[nobe-l] need advice
via nobe-l
nobe-l at nfbnet.org
Sat May 24 19:51:52 UTC 2014
Mike,
I would agree with you....in some cases, presentation materials are a
waste of time and if this was one of those cases, I probably wouldn't even be
making a big deal of it.
Unfortunately, this is not one of those cases. It involves a very new and
very complex teacher evaluation system which involves multiple components.
It would have been difficult for any of my colleagues to take notes
because it involved looking at graphs, charts, diagrams, forms, etc. in order to
understand it. These were presented in a power point presentation.
Additionally, it was training on teaching us how to do and fill out an 8 page
or so form and the different components within that form along with a rubric
that will be used to fill out and evaluate the form after it is completed.
It is one of the essential components of our evaluations now and could
mean the difference between which kind of rating I receive.
Although I was able to gain some information orally, it was too difficult
to grasp other parts of it without being able to see what they were
referring to.
If the potential didn't exist for it to impact my evaluation and
ultimately, my employment, I might see it differently.
Nicole
In a message dated 5/24/2014 3:25:16 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
k7uij at panix.com writes:
Frankly, I think most presentation materials are a waste of time anyway so
I don't miss them! If someone can't present his/her material clearly in a
lecture, then the lecture wasn't worth going to in the first place unless
one got brownie points thereby.
Mike
-----Original Message-----
From: nobe-l [mailto:nobe-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of via nobe-l
Sent: Saturday, May 24, 2014 12:04 PM
To: bookwormahb at earthlink.net; nobe-l at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [nobe-l] need advice
Ashley,
They had two options.....
1) They could provide me the materials and presentation ahead of time via
email so that I could print them off and make them in accessible format
(large print) OR
2) They could provide me the materials and presentation in large print
format that day.
They did neither.
Interestingly enough, I had colleagues that were sitting next to me that
were sharing things with me (since I could see it).....and we ended up
getting called out for talking, as if we are 5 years old. At that point, I
wanted to really tell them what I thought....but I refrained.
Ashley, it makes a world of difference as to who the administration is.
My experiences have definitely shown me this.
Good luck with future endeavors in education. It is very doable with the
right support.
Nicole
In a message dated 5/24/2014 11:02:03 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
bookwormahb at earthlink.net writes:
Nicole,
sounds tough.
I'd file a complaint outside the school. If there is a helpful nfb rep in
your state, you might have them come to the meetings.
Which accomodation did you need in the training that was not provided?
I'm glad you made it over 10 years. I am considering special ed either
teaching blind kids or learning disabled ones so am on this list.
Its interesting to see one administration really makes a difference in
the treatment we get.
I'd love to see the day when everyone in schools respects staff
reguardless of their abilities.
Ashley
-----Original Message-----
From: via nobe-l
Sent: Friday, May 23, 2014 10:59 PM
To: nobe-l at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nobe-l] need advice
Hi,
I am not one to put messages on the list very often and when I do, it
is typically responding to someone else’s message.
I am looking for some advice from others though…to get an idea of what
others might do in my situation. I apologize for the length.
Just some quick background information first. I am legally blind. I
am
finishing my 12th year of teaching in an inner city public school system
as a special education teacher. I have taught in the same school
district
for my entire career. They hired me knowing that I was legally blind
and
might need a couple reasonable accommodations. For 10 years or so, the
district’s administration was very helpful and very willing to provide any
reasonable accommodations to me I requested. I certainly wasn’t pushy
and
only
asked for things that were essential. They were always more than
willing
to comply with my requests and never questioned anything. Even during
those 10 years, I had several different principals, 2 different Special
Education directors, and a couple different Superintendents that I
worked under.
For the most part, with the exception of one principal that caused
problems for everyone, I had no issues with any administration and any
requests I made. The one issue I did have with the principal, the
Superintendent at the time quickly corrected the issue.
In the last couple years, we have acquired a new Superintendent, a new
Special Education director, and new principals. The response I have
received from the current administration has been very different.
At the beginning of December of last year, I made a request for a
reasonable accommodation to my principals. They ignored my request. I
again asked
a couple more times, getting more specific and more direct each time…
.while still being professional and respectful. I was still ignored.
Then at
the beginning of January, I contacted the Superintendent in an attempt to
resolve the issue, which had worked the one other time I had had issues
with
a principal. The Superintendent also ignored my attempt to contact
him
and never responded. After discussing it with our union’s attorney (who
also happens to practice disability law), it was decided that I would
file an
internal ADA complaint within the district. I filed the complaint and
chose to have our union’s attorney act as my representation. The
district
contacted their attorney who then contacted my attorney. After some
discussion and despite my anger, I agreed to mediate the issue without
the district
having to go through the investigation process first. Although I was
angry because I felt that the district’s actions were totally out of
line
and
unnecessary, I was not going into this with an attitude of “I’m out to
get
them”. I just wanted to continue to be treated in the same manner I had
been for 10 years and be provided reasonable accommodations when I
requested them, nothing more. We held a meeting where it was myself,
my
attorney,
the district’s attorney, and administration. We came to a written and
signed agreement between the district and myself as to the reasonable
accommodations that I needed and the district was willing to provide.
I
thought
with the signed agreement and my dismissal of the complaint, that we’d
all be able to move on and I’d get what I needed. The agreement was
supposed to be distributed to all administrators that I work with or under
so that
they were aware of the agreement and its contents. About 2 weeks later,
I
was speaking to one of the administrators and I mentioned the agreement…
.and they seemed to be unaware of the agreement or its contents. This
concerned me. I asked a couple other administrators and received the same
response.
So I called my attorney and told her my concerns. I said “How can I
expect these people to follow an agreement that they don’t even seem to be
aware of? I mean, that doesn’t seem very fair to them.” She then
contacted
the district’s attorney and we ended up on a three-way conference call.
I
explained my concerns. She did have documentation that all the
administration had been informed of it but stated that she would make contact
again with the Superintendent’s office and tell them that they needed to
check again with their administrators to ensure they were well aware of the
agreement and expectations. Again, I wasn’t out to “get them”…I was
simply just
trying to prevent another issue. This was like 2 months ago.
So, now comes today. I was at a district level professional development
meeting in which I was to be provided a reasonable accommodation that
would allow me gain the information I needed and fully participate in the
professional development. Mind you, this professional development is
information and training on our new state level teacher evaluation system…
.which in
turn, directly correlates to my evaluation and ultimately, my job.
So,
yes,
it is extremely important stuff. The accommodation I was to be provided
today was on the signed agreement we made months ago. The two
administrators who ran the professional development were both people who were
provided the information….one of which was ironically, the Special Education
director. Despite the agreement, I was not provided the accommodation.
I had to
go through the training without it. Needless to say, I am angry and
frustrated. I had 10 great years with no issues. I’ve tried very
hard
to
work with the current administration and have tried to be understanding
and
forgiving. I’ve given them chances to make things right and do the
right
thing. They just don’t seem to care!!!
So, my question is……..what avenue would you do next? Would you try and
mediate yet again, even though they are obviously refusing to follow the
agreement that is already made? Would you file a complaint outside the
district? What direction would you take from here? What suggestions
do
you
have?
Any thoughts are appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
Nicole
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