>> son's life as a blind adult.
>>
>> As a blind person who is a certified special educator myself, and knowing
all of this other influencing background
>>
>> information, my hunch is that the TVI isn't doing what's best for your
son by labeling him as a duel learner. In your
>>
>> position, I would request he be assessed using the RMA. The RMA is the
only assessment which is research-based and the
>>
>> results have been found to be extremely reliable over time.
Alternatively, his current assessment, the one used to label him
>>
>> as a duel learner, was done using a Learning Media Assessment (LMA). The
LMA is not research-based. It is a set of tests and
>>
>> suggested observational situations that a TVI can use to make a
subjective assessment of how well a child can use their
>>
>> vision to function in the school setting. In this assessment, a child's
vision is assessed as being functional based on
>>
>> factors such as how well they use visual aids, preferential seating,
optimal lighting etc. Ie. it assesses how functional the
>>
>> child's vision is under optimal conditions at school. Worse, the
assessment is conducted by the same TVI who will be
>>
>> providing the instruction. She gets to decide, on the basis of her
subjective assessment, whether she wants to teach this
>>
>> student braille or not. At very least this can be called a conflict of
interest. On the other hand, the RMA is research-based
>>
>> and also asks questions of the parent(s) and the classroom teacher, does
not permit the use of visual aids or optimal
>>
>> lighting etc. It seeks to gather information on vision use by the child
at home and in the community in an effort to
>>
>> establish the true, real world "functionality" of the child's vision over
time and strain during the day. You are legally
>>
>> allowed to request that your son be given an independent assessment for
which the school district must pay. the Reading Media
>>
>> Assessment (RMA) is provided free, online by the NFB. The tester fills in
the information online where the assessment and
>>
>> results can be accessed by anyone who is given the private login info.
Everything is provided, even printable reading
>>
>> passages for each grade level, and instructions for how the student
should sit while reading, and that no reading aids can be
>>
>> used during testing. The results/Report/recommendations can be printed
out and presented at an IEP meeting. So, it should be
>>
>> very easy to find someone to administer an independent RMA, eg. a
counselor, a psychologist, a special education teacher, or
>>
>> a TVI from another district could do it. When the members of the IEP team
see the evidence, obtained independently using a
>>
>> research-based assessment tool, it will be extremely difficult for the
TVI to refuse to teach your son using the reading and
>>
>> writing media which the assessment says he needs. If the TVI objects you
can request an explanation of the objections to the
>>
>> results of a research-based assessment tool administered independently by
an unbiased tester.
>> I suggest that you take this approach because, if your son turns out to
need braille exclusively and not to be a dual
>>
>> learner, then this "how much time" argument will disappear and no time
will be spent on goals such as developing visual
>>
>> efficiency and tracking. . You will be able to say that you are now not
discussing how much "braille" time your son receives
>>
>> but, instead, how much "reading and
>> writing" time he gets; braille is just the format/code in which he is
>> reading and writing. I encourage you to be proactive and continue to
reject the current IEP and request a new assessment and,
>>
>> on the basis of that, a new IEP. This assessment can be done within a day
or two of your request as it takes only a short
>>
>> time to administer it and, as soon as the parent report, and classroom
teacher report if you think it will be helpful, are
>>
>> entered on the website the results will be there at the click of one
button.
>> not signing it or arguing for more time will not be as effective as
having
>> your son assessed using the research-based Reading Media Assessment.
>> e-mail me off list if you'd like to chat about this more. I often attend
IEP
>> meetings in my area, assisting as a parent advocate in the same kind of
>> disagreements. So, I am very aware of how hard they fight to keep from
>> having to provide braille.
>> Again, sorry for the long e-mail but I hope it helps.
>> Warmest regards,
>> Heather Field
>> _______________________________________________
>> blindkid mailing list
>> blindkid at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
blindkid:
>>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindkid_nfbnet.org/pburmahln%40yahoo.com
>
>
> Winona is selling her 32-cell Braille Note QWERTY mPower. It is in
like-new condition, although it hasn't been used for several years and the
battery has died. All cords, straps, instruction books, cds, and case are
included. Due to the battery issue, she is only asking $1000.
>
> We would love to deliver it to someone at convention!
>
>
> Please contact Winona at wbrackett42 at gmail.com or myself at
bwbddl at yahoo.com.
> Thanks,
>
>
> Debby Brackett
> bwbddl at yahoo.com
>
> ~"Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can
read."~Mark Twain
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> blindkid mailing list
> blindkid at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
> _______________________________________________
> blindkid mailing list
> blindkid at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
blindkid:
>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindkid_nfbnet.org/pburmahln%40yahoo.com
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Tue, 20 May 2014 17:49:41 -0400
From: Marianne Denning via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
To: Chantel Alberhasky <chantel at alberhaskylaw.com>, "Blind Kid Mailing
List, (for parents of blind children)" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blindkid] IEP Advice
Message-ID:
<CANZu-JjDqZrFo6NyAdcGwyzQfCxkR4dpg9RrCq0LeH1t_7WzSA at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
What is a consent state?
On 5/18/14, Chantel Alberhasky via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Do you live in a consent state? What state are you in?
>
> Chantel
>
>
> Chantel L. Alberhasky, Esq
> 419 Boonville Avenue
> Springfield, MO 65806
> 417.865.4444
>
> The Missouri Bar Disciplinary Counsel requires all Missouri attorneys
> to notify all recipients of e-mail that (1) e-mail communication is not a
> secure method of communication, (2) any e-mail that is sent to you or
> by you may be copied and held by various computers it passes through as it
> goes from me to you or vice versa, (3) persons not participating in our
> communication may intercept our communications by improperly accessing
> your computer or my computer or even some computer unconnected to
> either of us which the e-mail passed through. I am communicating to you
via
> e-mail because you have consented to receive communications via this
> medium. If you change your mind and want future communications to be
> sent in a different fashion, please let me know AT ONCE.
