[blindkid] PE in middle school

Julie Yanez jyanez112 at gmail.com
Thu Mar 14 05:03:41 UTC 2013


She's been under the 2% tile her whole life. I'm now using a protein weight
gainer in hopes it will add a few pounds and that will help ease other
problems.
On Mar 13, 2013 10:01 PM, "Julie Yanez" <jyanez112 at gmail.com> wrote:

> I have seen very little improvement with her APE. I see her come further
> with her OM on her independent skills. But then again the past 2 years have
> been hard with a new blood pressure illness and also puberty. Hasn't been
> easy. They have been doing tedious things like having her walk the track or
> do sit ups. Her IEP goal from her APE was to be able to throw a ball over
> hand at a target.
> ....I hope they know she can't see the target. I don't believe they have a
> beeping ball to be able to know where the ball went. I know she has a
> basketball with a bell in it, and a beepball. Now that I'm thinking about
> it, I'm not sure APE has been any help at all aside from not having to be
> singled out with her classmates.
> On Mar 13, 2013 9:53 PM, "Arielle Silverman" <arielle71 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi Julie,
>> It sounds completely reasonable to say on her IEP that she will be
>> pulled for one-on-one during the PE period instead of going to the PE
>> class. If she's pulled out, she won't have to dress out at all.
>> I think the bigger issue is, Do you like her APE teacher and do you
>> think pulling her out to work with the APE teacher would be a good
>> thing? What kinds of things could they work on together? What kinds of
>> things have they been working on over the past two years? You can
>> build on that when developing the IEP goals for next year and beyond.
>> Arielle
>>
>> On 3/13/13, Julie Yanez <jyanez112 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > She has had an APE teacher for 2 years now. My daughter is a bright
>> kiddo,
>> > but we know where she falls behind. She is in 5th grade but mainstreamed
>> > into 3rd grade language arts and math. She has a memory like an elephant
>> > but falls behind on comprehension. She can memorize 2+3=5. But if you
>> ask
>> > her to add 3+2, she can't tell you the answer right away. But yet she
>> aces
>> > every single 5th grade spelling test.
>> > And her physical abilities is where we push hard on as well. Fine and
>> gross
>> > motor. She can't gain weight to gain the muscle, and she has other
>> > underline issues as well. I would prefer her to just be pulled out of
>> class
>> > a few times a week with an APE teacher since she's most comfortable one
>> on
>> > one. I know PE is one of the periods in the 6 period classes at her
>> soon to
>> > be middle school. I'm just wondering if I can and can't fight for on her
>> > IEP. Such as dressing. If I have been working on it here at home with
>> her
>> > for years, what's to make me think she can magically learn it in a timed
>> > setting like dressing out at school? Plus she gets easily flustered. And
>> > that leads to changes in her blood pressure that leads to one of her
>> other
>> > underlined issues. Its a vicious cycle she has.
>> > I'm hoping I can have her dressing out be something as simple as
>> accessing
>> > her own lock, changing shoes, maybe into gym shorts and reporting to a
>> > designated area.
>> > I need as much help as I can knowing what we will face going into middle
>> > school.
>> > On Mar 13, 2013 9:15 PM, "Arielle Silverman" <arielle71 at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> >
>> >> Hi Julie and all,
>> >> I guess I'd like to take this discussion in a bit of a different
>> >> direction. I'm wondering if it would be possible to replace your
>> >> daughter's PE requirement with some extra one-on-one time with someone
>> >> who can help her work on some of these motor issues so she can master
>> >> some of these independent living skills like dressing herself and
>> >> using keys? (Perhaps an OT, PT, APE instructor or some combination)?
>> >> To me, this seems much more critically important than whatever she
>> >> might get out of being in a mainstreamed PE class--especially if she
>> >> wants to start going to sleepover parties with her girlfriends, or
>> >> letting herself into the house when you aren't at home. It seems once
>> >> she has learned these skills she will be more ready for a traditional
>> >> P.E. program.
>> >> More generally, to everyone, I think there is some benefit in having
>> >> blind kids do their P.E. requirements in a more individualized fashion
>> >> rather than just having someone come into their regular P.E. class to
>> >> help them. I'm usually an advocate of including blind students in the
>> >> regular curriculum as much as possible, but based on my own
>> >> experiences with regular and adapted P.E. I feel that P.E. needs to be
>> >> handled a little differently. I'm curious if others have had
>> >> experiences similar to mine.
>> >> I was in regular P.E. throughout elementary school and sixth grade (in
>> >> middle school) and what I remember was either being forced to sit on
>> >> the bench, participating with a lot of help from my classmates, or
>> >> having an APE teacher practically on top of me aiming throws for me,
>> >> catching balls, etc. so I was basically a passive participant. Sports
>> >> activities were never adapted, and at times my P.E. teachers were
>> >> quite frank in stating that I wasn't expected to perform well. For
>> >> example, in sixth grade I was required to dress out, but when we ran
>> >> laps the kid who forgot his gym clothes at home was always the one
>> >> assigned to be my running guide, because evidently the P.E. teachers
>> >> didn't think that guiding me on the track was strenuous enough
>> >> exercise to make someone dress out to do it. Anyway you get the idea.
>> >> In seventh grade on, my PE requirements were waived due to alleged
>> >> "safety concerns" and I was assigned one-on-one classes with an APE
>> >> instructor instead. I hated this at first but it turned out to be
>> >> great because my teacher was a female bodybuilder who assigned me to
>> >> do weight training. I worked with her twice per week throughout the
