Guest guest Posted January 29, 2002 Report Share Posted January 29, 2002 Hello, Wanted to know if any of you had any luck with getting earmolds included in your child's IEP. And if so, what 'arugemments and/or where in IDEA would it show it is covered. Thanks for any help. Debbie 3 HOH Tyler 8 Hearing 5 Hearing Baby due 7/13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 29, 2002 Report Share Posted January 29, 2002 Do you have it in the IEP that your child needs hearing aids to access his education? I have that in my daughter's IEP. I also had it written in that the fit of the ear molds would be monitored. I have never asked the school to purchase earmolds. At the previous school they determined that the fit was not right and offered to pay for them. I said no problem, insurance would cover them. Last week, different school system, I had to go ask that they pay for earmolds. Our insurance changed in December and although ear molds are covered I have not yet had luck fighting the bureaucracy to get it done, and Petya can't wait. The team agreed that she needed her hearing aids and she can't use the hearing aids without the ear molds so the school agreed to pay. barb Earmolds in the IEP Hello, Wanted to know if any of you had any luck with getting earmolds included in your child's IEP. And if so, what 'arugemments and/or where in IDEA would it show it is covered. Thanks for any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 30, 2002 Report Share Posted January 30, 2002 Hi Debbie! You can run a risk, in asking the school dept to pay for earmolds, that they'll require you to leave the earmolds at school (unless you can prove that they're needed *educationally* outside of school hours). In this case, I'd pick the battle carefully. If it's a benevolent school district, or you have people there on your side, I'd say go for it, ask that they be covered under the " assistive technology and related services " of IDEA. But if you get the sense that the school would be peeved by what they consider " nickel and diming " -- well, it might be better to save your energy and resources for the bigger battles to come. Let's be realistic...if you don't have to, you don't want to piss off the whole school or the SPED director, with whom you'll have to be working for years to come... Also, with whom would the school contract to have the earmolds done? If they're paying for them, they can choose the audiologist/dispenser who does the earmold impressions, and they can choose the lab that makes the earmolds, as long as they can justify those choices as " appropriate " (not *ideal*, remember...only appropriate). The only caveat...if the earmolds were broken or otherwise ruined at school (we had that happen...poor kid had only a tube and a teeny piece of earmold left!), then there'd be no question in my mind that you should get the school to cover them. I've been doing research for a grant lately about the difference between a " personal service " and an " academic accommodation " . This is how things are treated at the college level...no more IEPs after high school. If a student needs something to get by " in life " and thus needs that accommodation both outside of school as well as in school, that would be considered a " personal service " and not an " academic accommodation " . (I haven't heard of this at the PreK-12 level.) So, if a student needs a special pen grip for writing, so that s/he can take notes in class, it's assumed that student will also need that special pen grip for writing in other life activities, and is thus considered a " personal service " and not an " academic accommodation " (meaning: the school doesn't pay for it). Just something to think about when you get to the point of investigating higher education for your kids...some schools' offices of disability support and awareness are more likely than others to draw a stark line between personal services and academic accommodations, while others are much more flexible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 30, 2002 Report Share Posted January 30, 2002 When my daughter was using the Phonic Ear we had two sets of ear molds, one we would buy for the hearing aids and one the school purchased for the Phonic Ear. Now that we use the MicroLink, we buy the ear molds. I only asked this time because I couldn't get the insurance straightened out. I agree, that I wouldn't expect the school to do it because you do lose control then. Barb ----- Subject: Earmolds in the IEP HI- we did have earmolds included in our IEP for both our boys. This was when they wore the Phonic Ear auditory trainers. Now that they wear microlinks, we cover earmolds (our insurance actually pays for them). Our rationale was that they were needed so that the FM would work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 30, 2002 Report Share Posted January 30, 2002 I wouldn't put up with the excuse that she might lose them on the playground. That is an equal access issue to me and my child has the right to hear to the best of her ability in all situations. Barb Yep! See this OSEP letter re: School District's Liability for a Family-Owned AT Device http://www.listen-up.org/rights/osep3.htm and make no mistake about it, OSEP has said, in a policy guidance letter that Hearing Aids are Assistive Technology http://www.listen-up.org/rights/osep1.htm Hugs, Kay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 30, 2002 Report Share Posted January 30, 2002 > But...I'm wondering why > they feel compelled to issue this directive in the first place?? Are they > liable if the aids and/or molds are lost or damaged AT SCHOOL?? Yep! See this OSEP letter re: School District's Liability for a Family-Owned AT Device http://www.listen-up.org/rights/osep3.htm and make no mistake about it, OSEP has said, in a policy guidance letter that Hearing Aids are Assistive Technology http://www.listen-up.org/rights/osep1.htm Hugs, Kay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2002 Report Share Posted February 1, 2002 <<I wouldn't put up with the excuse that she might lose them on the playground. That is an equal access issue to me and my child has the right to hear to the best of her ability in all situations.>> I agree with Barb. Not only is this an equal access issue but it's a safety issue! What if the child (or others around him or her) is doing something unsafe and needs to be warned quickly? Also, the playground is one of the best opportunities to take part in spontaneous conversation--a bit difficult when you can't understand what is being said. Now the child's social skills are at risk. My son is bussed by the district to his special school. They don't refuse to drive him because the district will be liable for an accident. That's what insurance is for. Carol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2002 Report Share Posted February 1, 2002 Right, I got using the MicroLink on the bus in the IEP because of the safety issue. Barb ----- I agree with Barb. Not only is this an equal access issue but it's a safety issue! All messages posted to this list are private and confidential. Each post is the intellectual property of the author and therefore subject to copyright restrictions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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