[blindkid] Seeking advice: Schooling

Mon Nov 24 02:44:20 UTC 2008

I wanted to add--- if you feel that homebound would be your best option, I
have *NEVER* seen a school district even attempt to over-ride a doctor's
order for homebound services. So long as your medical team was willing to
advocate that this was medically necessary for your daughter, you would not
get a fight on having a homebound classification. They will ask for periodic
medical reports stating it is still a necessity, but they don't dare try and
tell a medical professional that they know better than s/he does when it
comes to medically necessary homebound services.

Rene

On Sun, Nov 23, 2008 at 7:40 PM, Rene Harrell <rjharrell at gmail.com> wrote:

> Crystal---
>
> I hear your frustration and uncertainty. I know you want to do what you
> feel is in your daughter's best interest. I believe we have all been there,
> and are still there! Every day seems to bring a new challenge in making sure
> we are always striving to do the best with our children.
>
> As I see it, you really have several options. The question is what options
> you feel would suit her the best. So, before you can decide on the best
> option, I think you need to decide what it is that you want for her. Do you
> want to homeschool her? What are your reservations about homeschooling her?
> Are there things you feel worried that you cannot provide if you homeschool,
> but would like to see from a public school setting? Do you feel confident in
> your ability to teach her, or do you want outside expertise?
>
> In Oregon, the homeschooling of a disabled child is covered under Oregon
> Adminstrative Rules, or OAR. The one related to special needs children is
> 581-021-0029. You can find a copy of all Oregon's OARs by following this
> link:
> http://www.sos.state.or.us/archives/rules/OARS_500/OAR_581/581_021.html
>
> In regards to homeschooling, you have several options, all of which are
> stated in the OAR. First, you can homeschool her yourself and refuse all
> special education services. You can then identify privately-used resources,
> such as ST/OT/PT through your medical insurance. These providers can become
> the team members of your own PDP, or privately developed plan. In lieu of
> testing, you would have your PDP members evaluate your daughter and issue a
> statement as to whether or not she is making adequate educational progress,
> given her disability. In this way, you avoid all standardized testing.
>
> You can also choose to have your daughter evaluated by the district, and
> have an IEP implemented. They can only implement an IEP under two
> conditions---- that she only receive those special education services she
> would get a school but no services that are not covered by the specialized
> instruction need in IDEA, and these services must be able to be implemented
> *in conjunction* with a homeschool program. In other words, if you were
> willing to collaborate with your local school agency and you trust that they
> could partner with you instead of undermine your homeschool and your
> educational desires for your daughter, you can sit down in a TEAM and they
> would write an IEP covering services that can be provided without needing a
> full-time school program and can work within the context of a homeschool.
> While I cannot tell you for certain, experience tells me that this would
> most likely mean that she would receive OT/PT/ST services and the services
> of a TVI. How many hours in a week would be determined by your IEP team, but
> to be worthwhile would really be in the range of a couple of hours within a
> week. You would have to bring her to the local school that is responsible
> for implementing her IEP. The rest of the time would be home with you.
>
> You mention your daughter is medically fragile and has been in/out of the
> hospital for some serious things. This brings up your third option in
> regards to "homeschooling". I put that in quotes because you would actually
> NOT be considered a homeschooler by any legal definition, but she would be
> at home with you. If you can get your daughter's TEAM of doctors to write a
> letter of medical necessity for homebound services, your local school
> district, along with yourself, would draft an IEP for your daughter. Unlike
> the second option, they would be completely responsible for implementing and
> carrying out her IEP with no restriction on the type of services that
> would/could be offered. All of her service providers would be sent to your
> home. In addition to OT/PT/ST and a TVI, this includes a responsibility for
> meeting general education goals. Again, I can't tell you with 100% certainty
> what would be decided, but my experience has shown me that school districts
> use a 1:3 rule of thumb. That means that one hour of individual tutoring
> instruction counts for three hours of in-class instruction. So, generally
> homebound children expect to see a tutor for about two hours a day, provided
> by the local school district, and this would be in addition to her other
> services provided by the school. Again, the difference between this option
> and option number two is that option number two is only to provide specific
> specialized instruction, but the ultimate educational responsibility falls
> on you as a homeschooling family. Option three means that the school is
> responsible for implementing your daughter's entire educational program.
>
> My oldest daughter is 7, and multiply disabled in addition to being blind,
> though she is not medically fragile. She did homebound services through our
> district for a little less than year. We held her back and  chose to send
> her to her LEA's preschool program for the multi-disabled. She went to
> kindergarten last year at the School for the Blind and we have been
> homeschooling this year, and plan on homeschooling for the long-term. Each
> option can work, but it depends on the specifics of what you want, what you
> feel her needs are, what you believe she needs in order to have those needs
> met. Without knowing the answers to those questions, it will be very hard to
> give you advice as to what you should do, or what your best options are. If
> you can start by laying out what you believe she *needs* right now, then
> perhaps we can help you brainstorm a decision that will give you confidence
> and peace.
>
> All the best,
> Rene in Colorado
> **
> On Sun, Nov 23, 2008 at 2:43 PM, Crystal Abel <websurfergirl19 at hotmail.com
> > wrote:
>
>>
>> Now I am looking into ALL options for my daughter going into school.
>> Please any and all suggestions would be appreciated. Again my daughter will
>> be 5 in January. She is multiply disabled and developmentally delayed. She
>> is totally blind in both eyes and isn't yet ambulatory on her own or
>> potty/bowel trained.
>>
>> I talked with the School for the Blind in Salem, Oregon which is 2 hours
>> from where we live and the head of the school indicated that he didn't think
>> it best for her to go there until later because the youngest student there
>> at his school now is 9 years old. He also indicate he didn't feel like the
>> separation would be good on either of us because she would essentially be
>> dropped off on a Sunday and picked up on a Friday (I think). The long drive
>> would also be difficult for her and an expense for us in gas. My thought
>> was, ok maybe I could rent an apartment closer and have my children with me
>> (I would have to be away from my husband that whole time she would be in
>> school, but I was willing to do that for her), but then we also run into
>> problems he said...because if we did live closer the public schools would be
>> better and I would be sending my boys to them instead of homeschooling them
>> and then he said they would have no justification to send her to the school
>> for the blind instead of the same school as my boys.
>>
>> So, here I am in a rut not knowing what to do still.
>>
>> I would also love more information on homeschooling her... The legallity
>> behind it in Oregon state and what I would have to do in order to get around
>> standardized testing. I also would love to know about the Montissouri or
>> Waldorf approach in teaching her. Are there any good books on teaching a
>> blind child Montissouri or Waldorf?
>>
>> Also, I would love to find out more about the schools public system. Here
>> in Rainier, Oregon the public schools are not very good because we live in a
>> small town and my daughter's teacher for the visually impaired is an hour
>> and a half away from us so she doesn't come very often (maybe once a month).
>> What are they likely to do with my daughter in class. Will they have someone
>> work with her in a group of students or one on one or both?
>>
>> My daughter has been taken out of the ESD preschool because of getting
>> sick from germs of other children so easily (she is receiving services at
>> home now). She is imo medically fragile and has been in and out of the
>> hospital a lot this year for various things some of which were quite severe.
>>
>> Finally, what questions have I left out or should I be asking? Can any of
>> you answer those for me? Thanks!
>>
>> ~Crystal
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>
>
>
> --
> " I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up
> where I needed to be."
> -- Douglas Adam
>
>

-- 
" I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up
where I needed to be."
-- Douglas Adam