[blindkid] Braille Literacy IEP Question

Chantel Alberhasky chantel at alberhaskylaw.com
Tue Mar 13 13:27:47 UTC 2012


You are right to ask if this was a child with dyslexia would the school tell the parent they should forget about their child being literate and just focus on audio material.   The answer would be "no."   

I would argue the goal isn't the problem, it is the services and support your child is receiving that is the problem.   In other words, it isn't the CHILD who failed in reaching the goal, it is the the IEP team who failed to provide him with the appropriate services for him to successfully reach said goal.  Of course you can put it in more polite terms but you get the point.  

How long has he been learning Braille?    Has he always only received 30 minutes a day?   If he is with the TVI two hours a day, how is he spending the other 1.5 hour?  How many minutes a week does he spend reading Braille?    I am confused re the "qualifying" for a learning disability.  He already has an IEP, so what services is he not receiving that you think he should receive if the school considered him to have a learning disability?   

Chantel
 

Chantel L. Alberhasky, Esq419 Boonville AvenueSpringfield, MO 65806417.865.4444The Missouri Bar Disciplinary Counsel requires all Missouri attorneys tonotify all recipients of e-mail that (1) e-mail communication is not asecure method of communication, (2) any e-mail that is sent to you or byyou may be copied and held by various computers it passes through as itgoes from me to you or vice versa, (3) persons not participating in ourcommunication may intercept our communications by improperly accessingyour computer or my computer or even some computer unconnected to eitherof us which the e-mail passed through. I am communicating to you viae-mail because you have consented to receive communications via thismedium. If you change your mind and want future communications to besent in a different fashion, please let me know AT ONCE.


________________________________
 From: Crystal Schumacher <crystal_schu at hotmail.com>
To: blindkid at nfbnet.org 
Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2012 1:00 AM
Subject: [blindkid] Braille Literacy IEP Question
 








Hello,

I would really appreciate some opinions on the question I am going to ask. I have a struggling braille reader. The question from the IEP team is as follows: Should we discontinue the Braille Literacy Goal which focuses on speed, fluency, and comprehension because Ben has made little growth for the effort put forth and he is missing other class time during this daily 30 minute pull out?

The Facts are as follows:

Ben is 11 years old and in the 5th grade. He was born 14 weeks premature and is blind with light perception from R.O.P. Ben is reading contracted braille at a 2nd grade level with a speed of 30 words per minute. He receives services from a TVI, 2 hours a day, who states he has learned most of the Braille code. He also receives services from the Special Education Teacher, 30 minutes a day, who is trained in teaching Reading Literacy. She is using a program called Read Naturally that was transcribed into Braille by the Texas School for the Blind. Ben is her only blind student and has been working with her since the middle of 3rd grade. The other students using this program are sighted. Ben has made some growth, but his progress remains slow. He has many Braille reversals and some tactile defensiveness. He writes Braille at grade level. Ben was tested for a reading disability, but do to the lack of statistics on blind children he could not qualify for our
 school district. For example, when given the Woodcock-Johnson Normative Test in Braille, Passage Comprehension, he scored at a 2nd grade level. When given the same part of the test auditory, Ben scored at 6th grade level. The IEP team has decided that moving forward, Ben's should receive his text books and some assignments primarily in a digital format. He does use a Braille Note, but relies heavily on the voice when reading or editing papers.

I have a good relationship with my IEP team. They will write the goal how I want, but they need evidence to support it. He will be moving to middle school next year and blind kids typically get less services, not more. Ben may never be a great reader, but Braille is a skill, and I think he needs to be working on it everyday. If a sighted child had dyslexia, would they stop reading with that child? He has a great mind and being able to get information he needs quickly and efficiently via a digital format is important, but I think the Braille is too. Please let me know what you are thinking.

Thank You,
Crystal Schumacher
(Ben's Mom)
                          
                          
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