[nabs-l] FW: National Federation of the Blind Applauds NewJersey Ruling on Braille Instruction for Blind Child

Tue May 8 18:35:50 UTC 2012

No I didn't sorry about that. Thanks for letting me know.
I ment to answer Arielle's question. Yes I am totally blind.
Rania,

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Joshua Lester
Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2012 4:17 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] FW: National Federation of the Blind Applauds
NewJersey Ruling on Braille Instruction for Blind Child

Rania, did you intend for the message to be blank?
Just curious.
Thanks, Joshua

On 5/8/12, Rania Ismail CMT <raniaismail04 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf
> Of Arielle Silverman
> Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2012 3:06 PM
> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] FW: National Federation of the Blind Arielle, yes I
> am.Rania, NewJersey Ruling on Braille Instruction for Blind Child
>
> Rania, are you totally blind?
> Often, commissions and schools for the blind understand the need to
> teach Braille to totally blind kids but they don't think it's
> "necessary" for blind kids who have some vision.
> I too learned Braille in preschool because I am totally blind. My
> classmates in the preschool for the blind that I attended who had some
> vision were not taught Braille, but were taught large print instead.
> In many ways I feel incredibly lucky that my eye condition progressed
> to the point of making me totally blind, because I cringe to think of
> what kind of education I would have not gotten if I had had just
> enough sight to get by.
> Arielle
>
> On 5/8/12, Heather Field <missheather at comcast.net> wrote:
>> It wasn't about his age. The said he could see too much to need braille.
>> They said he could use print and that they would not agree to teach him
>> braille.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Joshua Lester
>> Sent: Monday, May 07, 2012 8:01 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] FW: National Federation of the Blind Applauds
>> NewJersey Ruling on Braille Instruction for Blind Child
>>
>> How old is the child?
>> I got Braille instruction, when I was just starting school!
>> Why is it, that they did this, with this child?
>> Any word on how old he is?
>> Thanks, Joshua
>>
>> On 5/7/12, Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
>>> I agree, how  sad.
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Loren
>>> Sent: Monday, May 07, 2012 8:09 PM
>>> To: 'National Association of Blind Students mailing list' ;
>>> blindtlk at nfbnet.org ; nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] FW: National Federation of the Blind Applauds
>>> NewJersey Ruling on Braille Instruction for Blind Child
>>>
>>> It's extremely sad that this took 3 years to come to this decision.
>>> Would
>>> anyone deny a sighted child print instruction for that long?  Congrats
>>> to
>>> the Millers for sticking with it.  You did a great thing for your child.
>>>
>>> Loren Wakefield
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>>> Behalf
>>> Of Chris Nusbaum
>>> Sent: Monday, May 07, 2012 5:54 PM
>>> To: blindtlk at nfbnet.org; 'National Association of Blind Students mailing
>>> list'; nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
>>> Subject: [nabs-l] FW: National Federation of the Blind Applauds New
>>> Jersey
>>> Ruling on Braille Instruction for Blind Child
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> From: Freeh, Jessica [mailto:JFreeh at nfb.org]
>>> Sent: Monday, May 07, 2012 8:57 AM
>>> To: Undisclosed recipients:
>>> Subject: National Federation of the Blind Applauds New Jersey Ruling on
>>> Braille Instruction for Blind Child
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> CONTACT:
>>>
>>> Chris Danielsen
>>>
>>> Director of Public Relations
>>>
>>> National Federation of the Blind
>>>
>>> (410) 659-9314, extension 2330
>>>
>>> (410) 262-1281 (Cell)
>>>
>>> <mailto:cdanielsen at nfb.org> cdanielsen at nfb.org
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> National Federation of the Blind Applauds New Jersey Ruling on Braille
>>> Instruction for Blind Child
>>>
>>>
>>> After Three-Year Battle, Hank Miller Will Receive Braille Instruction
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Oceanport, New Jersey (May 7, 2012): After a three-year administrative
>>> and
>>> legal battle against their local school board, the Oceanport Board of
>>> Education, Jeffrey and Holly Miller obtained a ruling (docket number:
>>> 2011
>>> 17218) from an administrative law judge that their eleven-year-old son
>>> Henry
>>> "Hank" Miller was improperly denied instruction in Braille, the reading
>>> and
>>> writing code for the blind.  The legal victory, obtained with the
>>> assistance
>>> of the National Federation of the Blind <http://www.nfb.org/>  (NFB),
>>> comes
>>> on the heels of
>>>
>
<http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/speced/Letter%20to%20Secretary%20Duncan%20re
>>> %20Braille%20Literacy.pdf> a letter from 26 U.S. Senators urging the
>>> Department of Education to take steps to ensure that blind children who
>>> need
>>> Braille instruction receive it.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Holly and Jeffrey Miller brought the legal case on behalf of their son,
>>> Hank, whom they adopted from China and who is blind due to albinism and
>>> nystagmus.  Hank has limited vision that allows him to read enlarged
>>> print
>>> for short periods of time, but he is unable to read for sustained
>>> periods
>>> of
>>> time.  Although Hank's parents continued to tell school officials that
>>> their
>>> son was experiencing visual fatigue and was having difficulty reading,
>>> the
>>> school board and its consultant, the New Jersey Commission for the Blind
>>> and
>>> Visually Impaired (CBVI), insisted that Hank was a proficient print
>>> reader,
>>> notwithstanding his continued placement in a special resource room for
>>> language arts.  In a nearly ten-day hearing, held under the due process
>>> provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement
>>> Act
>>> of
>>> 2004, Mrs. Miller testified that she watched Hank routinely struggle
>>> with
>>> his homework, suffering from eye strain and fatigue, but was unable to
>>> convince school officials or the CBVI that Hank needed Braille
>>> instruction.
>>> She also testified that Hank's schoolwork was not of the same quantity
>>> and
>>> quality as that of his classmates.  Although experts from the school and