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Pui via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> To: Carlton Anne Cook Walker <attorneywalker at gmail.com>; "Blind Kid
Mailing
> List, (for parents of blind children)" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, May 18, 2014 4:03 PM
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] IEP Advice
>
>
> Thanks Carlton. Quick question for you if you are able to answer. I asked
> the district what it would mean if I did not sign the new IEP and my son
> started kindergarten. They said that the old IEP would remain in effect
(300
> weekly minutes of VI service) but this would not be good because they
would
> not be able to move forward from his preschool goals. So firstly, as long
as
> I don't sign a new IEP his service time remains at 300 minutes or is there
a
> definite end date? Secondly, is it legal to continue with old IEP goals
from
> preschool when he is in kindergarten. Wouldn't those old goals be denying
> him a FAPE at kindergarten level? Couldn't I just sign the part where I
> agree to new goals but I don't agree to a reduction in VI service time?
>
> Many thanks,
> Pui
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On May 18, 2014, at 11:20 AM, Carlton Anne Cook Walker via blindkid
> <blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
>> Pui,
>>
>> I will reiterate Ms. Denning's reference to the importance of items in
>> addition to literary braille, including Nemeth Code, Unified English
>> Braille, braille writing (with Perkins and slate and stylus), abacus
>> skills, technology skills, tactile diagram reading, non-visual techniques
>> for organization and other daily living skills, and orientation and
>> mobility skills. All too often, we place so much emphasis on reading that
>> we completely ignore mathematics and other non-visual skills. Nemeth Code
>> is the braille code used for mathematics and science. It is a beautiful
>> and
>> elegant code, but it differs in several ways from the literary braille
>> code. While students do a great job of picking up and understanding these
>> differences, they can only do so if they are taught Nemeth.
>>
>> Kindergartners are learning a lot of mathematics. In fact, according to
>> the
>> Maryland Common Core State Frameworks for Braille (which correlated the
>> braille skills needed to meet the Common Core Standards, and can be found
>> at: http://mdk12.org/instruction/commoncore/braille/), kindergarten
>> students need to know how read a hyphen, a mathematical comma (math and
>> literary commas are different in braille), an ellipse, plus sign, minus
>> sign, read and write Nemeth numbers 1 through 20 (Nemeth numbers differ
>> from literary numbers), and how to write equations in horizontal format.
>> Again, this is JUST Kindergarten. Please check the documents for first
>> grade and on. Nemeth can be easily taught as numbers and symbols come up
>> in
>> the regular math curriculum, but they must be taught.
>>
>> I also referenced Unified English Braille (UEB). This is a series of
>> changes made to the Literary Braille Code. It's not a big deal, but our
>> students need to know both codes because UEB will be implemented on
>> January
>> 4, 2016, but literary braille code materials already in existence will be
>> used (and need to be understood) for years to come. Again, this is not a
>> difficult task, but it is a task which should be undertaken sooner rather
>> than later. You can find out more about UEB at:
>> http://www.brailleauthority.org/ueb.html.
>>
>>
>> I hope this has been helpful. Please feel free to reply to the list or
>> contact me off-list.
>>
>>
>> Carlton
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Carlton Anne Cook Walker
>> Attorney at Law
>> President, National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
>> Teacher of Students with Blindness/Visual Impairment
>> 105 Creamery Road
>> Boiling Springs, PA 17007
>> Voice: 717-658-9894
>> Twitter: braillemom
>>
>>
>> *This message is not intended or offered as legal advice. * These
>> materials
>> have been prepared for educational and information purposes only. They
>> are
>> not legal advice or legal opinions on any specific matters. Transmission
>> of the information is not intended to create, and receipt does not
>> constitute, a lawyer-client relationship between this site, the
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>>
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--
Marianne Denning, TVI, MA
Teacher of students who are blind or visually impaired
(513) 607-6053
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Tue, 20 May 2014 15:50:10 -0700
From: Arielle Silverman via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
To: Pui <pburmahln at yahoo.com>, "Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents
of blind children)" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blindkid] blindkid Digest, Vol 121, Issue 17 Discussion
of the right goals and IEP for a legally blind child (Pui via
blindkid)
Message-ID:
<CALAYQJCwrGSPc9r8wCu3Yyyn_Y2wc=bqR9sogA1ohmMj_Zhbjw at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
I'm not sure there's any evidence that Braille is harder to learn
than print. Perhaps someone who knows both could comment. Braille does
involve learning contractions, but print is much less consistent than
Braille (there's only one way to write an A in Braille, etc.)
I think many teachers think Braille is hard for kids to learn when
really they're just projecting their own difficulty and unfamiliarity
with Braille.
Arielle
On 5/20/14, Pui via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Thank you Jennifer for sharing your sons' experience. Those are the very
> same issues I anticipate for my son at the same age, and that is why I am
> standing my ground.
>
> My understanding of IDEA is that for any blind or VI child, braille is the
> default. My son is already considered "legally blind" so it's not like I'm
> asking for braille because he is only a " little" visually impaired.
>
> Last night, I sent off an email to my son's ophthalmologist to write to
the
> district to confirm that LCA is degenerative, and that his 20/250 vision
> with nystagmus (dancing eyes), reduced field of vision and eye fatigue is
> NOT the same as another student with 20/250 vision and without nystagmus
> etc. Due to these factors, his ability to read even large print is
> compromised.
>
> Today, I plan to look at our state standards for kindergarten and align
them
> with his braille/VI goals so the IEP goals justify the service minutes and
> daily instruction. Then I plan to forward case studies of students with
low
> vision who were given mostly large print. These studies detail how the
> students started falling behind in third grade when the demands of the
> curriculum increased. I want the district to know that I know that this
will
> happen, and that I did tell them this even before he started kindergarten.
