[nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic girl, service dog - The Athens Messenger: News

Cindy Ray cindyray at gmail.com
Tue Aug 27 02:29:39 UTC 2013


I am wondering why you posted this here. I'm not policing; I'm just curious.

Cindy Lou

On Aug 26, 2013, at 9:11 PM, "Mark J. Cadigan" <kramc11 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi, I am an undergrad student at Suffolk University. I am looking for a one bedroom or studio apartment within 6 blocks of a T station or major buss root. The neighborhood is not as important as proximity to the T.  I do not drive, so parking is irrelevant, I have seen several apartments in Boston, however they are all too expensive. I am looking for something in the neighborhood of 1500 a month; it's just going to be me living there, so the size is not important.
> 
> 
> 
> Ideally I would like an apartment with heat and hot-water, water and sewer, and trash included. I am currently living with my parents, so I can be flexible with a move in date. Also, my parents will be cosigning with me.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Mark.
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Janice Toothman" <janice.toothman at verizon.net>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 9:49 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic girl, service dog - The Athens Messenger: News
> 
> 
>> 
>> Hi Michael,
>> What is CCI? Can you tell me more about what they do? Thanks.
>> Janice
>> On 8/26/2013 5:38 PM, Michael Hingson wrote:
>>> Given that the child is autistic in fact the dog may well have been trained
>>> by an organization like CCI.  Many times the dog does act as a calming
>>> factor while the dog is actually commanded by someone else like the mother.
>>> This is not an unusual situation, but the dog is, by any definition, a
>>> service animal.  I have been to CCI and heard lectures on how animals are
>>> trained to work with autistic children.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Best,
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Michael Hingson
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ann Edie
>>> Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 02:33 PM
>>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic girl,
>>> service dog - The Athens Messenger: News
>>> 
>>> Other interesting aspects of this case:
>>> 
>>> The mother plans to attend school daily with her daughter.--This indicates
>>> to me, as does the age of the child, that the partnership between the girl
>>> and the dog is not that of a person with a disability working independently
>>> with a service animal.  It seems more that the parent handles the dog and
>>> the presence of the dog has a calming effect on the child or something like
>>> that.  The dog may or may not be trained to perform specific tasks to
>>> mitigate the child's disability.  It might be more of a "social dog" as I
>>> have heard them referred to, something to encourage interaction with peers
>>> and others in the environment.  Or it may be that the dog does specific
>>> things to help the child regain control when she is feeling overwhelmed or
>>> upset, or keeps her on route when she is going somewhere.  But I doubt that
>>> this young a child is being allowed to go anywhere alone.  If the mother
>>> weren't there to handle the dog, the district would probably have to hire a
>>> 1:1 aide to handle the dog, and that person would have to be trained in how
>>> to manage the dog.  This is an expense that most districts could not justify
>>> educationally, I believe.
>>> 
>>> In my experience the school may have more of an issue with the mother
>>> wanting to attend school with her child than with the dog.  Today's
>>> confidentiality regulations make it very hard to have parents as well as
>>> other members of the public in classrooms where they would have access to
>>> protected information about other children.  Nowadays everyone in the school
>>> building, including volunteers, must be fingerprinted and background
>>> checked, and they wouldn't be allowed there on a regular basis unless they
>>> were employees of the district, only on specific parent visiting days or
>>> other special events, at least in the schools I have worked with.
>>> 
>>> As I said, this is a very interesting case, and we'll see how it shakes out.
>>> 
>>> Ann
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ann Edie
>>> Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 1:51 PM
>>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic girl,
>>> service dog - The Athens Messenger: News
>>> 
>>> Perhaps the family never let the school know that the girl would be
>>> accompanied by the dog, just presuming that the school would have to accept
>>> the dog under the provisions of the ADA, although the law as it applies to
>>> students attending public schools is not completely straightforward, as far
>>> as I know.  It's different for a student (child) than it would be, for
>>> example, for a teacher with a disability who uses a service animal or even a
>>> parent visitor to the building who uses a service animal.  It will be
>>> interesting to follow this case and see how it progresses.
>>> 
>>> Ann
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of minh ha
>>> Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 9:43 AM
>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic girl,
>>> service dog - The Athens Messenger: News
>>> 
>>> I agree with Julie. Something smells super fishy. ... Didn't the article say
>>> that the teacher wasn't even there on the first day and that somebody else
>>> told the family that she was allergic to dogs?
>>> 
>>> Minh
>>> 
>>> On 8/26/13, Julie J. <julielj at neb.rr.com> wrote:
>>>> The thing I'm confused about is how the teacher didn't know the girl
>>>> was going to be accompanied by her service dog.  I'm convinced there
>>>> had to be IEP meetings.  I'm pretty sure the classroom teacher attends
>>>> these.  I'm also pretty sure that the topic of the dog would have come
>>>> up.  Couldn't the
>>>> 
>>>> teacher have mentioned the allergy so arrangements could have been
>>>> worked out in advance?  Waiting until the first day of school to
>>>> figure this out seems like a plan for failure.
>>>> 
>>>> Or maybe that was the plan all along?
>>>> 
>>>> Julie
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Marsha Drenth
>>>> Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 11:28 AM
>>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic
>>>> girl,service dog - The Athens Messenger: News
>>>> 
>>>> I'd like for one of the legal minds to comment on this. Whose rights
>>>> have to
>>>> 
>>>> be  observed here? personally my opinion is that the teacher, needs
>>>> then to
>>>> 
>>>> move schools, not eh child. Again that is my opinion. I am curious...
>>>> 
