[Pibe-division] Options on intital IEP--and adviceonbeginninghigh need

[Ellen Lopez]

Please be sure to post your answer.  Thanks, Ellen

 

________________________________

From: pibe-division-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:pibe-division-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Carrie Gilmer
Sent: Wednesday, September 09, 2009 5:57 AM
To: 'Professionals in Blindness Education Division List'
Subject: Re: [Pibe-division] Options on intital IEP--and
adviceonbeginninghigh need

 

Dear Toni,

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I have been a parent/child
advocate for about ten years; my own blind child is a freshman at the U
of MN Minneapolis this fall. The parent contacted me for the first time
last Wednesday and on Thursday I attended the first meeting at the
school-it was essentially an introductory meeting for myself and the
school. There is much to learn about the child yet, and little to go by
so far to evaluate him on. He appears to be at least average
intelligence. I am not concerned for the evaluation from either the
school or how I can help the parent get good information on his
capabilities over the next month. My concern is for the 30 days during
the evaluation period.

 

This child appears to have no Braille experience ( and possibly no
actual reading experience even in his native language) and is
essentially newly blind. His background appears to be uneducated
properly overall for a nearly twelve year old-that is it does not appear
he could read fluently in his home language and his math may be little
more than counting. The district is offering full ESL classes and will
have a Mandarin interpreter for all evals. 

 

I am interested in what you term Newcomers classes-and a newcomer team.
Is this a specific to special education Newcomer class and team? Could
you be more specific on how this was set up and operates-and under what
authority, I mean are direct service hours by special ed given and some
kind of 30 day short term IEP written? I am guessing due to your
geographic location you may have regular newcomers in upper grades(
higher than k-3). This district has some as all do, but it is not usual
at all for this district and this child in particular with the
combination of poor to little prior education, no records, total
blindness, and life trauma due to severe facial burns and complete loss
of birth family and then non-english speaking, is something they have
never had experience with before. 

 

 I have never had to advocate for an interim IEP before an initial
before so I am looking for some experience and actual practice.  As I
said the district did not appear to be aware of any ability on their
part to provide DIRECT special education support  or any special
education instruction before fully evaluating and writing an initial
IEP. I am aware of what to put in as far as goals and the writing of
such a thing-I mean I know what he needs to become oriented and engaged
in a basic way the first month as well as accommodations-but I was not
sure how to/what to use in arguments and convincing that interim IEP's
"worked" or are proper under the law or what other teachers have done in
advocating to administrators an individual IEP for a child whose
individuality is fairly unknown. 

 

The district appeared willing to send in partial para support-but not
necessarily a para that had experience with a blind child ("someone to
lead him around so he would not get lost" was their words), and was
willing to have a general ed or homebound (medically fragile) general ed
teacher come to the home and spend time with him, they only offered (and
after questioning) that they could have the Teacher of blind students
"talk" with the ESL or general ed teacher...this seems wholly inadequate
for a good first 30 days for this child to become engaged. I have a call
into my state's dept of ed. special ed director and they returned my
call yesterday but I was at work, I anticipate talking with them today. 

 

 Thanks,

 

Carrie Gilmer, President

Minnesota Organization of Parents of Blind Children

A Division of the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota

Home Phone: 763-784-8590

carrie.gilmer at gmail.com

 

________________________________

From: pibe-division-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:pibe-division-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Toni_Anderson at sbcss.k12.ca.us
Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 5:20 PM
To: pibe-division at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [Pibe-division] Options on intital IEP--and advice
onbeginninghigh need

 

I had a very bright Korean child who was well versed in Korean braille
who we successfully integrated into a Sixth Grade class with strong VI
Itinerant support.  He didn't go into the elementary VI-SDC because they
were too young and he needed peers.  He learned English very fast and
won the Braille Challenge two years later.

 

Your situation is different.  Does your district offer Newcomer classes.
Your student needs to improve his English, as we don't do well in
Mandarin braille!  Until your student becomes more proficient in
braille, he could use a tape recorder to record his answers and buddy up
with a sighted student who could read him the questions.  Has this
student been assessed by the Newcomer team?  Is he smart enough to enter
even Newcomer classes?  It isn't the job of the VI Itinerant to
determine intelligence, though we provide input.  We knew my Korean
student was bright because he was a talented pianist.  He also had
excellent tracking skills when reading Korean braille though I had no
idea what he was saying.  He was enjoying reading.

 

Good luck!

 

Toni Anderson

VI-SDC, Dona Merced Elem.

10333 Palo Alto Drive

Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730

(909) 941-8869

 

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