> My hope is that they would not want to be proven negligent in providing a
> FAPE when his braille skills are not enough and his print skills not
> sufficient once he's in third grade.
>
> Yes, braille is hard at first for everyone but once the child has mastered
> it, schooling becomes easier for everyone involved. Goodness knows I would
> like it easier too!
>
> Thanks,
> Pui
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On May 20, 2014, at 6:51 AM, Jennifer Duffell-Hoffman via blindkid
> <blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
>> Re: Discussion of the right goals and IEP for a legally blind
>> child (Pui via blindkid)
>>
>> I want to thank Pui and Heather for having this discussion on our
>> listserve. The discussion, both from the standpoint of vision loss and
>> the school's response to my earliest inquiries about Braille services,
>> reflects my sons' experience very closely. My sons are 15 and 13 and
>> both, as of this school year, know the Braille code but are far from
being
>> Braille literate. Because they are not Braille literate and because they
>> cannot sustain print reading they face a jumble of accommodations to get
>> them through each school day, each quiz/test/standardized test and
>> PSAT/SAT. If they were Braille literate things would be much simpler not
>> only for my sons, but also for the classroom teacher and the TVI.
>>
>> My understanding of IDEA is that the school system must prove that
Braille
>> is NOT an appropriate medium for the particular student--it seems to me
>> that the student has to be Braille-literate before it can be proven this
>> is not an appropriate reading medium!
>>
>>
>>
>> Jennifer A. Duffell-Hoffman
>> NFB BELL in SC, State Coordinator
>> SC Parents of Blind Children, State President
>> Lancaster, South Carolina
>> Mobile: 803-287-5391
>> E-mail: jaduffell at yahoo.com
>>
>> The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
>> characteristic that defines your or your future. Every day we raise the
>> expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
>> between blind people and our dreams. You can have the life you want;
>> blindness is not what holds you back.
>>
>>
>> ________________________________
>> From: via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>> To: blindkid at nfbnet.org
>> Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2014 8:00 AM
>> Subject: blindkid Digest, Vol 121, Issue 17
>>
>>
>> ----- Forwarded Message -----
>>
>> Send blindkid mailing list submissions to
>> blindkid at nfbnet.org
>>
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>> than "Re: Contents of blindkid digest..."
>>
>> Today's Topics:
>>
>> 1. Re:
>> 2. QWERTY mPower for Sale (Debby B via blindkid)
>> Thank you Heather for taking the time to reply. You write so eloquently
of
>> the struggles I am having with the IEP, and the reasons why. I know the
>> IEP team wonder why I am "making my child blind" by insisting on braille.
>> Firstly, My husband and I did make our son blind because we are both
>> carriers of the genetic mutation that caused his LCA!! Secondly, now our
>> job as parents is to ensure he gets those blindness related skills so his
>> vision impairment will enable him to carry on with life just like his
>> sighted brother. When I found out my son had LCA and it was degenerative
I
>> asked myself the same questions and did some research of low vision folks
>> and their experiences with schooling. I quickly concluded that my son
>> would be functionally illiterate without braille when the day would come
>> when he would lose more vision. Of course I don't look forward to him
>> losing more vision but it is what it is.
>>
>> I just requested the district perform a LMA on my son. A few months back
>> the CA school for the blind did a technology assessment on my son at my
>> request and concluded that technology would be a part of his future. The
>> VI department did not label my son as a dual learner. I did. Their
>> philosophy is to not teach a student braille until they go completely
>> blind. However to their credit they did listen to me after I showed them
>> the braille laws under IDEA.
>>
>> I know my child has a lot of functional vision and I do want him to
>> utilize it. I am not asking for him to do all his work in braille. I
>> understand that it will mostly be print, but I do want him to use braille
>> on a daily basis so he is a part of both worlds.
>>
>> I remember reading an article in Reflections about your advice to a
parent
>> of a low vision child learning braille. I purchased the Mangold program
>> and I put the sleep shade on him for the first few months. Now he is
>> pretty good at using his fingers without trying to read braille with his
>> eyes which he did a lot of last year. Seeing and hearing him read braille
>> letters, contractions and basic sentences (with guidance) tells me that
>> braille is working for him. He has some bad habits that are typical for
>> beginners such as rubbing the braille sometimes, not always tracking
>> correctly, not using all his fingers, incorrect fingering on the brailler
>> etc. However I believe those are reasons why he needs daily braille. It
>> isn't the minutes that matter as much to me as the fact that he continues
>> daily instruction at school. Otherwise he gets the impression that school
>> is for print everyday, and braille sometimes if the TVI shows up. I
>> believe that will make him
>> resistant to braille because he likes to do what everyone else is doing
>> and is even sensitive about wearing glasses sometimes. I have read too
>> many stories of adults who wished they had learned braille as a child.
>>
>> Most of my comments I have made public on this forum even though many of
>> you have been kind enough to offer an opportunity for me to discuss this
>> privately. I have chosen to do it like this to aid other parents with low
>> vision kids who may have similar issues.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Pui
>>
>> Sent from my iPad
>>
>> On May 19, 2014, at 1:14 AM, Heather Field via blindkid
>> <blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Hello Pui,
>>> Sorry this e-mail is so long but I really wanted to share all my
thoughts
>>> with you. Congratulations on standing up to the IEP
>>>
>>> team. That's a hard thing to do. You're obviously a great mum!
>>> I would agree that these goals are too easy. He should know more than
>>> this at the end of kindergarten. Also, it may be that
>>>
>>> you are dealing with a more complex situation than you realise. I have
>>> observed this situation many times when attending IEP
>>>
>>> meetings as an advocate with parents who are fighting for braille for
>>> their child. To most IEP team members, including the
>>>
>>> TVI, parents Insisting on braille for a child who appears to be
>>> successfully functioning like a sighted child, seems bizarre,
>>>
>>> even cruel and harmful to the child; because, to them, "braille" equals
>>> "blind". They cannot imagine why you would want to
>>>
>>> "make your child blind". This reflects their lack of experience with low
>>> vision adults who use braille as one of their tools.