>> >> eighth, ninth, and tenth grades and she taught me how to use all the
>> >> common weight machines and free-weights, and trained me to build up to
>> >> some fairly competitive lifting routines. Initially I thought it was
>> >> unfair to be separated from my peers and to have to come in before
>> >> school for bench-press drills, but eventually I gained confidence in
>> >> my body and my physical abilities because I was working with someone
>> >> who challenged me and held me to high standards instead of just
>> >> casting me aside to sit on the bench. In tenth grade the program
>> >> changed from on-campus sessions to my walking from school to my local
>> >> YMCA to complete the exercise routine (with supervision from the
>> >> instructor at first, and then completely independent). It has been
>> >> twelve years since that class ended for me, but I still know exactly
>> >> how to use all the equipment, and though I have been erratic in my gym
>> >> participation, I still enjoy lifting weights and still do some of the
>> >> floor exercises that I learned. I also know a few other blind students
>> >> who had similar individualized APE programs, some of which also
>> >> involved stationary bike, elliptical or treadmill routines as well.
>> >> I am pretty sure that the real purpose of required physical education
>> >> (for all kids) is to instill good exercise habits and to motivate kids
>> >> to become and remain physically active. I question how well that can
>> >> happen for a blind student in a mainstreamed class where the blind
>> >> student is always at a disadvantage, the last to be chosen for every
>> >> team, etc. If others have found ways to make mainstreamed P.E. truly
>> >> accessible, I would be very curious to hear how that was done.
>> >> However, I suspect that it is quite difficult for regular P.E.
>> >> teachers to make their classes fully accessible to a blind student
>> >> because many of the modifications, like using beeping balls, have an
>> >> effect on how the whole class is run. It's great if you have a P.E.
>> >> arrangement where your child is fully included and where he/she can
>> >> excel. If that's not happening, though, I think the option of setting
>> >> up an individualized adapted P.E. program is one worth considering so
>> >> that your child can achieve excellence in the class and learn some
>> >> practical, good exercise habits. Of course, this is only going to work
>> >> if the adapted P.E. teacher at the school is a quality teacher,
>> >> someone with an open mind and someone who believes in blind people. I
>> >> also think that sports groups for the blind, and mainstreamed
>> >> community sports leagues where the leaders believe in blind people,
>> >> are alternative ways to achieve these goals if the P.E. programs at
>> >> school are not worthwhile.
>> >>
>> >> What are your thoughts on this?
>> >> Arielle
>> >>
>> >> On 3/13/13, Julie Yanez <jyanez112 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> > Thank you. I'll look into it all.
>> >> > On Mar 13, 2013 10:14 AM, "Bernadette Jacobs" <bernienfb75 at gmail.com
>> >
>> >> > wrote:
>> >> >
>> >> >> Good Afternoon Julie!
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Don't lose heart Darling!  Firstly, RE: the combination lock, there
>> >> >> actually is, (believe it or not), such a thing as Braille
>> Combination
>> >> >> Locks.  And they are very easy to work. You can check with Ellen
>> >> >> Ringlein over at NFB: 410-659-9314 in the independence market.  You
>> >> >> might also check with the folks over at BISM: 410-7372600 and ask
>> to
>> >> >> speak with Andy McIver.  Or there's Independent Living Aids.  I
>> don't
>> >> >> remember the number offhand.  You can always "goodsearch" it.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> As for the dressing part, I'm not the expert in that department.
>>  But,
>> >> >> hopefully, before long, somebody will have some ideas for you there
>> as
>> >> >> well.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> On 3/12/13, Julie Yanez <jyanez112 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> >> > Hi all,
>> >> >> > My daughter will be going into middle school next year and
>> physical
>> >> >> > education will be one of the courses. I have a few concerns that I
>> >> know
>> >> >> > will be brought up in our next IEP in a few weeks.
>> >> >> > 1. Will she be required to dress into PE clothes?
>> >> >> > Right now she has lots of difficulty dressing herself. Pants,
>> socks
>> >> and
>> >> >> > shoes are easy. Its the upper half she can't accomplish yet. She
>> >> >> > doesn't
>> >> >> > have the muscle structure to do certain things and still had
>> >> difficulty
>> >> >> > with muscle isolation. Her Dr thinks it's just part of being
>> >> >> > extremely
>> >> >> > premee and her being underweight.
>> >> >> > I am also NOT ok with someone assisting her to dress out. She will
>> >> >> > be
>> >> >> > in
>> >> >> > APE. Is not dressing out a reasonable request for her APE in her
>> >> >> > IEP?
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > If she is required to change in some way such as just shoes, what
>> >> >> > type
>> >> >> > of
>> >> >> > lock might be easiest to start off with?  I don't know how to
>> modify
>> >> >> > a
>> >> >> > combination lock for her, and like I said, she hasn't been able to
>> >> >> isolate
>> >> >> > fingers well. So getting a key in a lock is very very difficult
>> for
>> >> >> > her.
>> >> >> We
>> >> >> > have tried for so long already.
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > What are some things I need to know before we start PE in middle
>> >> school
>> >> >> so
>> >> >> > I can bring up to her IEP team?
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > Thank you all in advance. I need to get this all figured out
>> before
>> >> the
>> >> >> > meeting and before the year starts and we find things out the hard
>> >> way.
>> >> >> > ~Julie.
>> >> >> > _______________________________________________
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>> >> >>
>> >>
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindkid_nfbnet.org/bernienfb75%40gmail.com
>> >> >> >
>> >> >>
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