[nabs-l] Fw: [acb-l] nfb files idea complaint in utah

[Jess]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "joe harcz" <michiganadapt at peoplepc.com>
To: "blind democracy List" <blind-democracy at octothorp.org>
Cc: <acb-l at acb.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2009 1:52 PM
Subject: [acb-l] nfb files idea complaint in utah


National Federation of the Blind Files Complaint Against the Utah State 
Office of Education

SALT LAKE CITY, June 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Federation of 
the Blind, its Utah affiliate, and its subsidiary organization, the Utah 
Parents
of Blind Children, filed a complaint today against the Utah State Office of 
Education (USOE) alleging violations of the Individuals with Disabilities 
Education
Act (IDEA) and comparable state law. The organizations represent parents 
with blind and visually impaired children in Utah's public and charter 
schools
who receive services primarily through the Blind Outreach program of the 
Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind (USDB). The complaint alleges systemic 
problems
at the USOE and within the USDB Blind Outreach program that prevent Utah's 
blind and visually impaired students from receiving a free appropriate 
public
education as required by law.

Complainants allege that these systemic problems have:

List of 5 items
• Resulted in failure to provide appropriate individualized evaluations 
crucial for determining needed educational support/services;
• Prevented blind and visually impaired students from receiving timely 
access to textbooks and course materials in alternative formats like Braille 
and
large print;
• Caused students to receive state test materials in Braille with multiple 
errors and omissions, making test results invalid;
• Denied students appropriate Braille instruction; and
• Resulted in a lack of access to appropriate assistive technology and 
related training necessary to support literacy and curriculum access.

list end

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: 
"Blind and visually impaired students can compete on terms of equality with 
their
sighted peers and go on to lead productive and successful lives, but only if 
they are provided with an equal education. The National Federation of the
Blind will do everything in our power to ensure that every blind and 
visually impaired child receives the educational services he or she needs to 
succeed,
and that is why we have brought this action."

Ron Gardner, president of the National Federation of the Blind of Utah, 
said: "For many years now we have waited in vain for the USOE and the USDB 
to implement
effective policies and hire needed personnel to ensure equal education for 
Utah's blind and visually impaired children. We hope that this complaint 
will
be the catalyst for a constructive dialogue that will finally resolve the 
outstanding issues and remove the barriers that stand in the way of the free
appropriate public education to which blind and visually impaired students 
in Utah are entitled by law."

Marla Palmer, president of the Utah Parents of Blind Children, said: 
"Nothing is more frustrating to a parent than seeing his or her child 
struggle in school
for no other reason than that the child doesn't have a Braille textbook or 
can't access the school computer system. We are not asking for special 
treatment
for our children; we are only asking that the state do what is required by 
law and create a level playing field where our children can succeed on their
own merits."

SOURCE National Federation of the Blind of Utah