>>>
>>> Yet, to you, understanding the degenerative nature of your son's eye
>>> condition, and knowing that braille is an invaluable
>>>
>>> tool in the skills toolbox of many successful low vision adults, you are
>>> in a position to see the situation from a different,
>>>
>>> completely functional, unemotional perspective. I believe you're taking
>>> the right approach in trying to reason with the
>>>
>>> district staff. You are on a mission to educate them regarding your
son's
>>> real learning media needs, despite the TVI.
>>>
>>> However, rather than arguing with them about instruction time I would
>>> take another tack.
>>> In the light of no hard evidence, IEP team members usually give far more
>>> weight to what the "professional" TVI says than they
>>>
>>> give to what the parent says. They usually write you off as a difficult
>>> parent who doesn't really understand what's going on
>>>
>>> with their child.So, what you need is evidence to show the IEP team that
>>> children with some functional vision are often
>>>
>>> taught braille on the basis of researched, needs-based factors. To this
>>> end, I believe that having your son assessed, using
>>>
>>> the NFB's Reading Media Assessment (RMA), would give a clear,
>>> evidence-based determination on whether or not he should be
>>>
>>> treated as a duel learner or a braille reader/writer. The RMA does take
>>> future learning needs, as well as parent observations
>>>
>>> into account in determining the results. It also considers the future
>>> needs of your child as a learner with this particular
>>>
>>> eye condition. In my experience, most TVIs don't have a grasp of the
>>> future ramifications of the reading media decisions they
>>>
>>> make for children and their decisions are driven much more by the
>>> emotions around "making a child blind" by insisting they
>>>
>>> use braille, or by the need, albeit unconscious - to lessen their heavy
>>> case load and keep a child using print as long as
>>>
>>> possible. They already have heavy case loads and they don't want to have
>>> to find 300 minutes per week for a child who, in
>>>
>>> their opinion, doesn't need braille only instruction. Furthermore, the
>>> members of your son's IEP team are almost certainly
>>>
>>> ill-prepared to make an informed decision on his future reading media
>>> needs for the three following reasons.
>>> 1. they fail to consider that your son's vision is currently the best it
>>> will ever be; it will only get worse from here. Even
>>>
>>> those with normal vision experience some degree of vision loss as they
>>> age. so, even under normal circumstances, your son's
>>>
>>> vision is going to get worse as he ages. With so little vision already,
>>> any degree of loss has major implications for his
>>>
>>> functional use of print to read and write.
>>> 2. They do not really understand the degenerative nature of his eye
>>> condition and how that plays out, with possible vision
>>>
>>> loss occuring even while he is still in elementary school. They don't
>>> want to consider it for all sorts of emotional,
>>>
>>> personal fear-based reasons.
>>> 3. Few, if any, of the people on the IEP team - including the TVI, who
>>> are supposed to be considering your son's future
>>>
>>> reading meadia needs, will even be acquainted with a blind adult, let
>>> alone a person with your son's specific, degenerative
>>>
>>> eye condition. They don't know anything about what blind adults need to
>>> function successfully in the sighted world.
>>> For these reasons, they are ill equipped to make any fact-based decision
>>> regarding his future reading media needs.
>>>
>>> The place to look, when considering your son's future reading media
>>> needs, is among the adult population of blind and vision
>>>
>>> impaired people. . As an adult blind person I have a number of adult
>>> friends who have your son's eye condition and I can
>>>
>>> assure you that not one of them use print to achieve the tasks of daily
>>> living and working. Some of them have the vision to
>>>
>>> read print if they need to,but braille is their medium of choice. One
>>> woman I know has enough vision that, if she wears very
>>>
>>> strong glasses, she can see to read regular print. But, she only uses
>>> those glasses if she needs to see something she hasn't
>>>
>>> labeled in braille, or to check a child's worksheet etc. It is such an
>>> unpleasant, eye-straining, head-ache inducing
>>>
>>> experience that she only uses those glasses in essential, work related
>>> situations. She doesn't even read her print mail with
>>>
>>> them; she scans it into her computer or uses a human reader. So, you and
>>> I know what a difference braille will make in your
>>>
>>> son's life as a blind adult.
>>>
>>> As a blind person who is a certified special educator myself, and
knowing
>>> all of this other influencing background
>>>
>>> information, my hunch is that the TVI isn't doing what's best for your
>>> son by labeling him as a duel learner. In your
>>>
>>> position, I would request he be assessed using the RMA. The RMA is the
>>> only assessment which is research-based and the
>>>
>>> results have been found to be extremely reliable over time.
>>> Alternatively, his current assessment, the one used to label him
>>>
>>> as a duel learner, was done using a Learning Media Assessment (LMA). The
>>> LMA is not research-based. It is a set of tests and
>>>
>>> suggested observational situations that a TVI can use to make a
>>> subjective assessment of how well a child can use their
>>>
>>> vision to function in the school setting. In this assessment, a child's
>>> vision is assessed as being functional based on
>>>
>>> factors such as how well they use visual aids, preferential seating,
>>> optimal lighting etc. Ie. it assesses how functional the
>>>
>>> child's vision is under optimal conditions at school. Worse, the
>>> assessment is conducted by the same TVI who will be
>>>
>>> providing the instruction. She gets to decide, on the basis of her
>>> subjective assessment, whether she wants to teach this
>>>
>>> student braille or not. At very least this can be called a conflict of
>>> interest. On the other hand, the RMA is research-based
>>>
>>> and also asks questions of the parent(s) and the classroom teacher, does
>>> not permit the use of visual aids or optimal
>>>
>>> lighting etc. It seeks to gather information on vision use by the child
>>> at home and in the community in an effort to
>>>
>>> establish the true, real world "functionality" of the child's vision
over
>>> time and strain during the day. You are legally
>>>
>>> allowed to request that your son be given an independent assessment for
>>> which the school district must pay. the Reading Media
>>>
>>> Assessment (RMA) is provided free, online by the NFB. The tester fills
in
>>> the information online where the assessment and
>>>
>>> results can be accessed by anyone who is given the private login info.
