[blindkid] Success with our IEP!

Wagner, Gail Katona Y wagner_g at aps.edu
Mon Apr 5 16:10:26 UTC 2010


Doreen, I'm glad you finally won! It is a great beginning. I can not imagine how tough it has been fighting all this time to get what Torrie needs.
Gail

-----Original Message-----
From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Doreen Franklin
Sent: Saturday, April 03, 2010 3:12 PM
To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List
Subject: [blindkid] Success with our IEP!

Hi to all,

I wanted to give everyone an update on our year-long battle with our district over instruction in cane for our daughter. We put a cane in her hand, had some instruction and an independent eval at the convention in Detroit ... but nothing from our district. The O&M (himself legally blind who does not use a cane) reported that Torrie did not need O&M, not even protective techniques !!!!

It has been a year of trying to get instruction in cane for Torrie, but we finally HAVE IT!!!! We had an independent evaluation done and the evaluator saw a lot of things with Torrie -- how she was walking with her head down, missing other children's requests to play with her and other important social things, and her being unsafe with her head down. We finished our meeting  Wednesday with the school district and she will begin to receive 60-120 minutes per week of instruction in cane, along with other vision goals. 

It has taken a lot of blood, sweat and tears, but God has put a parent trainer in our path who has guided us thru this last year. Finally, Torrie will have formal cane training! What an awesome miracle this is!!! She has had the tact to deal with our district and we have followed the "route" of the district, which included mediation.

Now, we are making great strides with our district personnel. There are several other families that I am also helping, along with the parent trainer, to help encourage and support them.  Just "knowing" there is another family who will walk beside you is a huge huge blessing! Because of all we have beeen thru, I enrolled in the masters program for VI at FL State University. There were several items of information that were handy in the meeting !!!! 

I told Torrie she would be getting cane instruction and computer and she is dancing around the house, saying "YES" ... this from a 5-1/2 yr old!!!! She knows she is not safe without instruction in cane. Still working on the protective techniques but I believe that will be added - per the district administrator who was at our 2 meetings (first was to review evals, 2nd was to write the IEP). 

Hubby and I knew in our gut that this kid needed cane instruction and we followed that thru the district. I will be teaching her Braille when I am taking it ... so that isn't even on the table. She is going into kindergarten and I am leaving it up to the teacher to see that she "cannot see" the fonts that they will be putting in front of her. Again, we have to let the system work, and unfortunately, she will have to fail. I do believe the teachers will have an "extra" eye on her because of this last year! 


We hope that all of you have a great Easter!
Doreen


 Doreen
http://www.raceforindependence.org/goto/TorrieF 
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