[blindkid] Middle schoolers

[Traci W]

Okay, my oldest will move up to middle next year and I'm really trying to
prepare her but I'm getting way too much pushback from her TVI in preparing
her and I"m really getting peeved.  I work in the middle as a braillist so
I see what she needs to know, etc.  The kids come up with out enough
computer experience, as I've expressed before, she will not teach laptop
with Jaws ( I think due to her own inabilities) and solely relies on the
iPad which my daughter is very good at luckily.  The school email is
inaccessible and now they are saying she can't use gmail (this came up when
we moved to the school iPad and away from using our own iPad, which we have
for the last 3 years, I'm guessing we are moving back to our personal iPad.)

I'm starting to think there is too much support in this school system.  The
over helping is driving me nuts.  I'm wondering how I can amend her IEP to
alleviate all this helping where it is more the TVI's work and not the
child's.  The kids grades are not a reflection of what they know, but what
the TVI does.  I'm even considering pulling her out of the VI school and
letting her go to her base school, she definitely would not have a TVI
everyday hovering over her if she wasn't in a VI resource school.  She
would be left to her own devices for the most part.  My only concern is
math, but I'm good at math so I could help out there (as I would probably
quit my job if she went to another school, so that I could help her
more).   And I have already started working with her personally with NVDA
at home, since her TVI won't teach her and doesn't seem to think they need
it for middle.  Ackkkk

Anyways, I know I've kind of rambled, but I'm wondering what is the variety
of level of services your child received in Middle - Olivia is very smart
and independent and can't stand all the "help"' she is getting right now in
5th as it is.  The only place I really see support needed is in math when
she struggles with a new concept, then she totally gets it once they
review.  Do most middle schoolers test outside of the classroom for math, I
know the braille writer can be distracting to the other kids?
Unfortunately, math is where there is too much helping going on, on tests,
and I've talked to Olivia about it but she doesn't want to be rude and say
anything, it really puts the kids in a bad spot.

Thanks everyone!
Traci

-- 
Traci Wilkerson
Cell – 919-971-6526