>>>> Marsha drenth
>>>> Sent with my IPhone
>>>> 
>>>> On Aug 25, 2013, at 8:54 AM, "Ginger Kutsch" <GingerKutsch at yahoo.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic girl, service dog - The
>>>>> Athens
>>>>> Messenger: News
>>>>> 
>>>>> Athens Messenger
>>>>> 
>>>>> Source:
>>>>> 
>>>>> http://www.athensohiotoday.com/news/teacher-s-allergy-disrupts-plans-
>>>>> for-aut
>>>>> istic-girl-service-dog/article_5b4859e2-a4b1-568a-adb8-acc649e08556.h
>>>>> tml
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Shyanna Gretz, 6, of The Plains, is seen with her new service dog
>>>>> Spring last month. After attending her first day of school at
>>>>> Morrison-Gordon Elementary
>>>>> 
>>>>> on Monday, the school informed Shyanna's family that their autistic
>>>>> daughter and service dog would have to transfer schools as Morrison's
>>>>> K-3 special education
>>>>> 
>>>>> teacher is severely allergic to dog dander.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> By Sara Brumfield Messenger staff journalist
>>>>> 
>>>>> As Shyanna Gretz, an autistic 6-year-old from The Plains, and her new
>>>>> service dog Spring attended their first day of first grade at
>>>>> Morrison-Gordon Elementary
>>>>> 
>>>>> on Monday, her family was hoping for a smooth transition into Athens
>>>>> City Schools. But a special education teacher's severe allergy to dog
>>>>> dander has caused
>>>>> 
>>>>> a hiccup in the family's schooling plan.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> The Messenger has written several stories about the Gretz family and
>>>>> their journey to get a service dog for Shyanna, who has had a history
>>>>> of extreme mood
>>>>> 
>>>>> fluctuations and wandering off. After two years of fundraising and
>>>>> waiting, the family welcomed a 1-year-old black Labrador retriever,
>>>>> Spring, into their
>>>>> 
>>>>> lives last month.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Since Spring's arrival, Shyanna's mother Charla told The Messenger
>>>>> that her daughter's moods have been more in line with her peers and
>>>>> that family outings
>>>>> 
>>>>> that were once impossible are now achievable.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Shyanna attended kindergarten at Beacon School on West Union Street
>>>>> last year. Beacon, operated by the Athens County Board of
>>>>> Developmental Disabilities,
>>>>> 
>>>>> is a school designed to serve students with special needs in all five
>>>>> of the county's public school districts.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> According to Charla, it was determined that Shyanna should be
>>>>> integrated into the Athens City School District this year and the
>>>>> family made plans for Shyanna
>>>>> 
>>>>> to attend Morrison-Gordon Elementary, which is located next to Beacon
>>>>> School.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> However, at the end of the day on Monday, Charla (who plans to attend
>>>>> school with Shyanna on a daily basis) was told that her daughter
>>>>> would have to transfer
>>>>> 
>>>>> to a different elementary school because the K-3 Individualized
>>>>> Education Plan teacher at Morrison is severely allergic to dog dander.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Athens City Schools Supt. Carl Martin told The Messenger on Friday
>>>>> that only two of the district's four elementary schools have programs
>>>>> for autistic students
>>>>> 
>>>>> - Morrison-Gordon and East Elementary. He said that Morrison has two
>>>>> teachers for the program - one who serves grades K-3 and another
>>>>> serving grades 4-6
>>>>> 
>>>>> - and East has one teacher. The district's middle and high schools
>>>>> also have such programs.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> He said it's not uncommon for special needs students to begin their
>>>>> education at Beacon School and then move into the public school system.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> "We have a fair amount of autistic kids in the district," Martin said.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> While switching elementary schools may seem like a simple enough
>>>>> solution, Charla said her daughter doesn't cope well with change or
>>>>> riding the school
>>>>> 
>>>>> bus. She told The Messenger that the bus ride to East Elementary
>>>>> would be longer and that the change in surroundings could be a
>>>>> setback for Shyanna.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Martin emphasized that East Elementary is only five miles from the
>>>>> Gretz's home in The Plains and the bus ride wouldn't be much
>>>>> different than it is
>>>>> 
>>>>> to
>>>>> 
>>>>> Morrison-Gordon.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> According to Martin, he was unaware that the Morrison-Gordon K-3
>>>>> special education teacher was allergic to dogs until Monday
>>>>> afternoon. Charla said the
>>>>> 
>>>>> teacher was out sick on Monday, but the school told her that Shyanna
>>>>> and Spring could not return to Morrison because of the teacher's allergy.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> When asked if returning to Beacon would be an option for Shyanna,
>>>>> Martin said that would have to be worked out between the family and
>>>>> Beacon School.
>>>>> He
>>>>> 
>>>>> said that it's not uncommon for students to return to Beacon after
>>>>> they've tried public schools.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> The Gretz' youngest child, Conner, attends pre-school at Beacon.
>>>>> Charla said her son has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
>>>>> (ADHD) and oppositional
>>>>> 
>>>>> defiant disorder (ODD).
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Charla said she will meet with members of the Athens City School
>>>>> District
>>>>> 
>>>>> on
>>>>> Sept. 3 regarding their options for Shyanna's schooling. Martin said
>>>>> the district
>>>>> 
>>>>> had hoped to meet with the family sooner, but the family's schedule
>>>>> didn't allow for that.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> "The dog is not the issue," Martin said. "The issue is where can I
>>>>> serve this child in a program that works for everyone. East is a
>>>>> wonderful school in
>>>>> 
>>>>> a wonderful building."
>>>>> 
>>>>> sbrumfield at athensmessenger.com
>>>>> 
>>>>> ; Twitter @SaraBmessenger.
>>>>> 
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>> 
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>>> 
>>> --
>>> "All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty
>>> recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity:
>>> but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their
>>> dreams with open eyes, to make them possible." T. E. Lawrence
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>> 
>> 
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