[nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic girl, service dog - The Athens Messenger: News
Cindy Ray
cindyray at gmail.com
Tue Aug 27 02:30:55 UTC 2013
OOPS! I got the "i" wrong. LOL.
Independence makes more sense.
CL
On Aug 26, 2013, at 9:28 PM, "Michael Hingson" <info at michaelhingson.com> wrote:
> Visit www.cci.org. (Canine Companions for Independence.)
>
>
> Best,
>
>
> Michael Hingson
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Janice Toothman
> Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 06:49 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic girl,
> service dog - The Athens Messenger: News
>
>
> Hi Michael,
> What is CCI? Can you tell me more about what they do? Thanks.
> Janice
> On 8/26/2013 5:38 PM, Michael Hingson wrote:
>> Given that the child is autistic in fact the dog may well have been
>> trained by an organization like CCI. Many times the dog does act as a
>> calming factor while the dog is actually commanded by someone else like
> the mother.
>> This is not an unusual situation, but the dog is, by any definition, a
>> service animal. I have been to CCI and heard lectures on how animals
>> are trained to work with autistic children.
>>
>>
>> Best,
>>
>>
>> Michael Hingson
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ann Edie
>> Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 02:33 PM
>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic
>> girl, service dog - The Athens Messenger: News
>>
>> Other interesting aspects of this case:
>>
>> The mother plans to attend school daily with her daughter.--This
>> indicates to me, as does the age of the child, that the partnership
>> between the girl and the dog is not that of a person with a disability
>> working independently with a service animal. It seems more that the
>> parent handles the dog and the presence of the dog has a calming
>> effect on the child or something like that. The dog may or may not be
>> trained to perform specific tasks to mitigate the child's disability.
>> It might be more of a "social dog" as I have heard them referred to,
>> something to encourage interaction with peers and others in the
>> environment. Or it may be that the dog does specific things to help
>> the child regain control when she is feeling overwhelmed or upset, or
>> keeps her on route when she is going somewhere. But I doubt that this
>> young a child is being allowed to go anywhere alone. If the mother
>> weren't there to handle the dog, the district would probably have to
>> hire a
>> 1:1 aide to handle the dog, and that person would have to be trained
>> in how to manage the dog. This is an expense that most districts
>> could not justify educationally, I believe.
>>
>> In my experience the school may have more of an issue with the mother
>> wanting to attend school with her child than with the dog. Today's
>> confidentiality regulations make it very hard to have parents as well
>> as other members of the public in classrooms where they would have
>> access to protected information about other children. Nowadays
>> everyone in the school building, including volunteers, must be
>> fingerprinted and background checked, and they wouldn't be allowed
>> there on a regular basis unless they were employees of the district,
>> only on specific parent visiting days or other special events, at least in
> the schools I have worked with.
>>
>> As I said, this is a very interesting case, and we'll see how it shakes
> out.
>>
>> Ann
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ann Edie
>> Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 1:51 PM
>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic
>> girl, service dog - The Athens Messenger: News
>>
>> Perhaps the family never let the school know that the girl would be
>> accompanied by the dog, just presuming that the school would have to
>> accept the dog under the provisions of the ADA, although the law as it
>> applies to students attending public schools is not completely
>> straightforward, as far as I know. It's different for a student
>> (child) than it would be, for example, for a teacher with a disability
>> who uses a service animal or even a parent visitor to the building who
>> uses a service animal. It will be interesting to follow this case and see
> how it progresses.
>>
>> Ann
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of minh ha
>> Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 9:43 AM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic
>> girl, service dog - The Athens Messenger: News
>>
>> I agree with Julie. Something smells super fishy. ... Didn't the
>> article say that the teacher wasn't even there on the first day and
>> that somebody else told the family that she was allergic to dogs?
>>
>> Minh
>>
>> On 8/26/13, Julie J. <julielj at neb.rr.com> wrote:
>>> The thing I'm confused about is how the teacher didn't know the girl
>>> was going to be accompanied by her service dog. I'm convinced there
>>> had to be IEP meetings. I'm pretty sure the classroom teacher
>>> attends these. I'm also pretty sure that the topic of the dog would
>>> have come up. Couldn't the
>>>
>>> teacher have mentioned the allergy so arrangements could have been
>>> worked out in advance? Waiting until the first day of school to
>>> figure this out seems like a plan for failure.
>>>
>>> Or maybe that was the plan all along?
>>>
>>> Julie
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Marsha Drenth
>>> Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 11:28 AM
>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic
>>> girl,service dog - The Athens Messenger: News
>>>
>>> I'd like for one of the legal minds to comment on this. Whose rights
>>> have to
>>>
>>> be observed here? personally my opinion is that the teacher, needs
>>> then to
>>>
>>> move schools, not eh child. Again that is my opinion. I am curious...
>>>
>>> Marsha drenth
>>> Sent with my IPhone
>>>
>>> On Aug 25, 2013, at 8:54 AM, "Ginger Kutsch" <GingerKutsch at yahoo.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic girl, service dog -
>>>> The Athens
>>>> Messenger: News
>>>>
>>>> Athens Messenger
>>>>
>>>> Source:
>>>>
>>>> http://www.athensohiotoday.com/news/teacher-s-allergy-disrupts-plans
>>>> -
>>>> for-aut
>>>> istic-girl-service-dog/article_5b4859e2-a4b1-568a-adb8-acc649e08556.