>>> Everything is provided, even printable reading
>>>
>>> passages for each grade level, and instructions for how the student
>>> should sit while reading, and that no reading aids can be
>>>
>>> used during testing. The results/Report/recommendations can be printed
>>> out and presented at an IEP meeting. So, it should be
>>>
>>> very easy to find someone to administer an independent RMA, eg. a
>>> counselor, a psychologist, a special education teacher, or
>>>
>>> a TVI from another district could do it. When the members of the IEP
team
>>> see the evidence, obtained independently using a
>>>
>>> research-based assessment tool, it will be extremely difficult for the
>>> TVI to refuse to teach your son using the reading and
>>>
>>> writing media which the assessment says he needs. If the TVI objects you
>>> can request an explanation of the objections to the
>>>
>>> results of a research-based assessment tool administered independently
by
>>> an unbiased tester.
>>> I suggest that you take this approach because, if your son turns out to
>>> need braille exclusively and not to be a dual
>>>
>>> learner, then this "how much time" argument will disappear and no time
>>> will be spent on goals such as developing visual
>>>
>>> efficiency and tracking. . You will be able to say that you are now not
>>> discussing how much "braille" time your son receives
>>>
>>> but, instead, how much "reading and
>>> writing" time he gets; braille is just the format/code in which he is
>>> reading and writing. I encourage you to be proactive and continue to
>>> reject the current IEP and request a new assessment and,
>>>
>>> on the basis of that, a new IEP. This assessment can be done within a
day
>>> or two of your request as it takes only a short
>>>
>>> time to administer it and, as soon as the parent report, and classroom
>>> teacher report if you think it will be helpful, are
>>>
>>> entered on the website the results will be there at the click of one
>>> button.
>>> not signing it or arguing for more time will not be as effective as
>>> having
>>> your son assessed using the research-based Reading Media Assessment.
>>> e-mail me off list if you'd like to chat about this more. I often attend
>>> IEP
>>> meetings in my area, assisting as a parent advocate in the same kind of
>>> disagreements. So, I am very aware of how hard they fight to keep from
>>> having to provide braille.
>>> Again, sorry for the long e-mail but I hope it helps.
>>> Warmest regards,
>>> Heather Field
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> blindkid mailing list
>>> blindkid at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> blindkid:
>>>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindkid_nfbnet.org/pburmahln%40yahoo.com
>>
>>
>> Winona is selling her 32-cell Braille Note QWERTY mPower. It is in
>> like-new condition, although it hasn't been used for several years and
the
>> battery has died. All cords, straps, instruction books, cds, and case are
>> included. Due to the battery issue, she is only asking $1000.
>>
>> We would love to deliver it to someone at convention!
>>
>>
>> Please contact Winona at wbrackett42 at gmail.com or myself at
>> bwbddl at yahoo.com.
>> Thanks,
>>
>>
>> Debby Brackett
>> bwbddl at yahoo.com
>>
>> ~"Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can
>> read."~Mark Twain
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> blindkid mailing list
>> blindkid at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
>> _______________________________________________
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>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> blindkid:
>>
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>
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> blindkid:
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------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Tue, 20 May 2014 15:45:23 -0800
From: Bonnie Lucas via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
To: <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [blindkid] Two rooms that need to find takers
Message-ID: <019601cf7485$92456ed0$b6d04c70$@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Hello everyone,
About the time I booked my room for convention, I had two offers and both
people had also booked rooms. So, I have a room that I'd like to find an
owner for and another lady is looking for one as well for her room. If you
know of anyone looking for a room, please have them call me as soon as
possible. My number is 907-301-6808
Thanks very much.
Bonnie Lucas
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protection is active.
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------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Tue, 20 May 2014 20:23:41 -0400
From: Marianne Denning via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
To: Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com>, "Blind Kid Mailing List,
(for parents of blind children)" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blindkid] blindkid Digest, Vol 121, Issue 17 Discussion
of the right goals and IEP for a legally blind child (Pui via
blindkid)
Message-ID:
<CANZu-JhK+vBP22mBX9DAP7trZRQpBi8-bN1fz8b-SArg093Gvg at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
I don't know that braille is any harder to learn but if you didn't
learn to read anything until you were in the 7th grade it would be
hard, no matter what you are learning.
On 5/20/14, Arielle Silverman via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> I'm not sure there's any evidence that Braille is harder to learn
> than print. Perhaps someone who knows both could comment. Braille does
> involve learning contractions, but print is much less consistent than
> Braille (there's only one way to write an A in Braille, etc.)
> I think many teachers think Braille is hard for kids to learn when
> really they're just projecting their own difficulty and unfamiliarity
> with Braille.
>
> Arielle
>
> On 5/20/14, Pui via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Thank you Jennifer for sharing your sons' experience. Those are the very
>> same issues I anticipate for my son at the same age, and that is why I am
>> standing my ground.
>>
>> My understanding of IDEA is that for any blind or VI child, braille is
>> the
>> default. My son is already considered "legally blind" so it's not like
>> I'm
>> asking for braille because he is only a " little" visually impaired.
>>
>> Last night, I sent off an email to my son's ophthalmologist to write to
>> the
>> district to confirm that LCA is degenerative, and that his 20/250 vision
>> with nystagmus (dancing eyes), reduced field of vision and eye fatigue is
>> NOT the same as another student with 20/250 vision and without nystagmus
>> etc. Due to these factors, his ability to read even large print is
>> compromised.
