[Ct-nfb] The Federationist

[Chris Kuell]

Sue,

My middle name is Ignorant, so you are in good company. 
I apologize for the lack of clarity in the Pedestrian Safety Act article. This is an issue the NFB has been pushing for years, and it was negligent of me to presume our readers knew what it was. In short, the new law establishes minimum noise standards for hybrid and electric car manufacturers so that we, and other pedestrians, can hear them.

Your complaints about BESB are probably moot, since the agency won't exist in its current form after July 1. However, I will make 2 points. BESB, at least for the next 28 days or so, does have a complaint mediation process, and I've actually helped several blind consumers resolve their issues with them, including helping several parents to get braille instruction for their children when BESB teachers determined they didn't need it. However, being a home-schooler excludes you from receiving BESB services, at least for as long as your child is a student. Tax-payer dollars go toward paying for public education, not for private or home schooled students. I'm not saying this is fair or right, it's the law, and just the way it is. I have a friend at church who home-schools her 2 children, 9 year old twins, both of whom have learning disabilities, and she's run into the same wall. The state won't help if you aren't a part of the public school system. Period.  

Again, the BESB we currently know won't exist anymore come July 1. In a few years, I predict the state will no longer provide any services to blind children--they will push the responsibility and costs on to the towns. I believe they care primarily about fixing the deficit, getting re-elected... and blind people are very low on their priority list. 

I recommend you join the NFB's Parents of Blind Students division, where you can meet and discuss all your issues with other parents. There must be other home-schoolers out there that can be a good resource for you.

Kind regards,

chris
     

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