[Nfbf-l] Updatae on district/from Doreen's "snippets" from Sat.

[Holly]

Wow! Doreen,
That would have angered me too. It hurts me so much that I don't have the
words to explain what I am thinking. Things could have done to make
the experience so much better for all, especially Torrie. She deserves so
much more then what she is being dealt in school and I know you are the one
who will make it happen.
Holly

On Fri, Jun 4, 2010 at 2:06 PM, Doreen Franklin <theconelady at yahoo.com>wrote:

>
> Hi to all,
>
> I wanted to share a letter that has been hand-delivered to the school
> superintendent about Torrie's pre-k graduation ceremony. It was bittersweet
> as you will be able to tell from the letter. Obviously, we have a lot
> further to go than I thought! But I know I am in the right place with FOPBC
> and NFBF! I will be interested to see if we get any kind of response from
> superintendent or ESE director.
> Doreen Franklin
>
>
>
>
> I am writing about my daughter who is visually impaired and in the pre-K
> program at Eagles Nest. Her graduation ceremony was today and I am writing
> to tell you how upset my family was with the treatment of our daughter,
> Victorria.
>
> The ceremony started with Victorria being led by Mrs Rowe using sighted
> guide (I can’t say it was correct, but that is not the point). Torrie was
> set down on the floor to watch the photo review of the year with the rest of
> her class. Torrie has low vision and she was not able to see or "recognize"
> the pictures of herself and her friends. I sat and I cried, not because of
> joy, but because she could not see the pictures. All of the other children
> were shouting out "that's me" and they even shouted "Torrie," but because
> Torrie could not see, Torrie could not participate in the festivity that her
> other friends were enjoying. It was heart breaking as I sat there and
> continued to watch Torrie not be able to participate like her sighted peers.
> It made me even sadder, and I continued to cry. I wanted to bring her over
> to me and go through the pictures verbally with her, but I knew she needed
> to stay where she is. (I have asked Mrs Rowe for a copy of the CD so
>  that Torrie can watch the show at home).
>
> As the ceremony continued, the children were moved to the stage. Again,
> Torrie was led by Mrs Rowe to her seat. I looked at Torrie and her cane was
> no where to be found. I was in shock! In our eyes, it said to us that she
> "couldn't be herself." During the program, Torrie was then led to a place on
> the stage to hold a sign while all of the other children were able to walk
> toward the audience in different parts of the program. We sat there and were
> so disappointed that our daughter's disability was not recognized, that she
> was made to "look like all of the other children" yet she was not doing the
> same activity (walking toward the audience) like her sighted peers. I was
> livid at this point because Torrie could not be herself, but had to “look
> like the other sighted children”.  My family was upset and disappointed that
> Torrie had to be made to be like one of the other kids in the program. Her
> disability and her cane seemed to be something to be ashamed
>  of. That is not what we are instilling in Torrie. She is to be proud of
> who she is!
>
> This past weekend, I was at a state convention for people who are blind and
> visually impaired and everyone used their cane or guide dog. No one was
> ashamed of having a visual disability. These adults had to navigate a new
> environment to all of them – they had to find their way from the hotel
> check-in, to their rooms, to the restaurant, to the main seminar room and
> other seminar rooms. Several of these people were also speakers who had to
> navigate to the front of the room for their speeches. None of these adults
> were embarrassed  by their canes or guide dogs; instead they navigated
> around the hotel with confidence and independence. Why isn’t this outlook of
> independence being supported by the school? I don’t even have the words to
> describe my feelings about the independence and assurance these people had
> last weekend, and how my daughter was not allowed to use her cane which
> makes her independent and safe! What a stark contrast! There are no words
>  for this!
>
> The diplomas were then given out by Mr Lynch and the children were to shake
> hands with Mrs Rowe, Mr Lynch and Mrs Serynak. Torrie did not have her cane
> and she walked across the stage, without her cane. When I saw that, I gasped
> for my daughter's safety as well as the fact that she did not have her cane
> to use, which is a vital part of her. Torrie's cane is as much a part of her
> as her glasses are, just like our glasses are a part of us (we all wear
> glasses). After the ceremony, Torrie was led off the stage by Mrs Rowe. All
> of the other children were able to go to their parents and had pictures
> taken with family and on stage. Torrie looked toward us, but Torrie had Mrs
> Rowe’s hand. When she looked toward us, I was not sure what to do - get her
> or let her go to her class as were the directions. Instead, all the parents
> got their children and took pictures, and Torrie had Mrs Rowe's hand and was
> being led out of the auditorium. My family and I were very
>  disappointed, especially after seeing other families taking pictures. I
> have no pictures of Torrie alone on stage with her diploma. I have Torrie
> and her class instead of individual pictures of our graduate. Instead of
> this being a very happy day, it was heart breaking, depressing and very
> disconcerting.
>
> Torrie is finally getting orientation and mobility instruction for use in
> cane. In our last IEP meeting, it was decided that she would not use the
> cane in her class but she would use it any other time outside of her class.
> Torrie should have used her cane while in the auditorium instead of the fact
> that it was being covered up. I don't think it would have mattered to the
> other parents if Torrie had used her cane (they all know she uses a cane)
> and it was set on the floor by her. She could have used her cane to move
> around, just like her sighted peers. Instead, her disability was concealed.
> Do you know the message being sent to Torrie? That message is that you
> cannot be you - you need to "hide" your disability and hide your cane. What
> a sad commentary for our pre-K children! How are we to build her self-esteem
> with the use of her cane at this point?
>
> I have been trying to be upbeat about the whole ceremony with my daughter,
> but it has been quite hard to hide my feelings. Torrie told me that "she
> didn't need her cane on the stage" which is not a 5-yr old's decision. The
> use of a cane is a decision made by her parents, and it was then reaffirmed
> by the IEP Team after an IEE on orientation & mobility clearly showed the
> reasons for the use of the cane. How can we instill that the cane is
> necessary with her visual disability when the school isn't even on-board for
> the use of her cane?
>
>
> Doreen and David Franklin
>
>
>
>
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