[nabs-l] Really?

Thu Dec 18 23:48:45 UTC 2014

Here is an update on this story. Thankfully the school has apologized, so everything should get resolved!
http://foxct.com/2014/12/18/update-school-district-apologizes-for-taking-cane-from-blind-boy/
Rebecca ~

    When a man loves, he seeks no power, and therefore, he has power.
~Alan Paton

> On 18/12/2014, at 23:46, Sami Osborne via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> First of all, James, thank you so much for sharing this article with us.  This is the sort of thing that we need to resolve as blind students.
> 
> First of all, I'm very disappointed and infuriated that this happened as well.  Not only is this totally wrong and humiliating, but I also believe that Dakota did not deserve to receive this punishment.  The school really should have investigated more thoroughly at the situation before jumping to conclusions about what his punishment would be.  I mean, he's only eight years old, and we all have our habits.  The article doesn't say, but Dakota might have only hit this other student with his cane by accident, not on purpose.  In that case, he should only have received a minor punishment (and not even dentention or suspension if he did it only once, possibly just a warning or reprimand was his teacher or the principal,) not have one of the most essential tools for a blind student taken away from him.  The school should have seen this.
> I have no idea if a pool noodle will work to help navigate, because I personally have never used one and I don't know of anyone else who has, but I seriously doubt that it will work in protecting you from obstacles and helping you to navigate as safe as possible.
> 
> I think it is good that ACB got involved in this matter and I think that we are all on this list on their side.  Dakota's mobility instructor will probably be very angry at the school for this as well.  Mobility instructors strictly enforce cane usage and technique, so they will not be happy at all if someone (particularly if they are totally blind) either refuses to use or is not in posession of a cane.
> 
> I seriously hope that the school will realize these facts from Dakota's father, ACB, and possibly his OANDM instructor so they can reccsider their decision and resolve this problem.
> 
> Thanks again James for sharing here, and happy holidays to all!
> 
> Sami.
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Kaiti Shelton via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> To: Aleeha Dudley <blindcowgirl1993 at gmail.com>,National Association of Blind Students mailing list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 12:04:50 -0500
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Really?
> 
> I'd love to see an O&M instructor comment on this.  That will be priceless!
> 
> KC Schools, say hello to Lady Justice!  This won't stand; the parents
> will fight back, and they'll win for sure.
> 
> We're well past the days of putting children in the corner with the
> dunce cap on to humiliate them.  Teachers all know that all students,
> no matter how poorly they behave, should be made to feel included and
> secure in a learning environment.  What infuriates me more than a
> school official taking the cane away and giving the kid a pool noodle,
> is that, out of all the faculty who saw this kid using the pool noodle
> that day, no one stepped up and tried to positively intervene.
> 
> On 12/18/14, Aleeha Dudley via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> I saw this and was infuriated.  This goes way too far.  One cannot use a pool
> noodle for a cane.  Especially when some bend.
> 
> Aleeha Dudley and seeing eye dog Dallas
> Vice President, Ohio Association of blind students
> Blindcowgirl1993 at gmail.com
> "The wind of Heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears." Arabian
> proverb
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> On Dec 17, 2014, at 9:56 PM, James Alan Boehm via nabs-l
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 
> http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2014/1217/Kansas-City-school
> -punishes-blind-boy-by-replacing-cane-with-pool-noodle-video
> 
> Kansas City school punishes blind boy by replacing cane with pool noodle
> (+video)
> 
> The decision to punish a blind child by replacing his mobility cane with a
> swimming pool noodle is an "extra nasty step," says a director at the
> American Council of the Blind<http://acb.org/>.
> 
> Dakota
> Nafzinger<http://fox4kc.com/2014/12/16/north-kansas-city-school-t
> akes-away-blind-childs-cane-replaces-it-with-pool-noodle/>,
> age eight, is a student at Gracemor Elementary School in Kansas City.  He
> was born without eyes, <http://www.nkcschools.org/page.cfm?p=1828> and
> relies on his white mobility cane for personal freedom and the ability to
> move freely about his environment, according to FOX 4 in Kansas
> City<http://fox4kc.com/2014/12/16/north-kansas-city-school-takes-
> away-blind-childs-cane-replaces-it-with-pool-noodle/>.
> 
> North Kansas City Schools spokeswoman Michelle Cronk told the media that
> Dakota hit somebody with his cane while riding the bus and his punishment
> was to have his cane taken away and replaced with a foam pool noodle.
> 
> Recommended: The top 5 things never to ask your child right after
> school</The-Culture/Family/2012/1220/The-top-5-things-never-to-as
> k-your-child-right-after-school/How-was-school-today
> 
> Ms.  Cronk also reportedly said that Dakota was given the pool noodle not
> as a replacement for a mobility device, but rather because he needed
> something to hold in order to avoid fidgeting.  The school also reportedly
> said that it owned the cane and gave it to the boy at the beginning of the
> school year.
> 
> In a statement released by Cronk Wednesday afternoon, the district
> reversed its earlier decision.
> 
> The District has reviewed the situation.  We regret that a mistake was made
> in making sure the student was in possession of his cane when he boarded
> the bus Monday evening.
> 
> The District has apologized to the family and is working to rectify the
> situation.  When we were made aware of the mistake, corrections were made.
> It is always the District's policy when we become aware of situations like
> this, we thoroughly and immediately investigate to ensure a safe learning
> environment for all students.
> 
> In a phone call Cronk, says: "We've been taking a lot of heat from the
> local community over this."
> 
> Eric Bridges, director of external relations and policy for the American
> Council of the Blind (ACB) says in a phone interview from his office in
> Arlington, Va.,  that the act of taking a blind child's cane from him as a
> form of punishment was "absolutely wrong and something which impedes the
> child's mobility."
> 
> "To do what this school did to this student is just beyond the pale," says
> Mr.  Bridges, who is blind himself.  "If you want to punish a blind child
> then punish him the same way you punish a sighted child - detention,
> suspension, sitting on a bench in the hallway.  What this school did was
> just an extra nasty step of demeaning the child, humiliating him and
> robbing him of his mobility."
> 
> Bridges adds that even if the school supplied a guide to constantly be by
> the boy's side, the addition of the pool noodle adds a dimension of
> humiliation that is unacceptable.
> 
> "There's already enough stigma that comes with the white cane," Bridges
> added.  "A pool noodle? Because he fidgets? I honestly don't know which is
> worse, taking his freedom of mobility or the total public humiliation."
> 
> Dakota's father, Donald Nafzinger told the media that his son lifts his
> cane sometimes and the bus driver thought he was using it violently.
> 
> "All around, he's a good little guy, and he shouldn't be treated the way
> he's being treated," Mr.  Nafzinger said.
> 
> Bridges adds, "It's honestly very hard for me to get my mind around what
> it would take for an educated adult to come up with that punishment,"
> Bridges says in exasperation.  "It's almost as if another eight-year-old
> thought that one up."
> 
> James Alan Boehm
> Contact Information:
> Phone: 901-483-1515
> Personal Email:
> jimmydagerman80 at gmail.com<mailto:jimmydagerman80 at gmail.com
> NFB Email: secretary at nfb-tn.org<mailto:secretary at nfb-tn.org
> Kustom Cane: kustomcane at gmail.com<mailto:kustomcane at gmail.com
> 
> Blindness never limits-low expectations do! Live the life you want!
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> --
> Kaiti
> 
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