>>> the
>>> commission claimed that Hank was a "visual learner" and should
>>> participate
>>> in the "sighted world," experts hired by the Millers and the NFB
>>> concluded
>>> after thorough assessment that Hank could not read print for extended
>>> periods of time without eye strain, neck and back pain, fatigue, and
>>> loss
>>> of
>>> reading speed and comprehension.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> In her order, Administrative Law Judge Lisa James-Beavers found that the
>>> school board and the commission displayed a clear "bias against
>>> Braille."
>>> She found that the school board and the commission had failed to assess
>>> Hank's "sustained reading ability" with print, relying instead on
>>> reading
>>> assessments involving only brief passages, and citing Hank's alleged
>>> failure
>>> to complain about struggling to read print.  The judge was unconvinced
>>> by
>>> the board and CBVI's contention that Hank could rely on audio technology
>>> as
>>> reading demands increased through his school years, noting that "as
>>> pointed
>>> out by all of petitioners' well-qualified experts, listening does not
>>> equate
>>> to reading.  One does not enhance the active skill of comprehending text
>>> by
>>> passively listening, even if one is following along with the reading."
>>> The
>>> order noted that "the CBVI failed to do what Oceanport relied on them to
>>> do,
>>> which is to help construct a program that would give H.M. meaningful
>>> educational benefit considering H.M.'s future needs."  Judge
>>> James-Beavers
>>> ordered that Hank Miller be provided with Braille instruction for
>>> forty-five
>>> minutes, five days a week, and that the school board provide
>>> compensatory
>>> instruction because of the three years that Hank was not provided with
>>> Braille instruction, in the form of intensive Braille summer programs or
>>> tutoring.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind,
>>> said:
>>> "Based on the experience of countless parents of blind children and
>>> blind
>>> adults who had never learned Braille and have contacted us over the
>>> years,
>>> the National Federation of the Blind has consistently argued that blind
>>> children are being improperly assessed and denied Braille instruction
>>> when
>>> it is clearly appropriate.  Now after a thorough and comprehensive
>>> examination of the evidence in Hank Miller's case, an independent judge
>>> has
>>> confirmed what we always knew.  We hope that school and agency officials
>>> across the nation take note of this landmark ruling and commit to giving
>>> blind children access to Braille, the true key to literacy for the vast
>>> majority of children who are blind or losing vision.  The National
>>> Federation of the Blind will continue to stand with families like the
>>> Millers who find themselves pitted against the educational establishment
>>> in
>>> obtaining the equal education to which their children are entitled and
>>> which
>>> they deserve."
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Holly Miller, Hank's mother, said: "I am obviously thrilled with this
>>> ruling, although I am still saddened that it took such a prolonged
>>> battle
>>> to
>>> achieve it.  I am stepping forward to tell Hank's story in hopes that
>>> other
>>> parents of blind children will not have to struggle as we did.  I thank
>>> the
>>> National Federation of the Blind and all of the individuals and experts
>>> who
>>> came forward to assist in this case.  I plan to strongly and publicly
>>> advocate with the National Federation of the Blind for Braille
>>> instruction
>>> for blind children."
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> The plaintiffs are represented in this matter by Sharon Krevor-Weisbaum
>>> of
>>> the Baltimore firm Brown, Goldstein, and Levy, and Jayne M. Wesler of
>>> the
>>> Cranbury firm Sussan and Greenwald.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> For more information about the National Federation of the Blind, please
>>> visit www.nfb.org <http://www.nfb.org/> .  For more information about
>>> Braille, the reading and writing code for the blind, please visit
>>> www.braille.org <http://www.braille.org/> .
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ###
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> About the National Federation of the Blind
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind is
>>> the
>>> largest and most influential membership organization of blind people in
>>> the
>>> United States. The NFB improves blind people's lives through advocacy,
>>> education, research, technology, and programs encouraging independence
>>> and
>>> self-confidence. It is the leading force in the blindness field today
>>> and
>>> the voice of the nation's blind. In January 2004 the NFB opened the
>>> National
>>> Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and
>>> training
>>> center in the United States for the blind led by the blind.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> nabs-l:
>>>
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/isaiah5719%40mchsi.com
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> nabs-l:
>>>
>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/bookwormahb%40earthlink.
> net
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> nabs-l:
>>>
>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/jlester8462%40students.p
> ccua.edu
>>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nabs-l mailing list
>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nabs-l:
>>
>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/missheather%40comcast.ne
> t
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nabs-l mailing list
>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nabs-l:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/arielle71%40gmail.com
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nabs-l mailing list
> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nabs-l:
>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/raniaismail04%40gmail.co
> m
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nabs-l mailing list
> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nabs-l:
>
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/jlester8462%40students.p
ccua.edu
>

_______________________________________________
nabs-l mailing list
nabs-l at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
nabs-l:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/raniaismail04%40gmail.co
m