IIIP

March 17, 2004

Boy, I can't even begin to count how many posts have been about the

annual reviews. Can you tell what time of the year it is?

I have read everyone's posts in the past week or so but since I did

not know how Annika's was going to go I only took in a little portion

of them but now that her plan did not go well I need some advice or

maybe just someone to point me in the right direction. This tends to

be a long story so I will try to keep this as short as possible.

Basically where the difference in opinion occurred was in the part of

her plan that relates to communication. Annika had bilateral Clarion

implant surgery on March 1st and we have hookup a week from

tomorrow. The problem comes in to play because I want the school

district to help me to pay for(transportation and etc) to take her to

an oral deaf school in the Twin Cities(about 75 miles one way)and

that way I can get her started with therapy immediately. And this is

because all of her current staff has virtually no knowledge of CI's

and how to really work with children who have them. They state that

they are paying for training for all of her teachers (no expenses

barred) and that way she does currently meet the guideline of FAPE.

Okay my question, my child will need to muddle along with teachers

who have no experience with this as they learn during one of the most

critical points in her life just so the school district does not have

to pay for out of district services. Okay what do we do during the

time while they learn? I get virtually no answer just that they will

be trained and they do have their own support person within the

district that they can depend on. And then lets talk about summer

services-from my current knowledge they want to increase her services

here to a daily basis (to be shared equally with her DOH teacher and

speech therapist) and yet I am told that the speech therapist is only

working 2 weeks each month through the summer and from what I

understand her DOH teacher will not be working. They will supply

another teacher for her. Okay we are going to introduce not only

another speech therapist in a 2 year old's life and a new teacher and

to do this during the most critical part in her service time? Does

this sound ridiculous to anyone else? And not only that but to have

to train two people that will only service her for a few months. And

this is more cost effective than just paying for me to drive her down

to the Twin Cities a few times a week???????????

And don't even mention what you have planned for preschool for her

except that we should look at some services for her soon. No mention

of what you want to provide. Let's just shove her in a classroom

with kids that are not like her at all and expect her to feel like

she fits in???????????

I have contacted the local PACER center and they are going to help me

out with this because the next step comes in about 1 1/2 week. My

case manager will come over with the whole plan put together and then

I can choose to sign or not to sign and then we can move on to

consiliation or mediation. I really don't like fighting but I will

do whatever I think is best for my child.

Like I said any words of advice or help or support or whatever you

can give me please let me know.

Mother of

Marcus hearing 13

hearing 11

Jon hearing 10

Annika profoundly deaf 2

Clarion implant 3/1/04

March 20, 2004

momnaudrey@... writes

Our district has a total communication program, but no

oral program, so they didn't fight me on placement. My county is now trying

to

start an oral program though. If they try to place Neal in that new program

next year, I will fight hard to keep him out. It's great that they are

trying

to get a program going, and I hope it becomes successful, but I have no

desire for them to learn through Neal. I will argue that Neal needs trained

and

experienced people working with him, and that this new staff does not meet

those

needs.

You see my big problem with this whole issue is that my district really

doesn't have a " program " for the deaf/HOH children. Since we live in a

rural area and the age span of the kids is as wide as it can be and then

also we are a big district. I think the whole special education district is

about 70 miles east-west and a good 70 miles north-south too. They have (I

believe) 3 or 4 deaf/HOH teachers that cover this whole district. Some

spend the majority of their time in the schools and then the others travel

the most. We have the complete span of hearing losses along with

communicative choices. Each family is allowed to choose the option that

they want. The problem is that this means the teachers become what you can

call students of everything but masters of nothing. Don't get me wrong I

think that this is great for the families because we should be able to

choose our options. The problem is like you said. I don't want Annika to

be the guinea pig who will help this staff to muddle through and learn when

there is a place that is up and running and has the experience. But like I

have been told they have basically decided that this would be the Cadillac

version of schooling when the rest of the kids are getting the Ford or

Pontiac or Toyota and this they do not have to provide. But thanks for the

information I will be trying to do so more research on this but it is really

hard to know where to start forming everything until I know what they are

planning to offer.

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March 20, 2004