[blindkid] blindkid Digest, Vol 68, Issue 14

Tue Dec 15 20:23:37 UTC 2009

On Dec 15, 2009, at 12:00 PM, blindkid-request at nfbnet.org wrote:
>
> I am having a problem with my daughter's school and I need your  
> help. I have composed the letter?below to send to all the school  
> board members as all of my other pleas for help have fell on deaf  
> ears. I would appreciate your opinions on how I should handle this  
> matter. I have done nothing but fight for a equal education all my  
> daughter's life. She is a senior now and I am at the point where I  
> just want to throw the towel in and say "whatever - I'm too tired  
> to continue this!". I'm sorry the letter is long, but I needed to  
> state all the facts. My daughter actually gave a speech to the  
> school board two years ago about the problems she has had in  
> receiving an education as a blind student. Of course, this only led  
> to bickering within the board members and the school lawyer. Not  
> much came of the ordeal....
> Please give me your feedback...I will not send the letter to the  
> board until I calm down.
> Regards,
> Kim Cunningham
> ?
> Dear All,
> ?
> I am so upset right now that I pray I can write a civilized email  
> to everyone. There has been an issue for the past 3 months or so,  
> concerning my daughter, Kayleigh receiving extra help to learn the  
> dance routines for the upcoming PHS school musical. Kayleigh tried  
> out and won a part as a member of a singing and dancing group.  
> Kayleigh was very aware that her dancing part of the audition didn? 
> t go very well, but she was chosen nonetheless. Kayleigh knew from  
> previous small routines done within the choir that she was going to  
> have a hard time "visually" learning the routines?since she is  
> partially blind. Kayleigh is very capable of learning the routines,  
> but she needs someone to give her more than visual instruction.
> We all know that Kayleigh is considered "special education" due to  
> her blindness and has IEP's as part of the ARD process. One of  
> Kayleigh's IEP's has been to advocate her needs.??Kayleigh has done  
> this?repeatedly with regard to?looking for?someone who could give  
> her extra instruction to learn her part. Kayleigh has asked for  
> help from her case manager, Mrs. Harris (numerous emails and  
> conversations), and her choir teacher, Mr. Bready. There have been  
> four or five rehearsals so far and NO ONE has been designated yet  
> to help Kayleigh before, during, or after rehearsals! Kayleigh says  
> she feels "foolish" because she knows she isn't dancing and moving  
> like everyone else. Last week, Kayleigh asked Mr. Bready again for  
> help and was told by Mr. Bready to ask Shannon (a student and  
> choreographer/helper with the musical)?to help her. The girls? 
> decided to meet on Monday, Dec. 14 prior to the evening?s rehearsal  
> for one on one help. Of course, Shannon was
>  not there after school?yesterday?and Kayleigh again received no  
> help during rehearsal; however?she continued to try to do the best  
> she could.
> I requested two weeks ago in an email to Mrs. Harris, to have an  
> ARD to discuss how we were going to assist Kayleigh with this  
> problem as everyone was ignoring both our requests for assistance.  
> I emailed Mr. Bready asking about Kayleigh getting help, and I also  
> email Mr. Berger (school principal) requesting assistance with this  
> matter. NO ONE CONTACTED ME ON ANY ACTION! NO ONE CALLED ME! NO ONE  
> EMAILED ME!
> Now......now, I find out that the choir director, Mr. Bready had  
> the audacity to say during last night's rehearsal to Charles (the  
> main choreographer). "When are we going to start removing some of  
> the bad dancer's and specifically stated Kayleigh as being?a bad  
> dancer. This was told to me by someone who heard this discussion.  
> She is a trusted student who knows my daughter and knows of  
> Kayleigh's troubles?in finding help.?Thank God, the main? 
> choreographer said that he?didn't want to?pull?Kayleigh as he could  
> see she was trying to learn the routine. Ultimately, I don?t know  
> who will have the final say ? the choreographer or the choir  
> director. How can?Mr. Bready?call himself a teacher? Kayleigh asked  
> him for help and now he wants to punish her for not learning what  
> she asked help for? This must have crushed Kayleigh as she learned  
> of this as I was dropping her off to school. What kind of school is  
> Pearland High School? What kind of message are
>  you sending to my daughter? I am hurt and deeply angered that  
> Kayleigh heard this. She is already self-conscious about her  
> dancing ability. I am sure her spirit is deeply wounded.
> Kayleigh designed her whole schedule this year around the fact that  
> she wanted an opportunity to be in a musical. This was a goal of  
> hers for the year. She told the entire ARD committee last year of  
> her plans. She tried out for musical?and made it. We were so proud  
> of her. Kayleigh is so distraught over the situation that I wished  
> she would have never even tried. It breaks my heart to see my  
> daughter hurting.
> I'm not sure what my next step is concerning this matter. I do  
> expect that a dialog should happen with Kayleigh and let her know  
> if she is a valued part of the musical cast or if she is going to  
> be removed. I don't want her anguish to continue....
> Mr. Bready has been mainly non-compliant with Kayleigh's  
> accommodations. He often forgets to have her work enlarged and  
> gives her no considerations for her blindness. I enlarge many  
> pieces of music (at my own cost) so she will be sure to have it. I  
> also paid to have the script printed in large format and bound,  
> again, so she was sure to have it. Kayleigh's accommodations are  
> meant for ALL classes. Kayleigh has not wanted me to say anything  
> to?Mr. Bready about these issues?because she wanted to try on her  
