[blindkid] Need help

Tue Dec 15 20:36:27 UTC 2009

Great letter.

Susie

________________________________
From: LESLEY FISCHER <lesleyfischer at dishmail.net>
To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tue, December 15, 2009 11:55:55 AM
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Need help

Kim,
That is a great letter. She is lucky to have you as her mother. I do think
that something should have been done a long time ago by the school. You are
right if they are doing this to her & getting away with it who knows how
they have & will treat any of the future kids. Keep us posted.
Lesley

On Tue, Dec 15, 2009 at 10:04 AM, Kim Cunningham <kim at gulfimagesphoto.com>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
>
>
>
>
>
>
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