>>
>> Today, I plan to look at our state standards for kindergarten and align
>> them
>> with his braille/VI goals so the IEP goals justify the service minutes
>> and
>> daily instruction. Then I plan to forward case studies of students with
>> low
>> vision who were given mostly large print. These studies detail how the
>> students started falling behind in third grade when the demands of the
>> curriculum increased. I want the district to know that I know that this
>> will
>> happen, and that I did tell them this even before he started
>> kindergarten.
>> My hope is that they would not want to be proven negligent in providing a
>> FAPE when his braille skills are not enough and his print skills not
>> sufficient once he's in third grade.
>>
>> Yes, braille is hard at first for everyone but once the child has
>> mastered
>> it, schooling becomes easier for everyone involved. Goodness knows I
>> would
>> like it easier too!
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Pui
>> Sent from my iPad
>>
>> On May 20, 2014, at 6:51 AM, Jennifer Duffell-Hoffman via blindkid
>> <blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Re: Discussion of the right goals and IEP for a legally blind
>>> child (Pui via blindkid)
>>>
>>> I want to thank Pui and Heather for having this discussion on our
>>> listserve. The discussion, both from the standpoint of vision loss and
>>> the school's response to my earliest inquiries about Braille services,
>>> reflects my sons' experience very closely. My sons are 15 and 13 and
>>> both, as of this school year, know the Braille code but are far from
>>> being
>>> Braille literate. Because they are not Braille literate and because
>>> they
>>> cannot sustain print reading they face a jumble of accommodations to get
>>> them through each school day, each quiz/test/standardized test and
>>> PSAT/SAT. If they were Braille literate things would be much simpler not
>>> only for my sons, but also for the classroom teacher and the TVI.
>>>
>>> My understanding of IDEA is that the school system must prove that
>>> Braille
>>> is NOT an appropriate medium for the particular student--it seems to me
>>> that the student has to be Braille-literate before it can be proven this
>>> is not an appropriate reading medium!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Jennifer A. Duffell-Hoffman
>>> NFB BELL in SC, State Coordinator
>>> SC Parents of Blind Children, State President
>>> Lancaster, South Carolina
>>> Mobile: 803-287-5391
>>> E-mail: jaduffell at yahoo.com
>>>
>>> The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
>>> characteristic that defines your or your future. Every day we raise the
>>> expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
>>> between blind people and our dreams. You can have the life you want;
>>> blindness is not what holds you back.
>>>
>>>
>>> ________________________________
>>> From: via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>>> To: blindkid at nfbnet.org
>>> Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2014 8:00 AM
>>> Subject: blindkid Digest, Vol 121, Issue 17
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Forwarded Message -----
>>>
>>> Send blindkid mailing list submissions to
>>> blindkid at nfbnet.org
>>>
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>>>
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>>>
>>> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
>>> than "Re: Contents of blindkid digest..."
>>>
>>> Today's Topics:
>>>
>>> 1. Re:
>>> 2. QWERTY mPower for Sale (Debby B via blindkid)
>>> Thank you Heather for taking the time to reply. You write so eloquently
>>> of
>>> the struggles I am having with the IEP, and the reasons why. I know the
>>> IEP team wonder why I am "making my child blind" by insisting on
>>> braille.
>>> Firstly, My husband and I did make our son blind because we are both
>>> carriers of the genetic mutation that caused his LCA!! Secondly, now our
>>> job as parents is to ensure he gets those blindness related skills so
>>> his
>>> vision impairment will enable him to carry on with life just like his
>>> sighted brother. When I found out my son had LCA and it was degenerative
>>> I
>>> asked myself the same questions and did some research of low vision
>>> folks
>>> and their experiences with schooling. I quickly concluded that my son
>>> would be functionally illiterate without braille when the day would come
>>> when he would lose more vision. Of course I don't look forward to him
>>> losing more vision but it is what it is.
>>>
>>> I just requested the district perform a LMA on my son. A few months back
>>> the CA school for the blind did a technology assessment on my son at my
>>> request and concluded that technology would be a part of his future. The
>>> VI department did not label my son as a dual learner. I did. Their
>>> philosophy is to not teach a student braille until they go completely
>>> blind. However to their credit they did listen to me after I showed them
>>> the braille laws under IDEA.
>>>
>>> I know my child has a lot of functional vision and I do want him to
>>> utilize it. I am not asking for him to do all his work in braille. I
>>> understand that it will mostly be print, but I do want him to use
>>> braille
>>> on a daily basis so he is a part of both worlds.
>>>
>>> I remember reading an article in Reflections about your advice to a
>>> parent
>>> of a low vision child learning braille. I purchased the Mangold program
>>> and I put the sleep shade on him for the first few months. Now he is
>>> pretty good at using his fingers without trying to read braille with his
>>> eyes which he did a lot of last year. Seeing and hearing him read
>>> braille
>>> letters, contractions and basic sentences (with guidance) tells me that
>>> braille is working for him. He has some bad habits that are typical for
>>> beginners such as rubbing the braille sometimes, not always tracking
>>> correctly, not using all his fingers, incorrect fingering on the
>>> brailler
>>> etc. However I believe those are reasons why he needs daily braille. It
>>> isn't the minutes that matter as much to me as the fact that he
>>> continues
>>> daily instruction at school. Otherwise he gets the impression that
>>> school
>>> is for print everyday, and braille sometimes if the TVI shows up. I
>>> believe that will make him
>>> resistant to braille because he likes to do what everyone else is doing
>>> and is even sensitive about wearing glasses sometimes. I have read too
>>> many stories of adults who wished they had learned braille as a child.