> own and is afraid that he will hold it against her if?I complain.  
> This has moved out of her hands now and into mine as I won't take  
> it any longer.
> I don?t know if this problem warrants a complaint against Kayleigh? 
> s right to participate as a student, or if this is a discrimination  
> issue because of her blindness, or simply a moral issue about  
> attitudes of differently abled people.
> I just thought that you should know how my daughter has been  
> treated. If this can happen to my daughter, how many others is this  
> happening to??You are?the society that deems her as "disabled" when  
> she is perfectly able......
> Regards,
> Kim Cunningham
>
>
> ?
> ?
>
> ?
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 6
> Date: Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:56:04 -0600
> From: "Peter Donahue" <pdonahue1 at sbcglobal.net>
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] question re shopping assistance
> To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,	\(for parents of blind children\)"
> 	<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> Message-ID: <00b301ca7da7$7e009be0$4001a8c0 at yourfsyly0jtwn>
> Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Hello Melinda and everyone,
>
>
>
>     If the blind person knows the store lay-out, particularly in  
> grocery
> stores, he/she can create a shopping list keeping the store lay-out  
> in mind.
> For example in our HEB Stores if one begins shopping in the delli  
> they'll
> proceed to the baked goods section, the produce section, the meat  
> department
> etc. one can add items to their shopping list based on where they are
> located in the store. Hence if Mary wants her swiss cheese it's the  
> first
> thing on the list since I begin shopping in the delli. If we want  
> cookies,
> pies, cakes or other baked items they'll appear on the list  
> following delli
> items. The produce items follow the bakery items and meat and fish  
> products
> follow the produce items.
>
>     The same can be done with groceries in the various store  
> aisles. In our
> case bottled and canned sodas are located near the fish counter.  
> Pasta and
> soups are across from the meat department. The frozen food aisle is  
> at the
> very far end of the store near the dairy products.
>
>     If the blind shopper keeps the store's lay-out in mind he/she  
> can use
> shopping and store employee time efficiently. Less time is taken up  
> by the
> store employee to help the blind person shop. Jack-rabbitting all  
> over the
> store to find this or that merchandise can be reduced if not  
> eliminated.
>
>     Then there's good old shopping online. We've sometimes found  
> that one
> can get better deals on certain products by buying them online  
> rather than
> at the local store. For example we normally buy a 12-pack of bath  
> tissue at
> HEB but can purchess a case of 24 roles for the same price if we  
> buy it
> online plus it will get delivered to us.
>
>     I must credit my mother for insisting that itwas my  
> responsibility to
> develop multiple strategies for handling life's chores and  
> necessities such
> as going shopping. When I was younger she always insisted that it  
> wasn't the
> responsibility of the store to provide assistance and that I should  
> bring
> someone to help me shop. That was one of her strictest rules.  
> However the
> times changed my outlook of such an extreme practice. We use  
> assistance when
> we feel it's necessary to do so. None the less mom's basic  
> philossophy still
> sticks and motivates us to explore new ways of handling all aspects  
> of home
> and personal management including shopping. It is with sadness that  
> I wrote
> the above as mom passed away the day before this year's  
> Thanksgiving. Mary
> lost her dad last Sunday evening to cancer. Please keep us in your  
> prayers
> and thoughts. All the best.
>
> Peter Donahue
>
>
>
>      ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Underwood, Melinda" <munderwood at vabvi.org>
> To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)"
> <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 8:30 AM
> Subject: [blindkid] question re shopping assistance
>
>
> I'm not an O&M specialist, but I agree that the first best option  
> is for
> the student to know as much as he or she can about the store before  
> even
> asking for assistance. If the student decides that having a shopping
> assistant really makes sense in the situation, calling the store in
> advance to set up a time to meet with a store rep would probably  
> create
> better odds for success. I wonder if even Sears, if given time to
> prepare, would come through.
> Melinda
>
> Melinda Underwood, M.Ed.
> Teacher of the Visually Impaired
> VABVI
> 38 Park Place
> Brattleboro, VT 05301
> 802-254-8761
>
>
> On Wed, Dec 9, 2009 at 8:58 AM, SUSAN POLANSKY
> <sepolansky at verizon.net>wrote:
>
>> This week my son's O&M lesson was at the mall where he was going  
>> to do
> his
>> Christmas shopping. He has his list and his money and off he went  
>> with
> his
>> O&M teacher. In each store he was to ask for assistance to look for
> the
>> desired item. This went well in until they got to Sears. He went to
> customer
>> service and requested someone to assist him to shop and was told
>> that they did not have anyone to do that. When I asked what the
>> O&M teacher said about that he stated he was told that there was
> nothing
>> they could do about it as there is no law that says the store has to
> provide
>> him with assistance. Now I am 99% sure that this is not correct. Can
> someone
>> cite the law to me? Thanks.
>>
>> Susan
>>
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>>
>
>
>
>
>
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> End of blindkid Digest, Vol 68, Issue 14
> ****************************************

Sincere best,
Leslie
atfirstsight at ligondesign.com
214 675-4061

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