[blindkid] Chorus class

[Kim Gulf Images]

I am so sorry to hear your story! My daughter dealt with the same attitude from her choir director. If you haven't read her article published in Future Reflections, please read....
http://nopbc.org/search-articles/editor-s-choice-articles/item/52-step-to-the-music

Regards,
Kim Cunningham

Sent from my iPad

> On Feb 1, 2015, at 11:53 AM, Merry-Noel Chamberlain via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:
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> Hello everyone. I hope all is doing well and keeping warm and safe this winter season.
> 
> My husband and I went to our daughter's Parent/Teacher conference last week. Ashleah is a 9th grade high school student, blind, and an academic student with all As. She loves to sing and does it well. (Not just a mother's point of view here.) Anyway, her school has a "Show Choir" that she has shown some interest in but the teacher, the her friends have told me, has her favorites and constantly picks those for solos. Usually these are students in Show Choir. This is the third year Ashleah has had this teacher. I thought she would get a different teacher when she went to the high school but that didn't happen. Ashleah has never tried out for Show Choir because of this teacher having her favorites. So, back to parent/teacher conference night. I reached my boiling point, which doesn't happen too often, mind you. The teacher commented that Ashleah is receiving an A+ and she would like for Ashleah to try out for a special event that, "doesn't require any dancing." Ashleah would just need to walk around the audience while she sang with the rest of the group. At that moment, I asked the teacher what she would do if a student of hers were in a wheelchair and wanted to sign up for Show Choir? Would she discourage that student just as she has done my daughter? I proceeded to tell her that Ashleah has wanted to try out for Show Choir but hasn't because of her. The teacher commented that she feared for Ashleah's safety on the risers. I told her that Ashleah is an excellent cane traveler and the woman nodded. I said Ashleah could learn the movements if she had some assistance...perhaps a video of the movements or a peer, or even she, the teacher, could assist her in learning the moves. The point being, I told the teacher, is that she need not close the door without giving Ashleah every opportunity to walk through. Yes, this was all said in front of my daughter, who was a little upset with me for fear the teacher would be upset with her. I told Ashleah, the teacher was wrong and I was being an advocate for my daughter in hopes that the next time, my daughter would be an advicate for herself.
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> I also spoke to Ashleah's case manager that night and informed her what transpired with Chorus teacher.
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> So since that night, the teacher has had a couple of "practices" in class. This morning, Ashleah says she officially HATES Show Choir. Her decision to not try to unlock that door.....not her teacher's.....(I hope.)
> 
> Merry-Noel Chamberlain
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> Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad
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