>>>> h
>>>> tml
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Shyanna Gretz, 6, of The Plains, is seen with her new service dog
>>>> Spring last month. After attending her first day of school at
>>>> Morrison-Gordon Elementary
>>>>
>>>> on Monday, the school informed Shyanna's family that their autistic
>>>> daughter and service dog would have to transfer schools as
>>>> Morrison's
>>>> K-3 special education
>>>>
>>>> teacher is severely allergic to dog dander.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> By Sara Brumfield Messenger staff journalist
>>>>
>>>> As Shyanna Gretz, an autistic 6-year-old from The Plains, and her
>>>> new service dog Spring attended their first day of first grade at
>>>> Morrison-Gordon Elementary
>>>>
>>>> on Monday, her family was hoping for a smooth transition into Athens
>>>> City Schools. But a special education teacher's severe allergy to
>>>> dog dander has caused
>>>>
>>>> a hiccup in the family's schooling plan.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> The Messenger has written several stories about the Gretz family and
>>>> their journey to get a service dog for Shyanna, who has had a
>>>> history of extreme mood
>>>>
>>>> fluctuations and wandering off. After two years of fundraising and
>>>> waiting, the family welcomed a 1-year-old black Labrador retriever,
>>>> Spring, into their
>>>>
>>>> lives last month.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Since Spring's arrival, Shyanna's mother Charla told The Messenger
>>>> that her daughter's moods have been more in line with her peers and
>>>> that family outings
>>>>
>>>> that were once impossible are now achievable.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Shyanna attended kindergarten at Beacon School on West Union Street
>>>> last year. Beacon, operated by the Athens County Board of
>>>> Developmental Disabilities,
>>>>
>>>> is a school designed to serve students with special needs in all
>>>> five of the county's public school districts.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> According to Charla, it was determined that Shyanna should be
>>>> integrated into the Athens City School District this year and the
>>>> family made plans for Shyanna
>>>>
>>>> to attend Morrison-Gordon Elementary, which is located next to
>>>> Beacon School.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> However, at the end of the day on Monday, Charla (who plans to
>>>> attend school with Shyanna on a daily basis) was told that her
>>>> daughter would have to transfer
>>>>
>>>> to a different elementary school because the K-3 Individualized
>>>> Education Plan teacher at Morrison is severely allergic to dog dander.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Athens City Schools Supt. Carl Martin told The Messenger on Friday
>>>> that only two of the district's four elementary schools have
>>>> programs for autistic students
>>>>
>>>> - Morrison-Gordon and East Elementary. He said that Morrison has two
>>>> teachers for the program - one who serves grades K-3 and another
>>>> serving grades 4-6
>>>>
>>>> - and East has one teacher. The district's middle and high schools
>>>> also have such programs.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> He said it's not uncommon for special needs students to begin their
>>>> education at Beacon School and then move into the public school system.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> "We have a fair amount of autistic kids in the district," Martin said.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> While switching elementary schools may seem like a simple enough
>>>> solution, Charla said her daughter doesn't cope well with change or
>>>> riding the school
>>>>
>>>> bus. She told The Messenger that the bus ride to East Elementary
>>>> would be longer and that the change in surroundings could be a
>>>> setback for Shyanna.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Martin emphasized that East Elementary is only five miles from the
>>>> Gretz's home in The Plains and the bus ride wouldn't be much
>>>> different than it is
>>>>
>>>> to
>>>>
>>>> Morrison-Gordon.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> According to Martin, he was unaware that the Morrison-Gordon K-3
>>>> special education teacher was allergic to dogs until Monday
>>>> afternoon. Charla said the
>>>>
>>>> teacher was out sick on Monday, but the school told her that Shyanna
>>>> and Spring could not return to Morrison because of the teacher's
> allergy.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> When asked if returning to Beacon would be an option for Shyanna,
>>>> Martin said that would have to be worked out between the family and
>>>> Beacon School.
>>>> He
>>>>
>>>> said that it's not uncommon for students to return to Beacon after
>>>> they've tried public schools.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> The Gretz' youngest child, Conner, attends pre-school at Beacon.
>>>> Charla said her son has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
>>>> (ADHD) and oppositional
>>>>
>>>> defiant disorder (ODD).
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Charla said she will meet with members of the Athens City School
>>>> District
>>>>
>>>> on
>>>> Sept. 3 regarding their options for Shyanna's schooling. Martin said
>>>> the district
>>>>
>>>> had hoped to meet with the family sooner, but the family's schedule
>>>> didn't allow for that.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> "The dog is not the issue," Martin said. "The issue is where can I
>>>> serve this child in a program that works for everyone. East is a
>>>> wonderful school in
>>>>
>>>> a wonderful building."
>>>>
>>>> sbrumfield at athensmessenger.com
>>>>
>>>> ; Twitter @SaraBmessenger.
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> nagdu mailing list
>>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info
>>>> for
>>>> nagdu:
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/marsha.drenth%40g
>>>> m
>>>> ail.com
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> nagdu mailing list
>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> nagdu:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/julielj%40neb.rr.c
>>> o
>>> m
>>>
>>>
>>> -----
>>> No virus found in this message.
>>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
>>> Version: 2012.0.2242 / Virus Database: 3211/6110 - Release Date:
>>> 08/26/13
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> nagdu mailing list
>>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> nagdu:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/minh.ha927%40gmail.
>>> com
>>>
>>
>> --
>> "All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty
>> recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity:
>> but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on
>> their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible." T. E. Lawrence
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nagdu mailing list
>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nagdu:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/annedie%40nycap.rr.
>> com
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nagdu mailing list
>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nagdu:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/annedie%40nycap.rr.
>> com
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nagdu mailing list
>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nagdu:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/info%40michaelhings
>> on.com
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nagdu mailing list
>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nagdu:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/janice.toothman%40v
>> erizon.net
>>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/info%40michaelhingson.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/cindyray%40gmail.com
More information about the NAGDU
mailing list