[blindkid] LRE~School Choice

[Richard Holloway]

Every situation is truly different and the entire notion of an IEP is  
that it is (or should be) an INDIVIDUALIZED education program.

We've had a few problems but overall been very successful with our  
IEP's and in getting what we need. As you know, you will have to have  
an IEP to be enrolled and receive needed vision-related services. What  
needs to happen is your child's individual needs should be addressed  
at that time. In fact that's where we as parents come in so  
critically-- making certain that concerns are addressed properly and  
in not signing an IEP if we feel this is not the case.

I think that children without the required adapted travel skills  
should be able to expect additional staffing to supervise their way to  
the playground (etc.) this would often be with a para-professional  
assigned to your child or in some cases given several duties but  
tasked with something like getting a child to and from the playground  
safely as a primary duty. At a later time, when that is no longer  
needed, that can be removed from the IEP.

Other solutions may include this duty falling to a co-teacher in  
classrooms where there are both regular-ed and special-ed teachers. In  
our class, most of the time we have all three-- general ed, special  
ed, and a para-pro and this sort of thing rotates around, generally  
between the para & spacial-ed teacher.

For example, a para might walk your child "sighted guide" to the  
playground with her cane in hand as well. Or if you child does not  
need that much assistance, the para might supervise your child's  
progress & safety. My daughter (age 7) is a cane traveler and tends to  
go (at least on school grounds) to and from places without direct  
assistance. She generally ends up going behind the other kids (she is  
indeed slower for now) with an adult supervising directly and offering  
verbal cues and reminders as appropriate. This avoids most of the  
trampling concerns you mentioned.

The same is true on field trips, but I know and understand that it is  
much more likely that an adult might step in with sighted-guide  
assistance or other techniques as necessary and appropriate on a field  
trip to downtown Atlanta if a vehicle were in motion and headed where  
she was, or to avoid a tumble down a stairway, (or anything else that  
might come up). Later on, that should become MUCH less of an issue.

A para may also be appropriate for some or all of class activities to  
do things like describe visual aspects of what is going on with  
lessons, etc.... Ask for what you truly believe is needed and avoid  
what you feel is excessive.

As far as school selections, the most appropriate situation (and LRE)  
will be determined in your IEP. If you feel the least restrictive  
environment is one where there are fewer students so that (possibly)  
less direct intervention would be required due to the smaller group  
size, that is a great place to start that conversation.

We went and toured virtually every school in our area and had a  
meeting with each principal and various teachers at each before we got  
to the stage of deciding where we wanted our daughter to go. We had  
representatives from 3 or 4 different schools at our pre-first-grade  
IEP all explaining why their school was "best" for us, much like a  
sales pitch to buy a car or vacuum cleaner, then the IEP team followed  
our request / advice / suggestions.

That may sound lucky, but it wasn't entirely luck. We had made our  
case in advance with several people and brought in some "ringers" to  
the IEP as well. We were prepared to make it reasonably difficult to  
push us where we didn't want to go and calmly offered good arguments  
for out suggested placement. These things really can and do work out  
properly sometimes but it takes a good deal of effort...

Feel free to contact me off list if you wish for further discussion.

Good luck!

Richard



On Oct 29, 2009, at 1:16 PM, Stacy Lemmon wrote:

> I need some more input. We are re-opening Adison's IEP next week.   
> As I have previously said, she is currently in a Catholic school  
> within our school district with NO in school support....I have  
> become the PCA, AV tech, the works.  Likely, we will need to  
> transfer to the public school in order to gain adequate services.   
> The public school she would attend is very large, about 950+ kids.   
> Plus they must travel approx 2 blocks to the playground for recess.  
> We have lived here for nearly 7 years and have watched these kids go  
> daily to the playground. It is utter chaos. 2 teachers often for  
> 50-75 kids.  I have great concern over this. Adison is small (34#)  
> and has low vision...I have visions of her getting chucked under  
> someone's vehicle.  Can I say, fine, we'll transfer to the public  
> school system...if we can send her to 1 of the 2 other smaller  
> (500-600) kids within the district? Has anyone had any experience  
> with this?
>
> Thank you again!!
> Stacy
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