Transition about to begin for Jillyan!

[Guest guest]

,

YOU ARE RIGHT, Jillyan should be in the preschool. Andy attended preschool

5 days a week when he was three years old and Jillyan sounds a lot like

Andy.....not walking, poor vision and hearing loss+++. The socialization is

very important.

If you are concerned about her safety, it is not too much to ask for a 1:1

paraprofessional for Jillyan. If she fits the criteria for " deafblind " , ask

for an Intervener. (go to the link below for several articles to read and

share with your vision teacher and school district.

http://www.tr.wou.edu/dblink/biblio-a.HTM#interveners

I don¹t have the email address with me, but if Jillyan fits the criteria for

deafblind, I have an excellent resource for you to contact. She is the

family specialist in North Carolina. I've got her information at my office.

Let me know.

Hang on to that vision teacher. She sounds like a wonderful ally for you

and Jillyan. Sounds like she is doing a good job advocating already.

Push for preschool!!! Good luck.

Sally (Andy, 22)

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

All this reminds me so much of the grief we went through from the local

education authority before started at her wonderful school one year

ago. She is now 3-1/2 and her progress has been remarkable. She was quite

similar to Jillyan in some ways (bilateral colobomas with no vision in one

eye and limited vision in the other which she uses very well, profoundly

deaf, shuffling around on her bottom, pulling herself to standing but not

cruising,no formal communication etc etc). The local peripatetic teacher

for the deaf suggested we send her to a school for children with learning

disabilities but as she had not been assessed to have such and we had

already visited the school of our choice and they had indicated they would

accept , we ignored her. We then had to present quite a strong case

for why we thought that school would meet her needs. 4 sides of A4

later!!!..............

I think there is an element to which we wore them down but we were quite

worn out by the process. It was totally worth it though. The school

assessed that she would need a 1:1 assistant for safety and she had to have

this approved before they could confirm her place. The local ed authority

tried to guilt trip us about the cost etc but it frankly was not our

problem. Beware being fobbed off with the cheap options rather than ones

which meet your child's needs.

has got on really well at the school and we are glad we went the

extra mile. She has had access to physio, OT, hydrotherapy, speech and

language therapy etc, which of course as you pointed out, Jillyan would miss

out on. I would go with Sally, push for preschool. We also had good

support from our MSI teacher. Sometimes, it is good to have someone to just

tell you you are not acting on unrealistic expectations.

Of course, as we are in the UK, the system may be different, but the end

goal is not. Very good luck in your fight.

Flo

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[Guest guest]

Sally,

Thanks for the information. Jillyan does meet the criteria for

deaf/bline in NC. Luckily I get to keep her vision teacher thru age

5 instead of losing her at age 3 and she is the best. I was so

looking forward to sending her to preschool but disappointed in the

attitude I'm already getting.

Thanks again.

Huggins

Mom to Jillyan (2) and Hailey (6)

> ,

>

> YOU ARE RIGHT, Jillyan should be in the preschool. Andy attended

preschool

> 5 days a week when he was three years old and Jillyan sounds a lot

like

> Andy.....not walking, poor vision and hearing loss+++. The

socialization is

> very important.

>

> If you are concerned about her safety, it is not too much to ask

for a 1:1

> paraprofessional for Jillyan. If she fits the criteria

for " deafblind " , ask

> for an Intervener. (go to the link below for several articles to

read and

> share with your vision teacher and school district.

>

> http://www.tr.wou.edu/dblink/biblio-a.HTM#interveners

>

> I don¹t have the email address with me, but if Jillyan fits the

criteria for

> deafblind, I have an excellent resource for you to contact. She is

the

> family specialist in North Carolina. I've got her information at my

office.

> Let me know.

>

> Hang on to that vision teacher. She sounds like a wonderful ally

for you

> and Jillyan. Sounds like she is doing a good job advocating

already.

>

> Push for preschool!!! Good luck.

>

> Sally (Andy, 22)

[Guest guest]

Sally,

Thanks for the information. Jillyan does meet the criteria for

deaf/bline in NC. Luckily I get to keep her vision teacher thru age

5 instead of losing her at age 3 and she is the best. I was so

looking forward to sending her to preschool but disappointed in the

attitude I'm already getting.

Thanks again.

Huggins

Mom to Jillyan (2) and Hailey (6)

> ,

>

> YOU ARE RIGHT, Jillyan should be in the preschool. Andy attended

preschool

> 5 days a week when he was three years old and Jillyan sounds a lot

like

> Andy.....not walking, poor vision and hearing loss+++. The

socialization is

> very important.

>

> If you are concerned about her safety, it is not too much to ask

for a 1:1

> paraprofessional for Jillyan. If she fits the criteria

for " deafblind " , ask

> for an Intervener. (go to the link below for several articles to

read and

> share with your vision teacher and school district.

>

> http://www.tr.wou.edu/dblink/biblio-a.HTM#interveners

>

> I don¹t have the email address with me, but if Jillyan fits the

criteria for

> deafblind, I have an excellent resource for you to contact. She is

the

> family specialist in North Carolina. I've got her information at my

office.

> Let me know.

>

> Hang on to that vision teacher. She sounds like a wonderful ally

for you

> and Jillyan. Sounds like she is doing a good job advocating

already.

>

> Push for preschool!!! Good luck.

>

> Sally (Andy, 22)