[blindkid] Winning braille?

[Colleen Davis]

I am so sorry to hear that you are having such a rough time. With all the steps that you have taken already, it is hard to imagine why they won't give Braille a shot. Does your child not have a TVI, or is the TVI not wanting to teach Braille? I usually do an informal assessment of the student in large print and again (same type of assessment) orally. If there is a big difference with the large print coming in behind, I go with a combination of LP and pre-Braille.

There isn't anything wrong with transitioning to Braille from large print. Many people have eye conditions that deteriorate over time. Your child may be very good compensating for what he/she is not able to see. Also, just because he/she can use large print doesn't mean that he/she should use large print.

I'm not sure where you live, but there may be an Educational Service Center that can help you out, both with the assessments and with talking to your child's teachers.

I know this isn't much, but I hope it helps a little. Feel free to contact me off list if I can be of any further help.

Good luck,
Colleen
TVI in TX

--- On Mon, 2/22/10, holly miller <hollym12 at gmail.com> wrote:

From: holly miller <hollym12 at gmail.com>
Subject: [blindkid] Winning braille?
To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Date: Monday, February 22, 2010, 6:08 PM

Everyone here knows how much of a struggle it can be to get kids braille in
school.  Especially if the child has some vision and technically can see
large print.
For those of you who've had to fight for it and won (or know someone), what
finally tipped the scale?

We all know how it's supposed to work but when they have on their side a
bright child who works hard and is able to get good grades despite lack of
accommodations, when they have reports by the "experts" who say "Nope, this
kid doesn't need braille"  has anyone been able to win this?

When educating doesn't work, when persistence doesn't work, when a pound of
letters hasn't worked, when you can quote IDEA & Ruby Riles in your sleep to
no avail?
When your state's blind services (whatever initials they go by) is in the
position many states are in so when they say 'He/she doesn't need it" you
have a hunch it's more "We don't have the staff/funding to provide it" or
"Be happy you kid has the vision he does" whatever the reason, for your
child they are dead set against it?

When you've brought in advocates, when you've spoken to the superintendent
and board of ed? When you finally do hire an attorney because nothing else
is working and that attorney isn't able to make any progress?  When you know
this is so very very important to your child's long term success but you've
already spent a few thousand and don't know if you can scrape up much more
to build a due process case?  What then?

Hypothetically of course :smile

Holly
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