>>>
>>> Most of my comments I have made public on this forum even though many of
>>> you have been kind enough to offer an opportunity for me to discuss this
>>> privately. I have chosen to do it like this to aid other parents with
>>> low
>>> vision kids who may have similar issues.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> Pui
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>
>>> On May 19, 2014, at 1:14 AM, Heather Field via blindkid
>>> <blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hello Pui,
>>>> Sorry this e-mail is so long but I really wanted to share all my
>>>> thoughts
>>>> with you. Congratulations on standing up to the IEP
>>>>
>>>> team. That's a hard thing to do. You're obviously a great mum!
>>>> I would agree that these goals are too easy. He should know more than
>>>> this at the end of kindergarten. Also, it may be that
>>>>
>>>> you are dealing with a more complex situation than you realise. I have
>>>> observed this situation many times when attending IEP
>>>>
>>>> meetings as an advocate with parents who are fighting for braille for
>>>> their child. To most IEP team members, including the
>>>>
>>>> TVI, parents Insisting on braille for a child who appears to be
>>>> successfully functioning like a sighted child, seems bizarre,
>>>>
>>>> even cruel and harmful to the child; because, to them, "braille" equals
>>>> "blind". They cannot imagine why you would want to
>>>>
>>>> "make your child blind". This reflects their lack of experience with
>>>> low
>>>> vision adults who use braille as one of their tools.
>>>>
>>>> Yet, to you, understanding the degenerative nature of your son's eye
>>>> condition, and knowing that braille is an invaluable
>>>>
>>>> tool in the skills toolbox of many successful low vision adults, you
>>>> are
>>>> in a position to see the situation from a different,
>>>>
>>>> completely functional, unemotional perspective. I believe you're taking
>>>> the right approach in trying to reason with the
>>>>
>>>> district staff. You are on a mission to educate them regarding your
>>>> son's
>>>> real learning media needs, despite the TVI.
>>>>
>>>> However, rather than arguing with them about instruction time I would
>>>> take another tack.
>>>> In the light of no hard evidence, IEP team members usually give far
>>>> more
>>>> weight to what the "professional" TVI says than they
>>>>
>>>> give to what the parent says. They usually write you off as a difficult
>>>> parent who doesn't really understand what's going on
>>>>
>>>> with their child.So, what you need is evidence to show the IEP team
>>>> that
>>>> children with some functional vision are often
>>>>
>>>> taught braille on the basis of researched, needs-based factors. To this
>>>> end, I believe that having your son assessed, using
>>>>
>>>> the NFB's Reading Media Assessment (RMA), would give a clear,
>>>> evidence-based determination on whether or not he should be
>>>>
>>>> treated as a duel learner or a braille reader/writer. The RMA does take
>>>> future learning needs, as well as parent observations
>>>>
>>>> into account in determining the results. It also considers the future
>>>> needs of your child as a learner with this particular
>>>>
>>>> eye condition. In my experience, most TVIs don't have a grasp of the
>>>> future ramifications of the reading media decisions they
>>>>
>>>> make for children and their decisions are driven much more by the
>>>> emotions around "making a child blind" by insisting they
>>>>
>>>> use braille, or by the need, albeit unconscious - to lessen their heavy
>>>> case load and keep a child using print as long as
>>>>
>>>> possible. They already have heavy case loads and they don't want to
>>>> have
>>>> to find 300 minutes per week for a child who, in
>>>>
>>>> their opinion, doesn't need braille only instruction. Furthermore, the
>>>> members of your son's IEP team are almost certainly
>>>>
>>>> ill-prepared to make an informed decision on his future reading media
>>>> needs for the three following reasons.
>>>> 1. they fail to consider that your son's vision is currently the best
>>>> it
>>>> will ever be; it will only get worse from here. Even
>>>>
>>>> those with normal vision experience some degree of vision loss as they
>>>> age. so, even under normal circumstances, your son's
>>>>
>>>> vision is going to get worse as he ages. With so little vision already,
>>>> any degree of loss has major implications for his
>>>>
>>>> functional use of print to read and write.
>>>> 2. They do not really understand the degenerative nature of his eye
>>>> condition and how that plays out, with possible vision
>>>>
>>>> loss occuring even while he is still in elementary school. They don't
>>>> want to consider it for all sorts of emotional,
>>>>
>>>> personal fear-based reasons.
>>>> 3. Few, if any, of the people on the IEP team - including the TVI, who
>>>> are supposed to be considering your son's future
>>>>
>>>> reading meadia needs, will even be acquainted with a blind adult, let
>>>> alone a person with your son's specific, degenerative
>>>>
>>>> eye condition. They don't know anything about what blind adults need to
>>>> function successfully in the sighted world.
>>>> For these reasons, they are ill equipped to make any fact-based
>>>> decision
>>>> regarding his future reading media needs.
>>>>
>>>> The place to look, when considering your son's future reading media
>>>> needs, is among the adult population of blind and vision
>>>>
>>>> impaired people. . As an adult blind person I have a number of adult
>>>> friends who have your son's eye condition and I can
>>>>
>>>> assure you that not one of them use print to achieve the tasks of daily
>>>> living and working. Some of them have the vision to
>>>>
>>>> read print if they need to,but braille is their medium of choice. One
>>>> woman I know has enough vision that, if she wears very
>>>>
>>>> strong glasses, she can see to read regular print. But, she only uses
>>>> those glasses if she needs to see something she hasn't
>>>>
>>>> labeled in braille, or to check a child's worksheet etc. It is such an
>>>> unpleasant, eye-straining, head-ache inducing
>>>>
>>>> experience that she only uses those glasses in essential, work related
>>>> situations. She doesn't even read her print mail with
>>>>
>>>> them; she scans it into her computer or uses a human reader. So, you
>>>> and
>>>> I know what a difference braille will make in your
>>>>
>>>> son's life as a blind adult.
