[blindkid] Need help

[Marie]

This sounds like an awful experience but I'm afraid that your letter may not
get you any more than finger pointing at who is responsible and not the help
that you are seeking for your daughter or anyone else. The Wrights Law
website talks about writing the letter to a stranger. The main idea is that
you want any reasonable level headed stranger who has absolutely no
knowledge of the history between you and the school to read it and find you
to be an equally reasonable level headed person. There are many good strong
facts in your letter. You state very well how Kayleigh sought help and how
it was not received but then you venture into hearsay when you discuss the
conversation that was overheard. Try to stick to the facts. Here's a quick
edit that I did. I hope you find it helpful.


Dear All,

I am writing to alert you to an issue that has occurred over the last three
months. My daughter, Kayleigh, is partially blind. As you are all aware,
part of the individualized education plan process is setting goals. 

A personal goal that Kayleigh set for herself was to participate in a
musical this year. Kayleigh tried out and won a part as a member of a
singing and dancing group. Kayleigh is understandably proud of meeting this
goal. 

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 provide non-visual instruction.

One of Kayleigh's IEP goals has been to advocate her needs. In order to meet
her needs for non-visual choreography instruction, Kayleigh has asked for
help from her case manager, Mrs. Harris via email on (provide the dates) and
through person to person conversations on (provide the dates). Kayleigh
asked her choir teacher, Mr. Bready for assistance on (provide dates).  

There have been four or five rehearsals so far and neither Mrs. Harris nor
Mr. Bready have assisted Kayleigh in obtaining the non-visual instruction.
Last week, Kayleigh asked Mr. Bready again for assistance. He told her to
ask Shannon (a student and choreographer/helper with the musical) to help
her. The girls were able to meet on Monday, Dec. 14 prior to the evening’s
rehearsal for one on one help. Unfortunately, one session of one on one help
did not help Kayleigh to learn a routine that requires many rehearsals by
her sighted peers who are receiving visual instruction. 

Two weeks ago on (provide date), I emailed Mrs. Harris and requested an ARD
meeting to discuss obtain non-visual choreography instruction for Kayleigh
so that she could fully participate in the program. On (provide date), I
emailed Mr. Bready and on (provide date), I also emailed Mr. Berger
requesting assistance with this matter. Unfortunately, I have not received a
response to any of those emails.

I know that you all join me in my belief that Kayleigh is, as the law
states, entitled to "the opportunity to participate in
nonacademic/extracurricular activities with her nondisabled peers."

Please assist me in determining how this can best be accomplished.
> Regards,
> Kim Cunningham

Notice that I took out the non-compliance of the choir director stuff? That
is a whole other letter and issue. For this letter, remember what you are
after and that is allowing Kayeleigh the chance to participate. I hope you
find this helpful.

 Good luck and please let us know the outcome.

Marie (mother of Jack, 4 yrs old with Apert Syndrome)
http://www.allaccesspasstojack.blogspot.com
Learn more about Apert Syndrome
http://www.thecraniofacialcenter.org/apert.html
Get information and support at Teeter's page
http://www.apert.org



> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Kim Cunningham
> Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 10:04 AM
> To: Blindkid
> Subject: [blindkid] Need help
> 
> 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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