[Nfb-editors] Purpose of an NFB publication

[Mike Freeman]

We'd all be willing to fight that war.  There isn't a simple answer -- or at
least there isn't one that stands a chance of imeediate implementation.  But
we must keep fighting.

Although my initial comment was said in gest, I still say that it would help
(regrettably) if we came up with a struggle with a well-defined foe whom we
could picket.  For better or worse, Big Ed is more like a many-headed hydra
than Sheriff Clark!

Mike


-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Wunder, Gary
Sent: Monday, April 11, 2011 6:28 AM
To: Correspondence Committee Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Nfb-editors] Purpose of an NFB publication

Hi Lori. This is a war I would be willing to fight. It won't be an easy one.
I just attended an IEP meeting where a little girl in the second grade who
had been receiving braille since kindergarten and pre-braille before that
had her braille instruction discontinued by the director of special
education. The director said that the responsibility of the school was to
teach this child the core curriculum, that right now she could see well
enough to use print, and that if, at some time in the future, this changed,
the school would be receptive to starting braille once again. She noted a
significant discrepancy in the reading speed when the child used braille and
print. She was nearly 4 times faster using print. Investigation revealed
that print was tied into everything that one associates with the advantages
of reading and writing. Her assignments were read in print; they were
written in print. Braille was completely divorced from any of the curriculum
- no characters to meet through stories, no characters to create through
writing, just flash cards and contractions, and the number of contractions
mastered being the yardstick by which the learning of braille was being
measured.

The situation is terrible. It exists even though the parents are firmly
convinced their child needs braille. It exists even though the national
Federation of the blind of Missouri is on their side. It continues even
though the Missouri Protection and Advocacy Service has decided to take the
case.

What we have identified here is not an issue of student attitude or
generation. The issue is whether a school district will come up to the line
and do what is right, or whether they will continue to look at short-term
progress reports and a teaching methodology that makes no sense whatsoever.
Many of our folks in rehabilitation complain that they receive new students
fresh from the education system where it is clear that the school worries
about immediate goals and leaves the future to rehab.

President Maurer has put together an educational task force charged with
looking at how to reform the education system in the country. It is a large
undertaking. It is one where we have to concentrate on eating the elephant
one bite at a time.

Gary

 

-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-editors-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of LoriStay at aol.com
Sent: Sunday, April 10, 2011 6:21 PM
To: nfb-editors at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [Nfb-editors] Purpose of an NFB publication

If we need a war, it ought to be against mainstreaming blind kids before 
they have a chance to learn Braille.   when deaf kids go to school, they get

at least a year learning sign, etc.   Blind kids ought to have the same 
privilege, learning Braille and mobility, keyboarding, etc. among their
peers.
Lori
In a message dated 4/10/11 2:50:47 PM, k7uij at panix.com writes:


> Okay; I'll bite.  Here goes something controversial.
> 
> Perhaps we need another war to unify us.  Perhaps we are like Captain 
> Bligh; he was a great leader in adversity but had troubles in fair 
> weather.
> 
> Perhaps we need another go at the airlines; they've irritated me a bit 
> lately. (mischievous grin)
> 
> Mike
> 
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