>>>>
>>>> As a blind person who is a certified special educator myself, and
>>>> knowing
>>>> all of this other influencing background
>>>>
>>>> information, my hunch is that the TVI isn't doing what's best for your
>>>> son by labeling him as a duel learner. In your
>>>>
>>>> position, I would request he be assessed using the RMA. The RMA is the
>>>> only assessment which is research-based and the
>>>>
>>>> results have been found to be extremely reliable over time.
>>>> Alternatively, his current assessment, the one used to label him
>>>>
>>>> as a duel learner, was done using a Learning Media Assessment (LMA).
>>>> The
>>>> LMA is not research-based. It is a set of tests and
>>>>
>>>> suggested observational situations that a TVI can use to make a
>>>> subjective assessment of how well a child can use their
>>>>
>>>> vision to function in the school setting. In this assessment, a child's
>>>> vision is assessed as being functional based on
>>>>
>>>> factors such as how well they use visual aids, preferential seating,
>>>> optimal lighting etc. Ie. it assesses how functional the
>>>>
>>>> child's vision is under optimal conditions at school. Worse, the
>>>> assessment is conducted by the same TVI who will be
>>>>
>>>> providing the instruction. She gets to decide, on the basis of her
>>>> subjective assessment, whether she wants to teach this
>>>>
>>>> student braille or not. At very least this can be called a conflict of
>>>> interest. On the other hand, the RMA is research-based
>>>>
>>>> and also asks questions of the parent(s) and the classroom teacher,
>>>> does
>>>> not permit the use of visual aids or optimal
>>>>
>>>> lighting etc. It seeks to gather information on vision use by the child
>>>> at home and in the community in an effort to
>>>>
>>>> establish the true, real world "functionality" of the child's vision
>>>> over
>>>> time and strain during the day. You are legally
>>>>
>>>> allowed to request that your son be given an independent assessment for
>>>> which the school district must pay. the Reading Media
>>>>
>>>> Assessment (RMA) is provided free, online by the NFB. The tester fills
>>>> in
>>>> the information online where the assessment and
>>>>
>>>> results can be accessed by anyone who is given the private login info.
>>>> Everything is provided, even printable reading
>>>>
>>>> passages for each grade level, and instructions for how the student
>>>> should sit while reading, and that no reading aids can be
>>>>
>>>> used during testing. The results/Report/recommendations can be printed
>>>> out and presented at an IEP meeting. So, it should be
>>>>
>>>> very easy to find someone to administer an independent RMA, eg. a
>>>> counselor, a psychologist, a special education teacher, or
>>>>
>>>> a TVI from another district could do it. When the members of the IEP
>>>> team
>>>> see the evidence, obtained independently using a
>>>>
>>>> research-based assessment tool, it will be extremely difficult for the
>>>> TVI to refuse to teach your son using the reading and
>>>>
>>>> writing media which the assessment says he needs. If the TVI objects
>>>> you
>>>> can request an explanation of the objections to the
>>>>
>>>> results of a research-based assessment tool administered independently
>>>> by
>>>> an unbiased tester.
>>>> I suggest that you take this approach because, if your son turns out to
>>>> need braille exclusively and not to be a dual
>>>>
>>>> learner, then this "how much time" argument will disappear and no time
>>>> will be spent on goals such as developing visual
>>>>
>>>> efficiency and tracking. . You will be able to say that you are now not
>>>> discussing how much "braille" time your son receives
>>>>
>>>> but, instead, how much "reading and
>>>> writing" time he gets; braille is just the format/code in which he is
>>>> reading and writing. I encourage you to be proactive and continue to
>>>> reject the current IEP and request a new assessment and,
>>>>
>>>> on the basis of that, a new IEP. This assessment can be done within a
>>>> day
>>>> or two of your request as it takes only a short
>>>>
>>>> time to administer it and, as soon as the parent report, and classroom
>>>> teacher report if you think it will be helpful, are
>>>>
>>>> entered on the website the results will be there at the click of one
>>>> button.
>>>> not signing it or arguing for more time will not be as effective as
>>>> having
>>>> your son assessed using the research-based Reading Media Assessment.
>>>> e-mail me off list if you'd like to chat about this more. I often
>>>> attend
>>>> IEP
>>>> meetings in my area, assisting as a parent advocate in the same kind of
>>>> disagreements. So, I am very aware of how hard they fight to keep from
>>>> having to provide braille.
>>>> Again, sorry for the long e-mail but I hope it helps.
>>>> Warmest regards,
>>>> Heather Field
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> blindkid mailing list
>>>> blindkid at nfbnet.org
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>> blindkid:
>>>>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindkid_nfbnet.org/pburmahln%40yahoo.com
>>>
>>>
>>> Winona is selling her 32-cell Braille Note QWERTY mPower. It is in
>>> like-new condition, although it hasn't been used for several years and
>>> the
>>> battery has died. All cords, straps, instruction books, cds, and case
>>> are
>>> included. Due to the battery issue, she is only asking $1000.
>>>
>>> We would love to deliver it to someone at convention!
>>>
>>>
>>> Please contact Winona at wbrackett42 at gmail.com or myself at
>>> bwbddl at yahoo.com.
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>>
>>> Debby Brackett
>>> bwbddl at yahoo.com
>>>
>>> ~"Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can
>>> read."~Mark Twain
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> blindkid mailing list
>>> blindkid at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> blindkid mailing list
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>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> blindkid:
>>>
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>>
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>> blindkid:
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>
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>
--
Marianne Denning, TVI, MA
Teacher of students who are blind or visually impaired
(513) 607-6053
------------------------------
Subject: Digest Footer
_______________________________________________
blindkid mailing list
blindkid at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
This has been a good discussion. I just wanted to remind everyone to make
use of the book "Integrating Print and Braille: A Recipe for Literacy". It
contains lots of practical information such as sample IEP goals, case
studies by teachers, research about Braille and perspectives on choosing to
use both print and Braille throughout life.
To read this book, go to:
www.nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/books/integrating-print-braille.html
Sharon Maneki
------------------------------
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