Compensatory Services

[Guest guest]

I am currently working on developing an ESY program for this summer as well

as some home support services with sign language. I would love to hear about

examples of services people were able to recieve at public school expense,

outside of school. So far, our school district has offered to send Marissa

to a 1-week long " Parks and Rec summer camp " to learn ASL. The catch is that

it is only a week long, it will be with hearing kids that are learning sign

for the first time (Marissa's main form of expressive communication is via

sign), and they have not come up with anything else yet. How do I get my

school to pay for things like camps and people to come to our house to teach

sign? Are they responsible?

THANKS!!!

Colin P.

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[Guest guest]

> I am currently working on developing an ESY program for this

summer as well

> as some home support services with sign language. I would love to

hear about

> examples of services people were able to recieve at public school

expense,

> outside of school. So far, our school district has offered to send

Marissa

> to a 1-week long " Parks and Rec summer camp " to learn ASL. The

catch is that

> it is only a week long, it will be with hearing kids that are

learning sign

> for the first time (Marissa's main form of expressive

communication is via

> sign), and they have not come up with anything else yet. How do I

get my

> school to pay for things like camps and people to come to our

house to teach

> sign? Are they responsible?

> THANKS!!!

> Colin P.

Hi Colin

I have been working with other parents on this subject. I can tell

you what they have done. But in order to get ESY services you must

be able to prove that your child will digress in her language skills

over the summer if she is not constently exposed to it.

Doucment everything. You probably know that already. But you must

also be very vocal and instist that that your child is in need of

being in an enviroment that has her interacting with people who are

also Deaf and HH. Michigan School for the Deaf or Camp are

good starts. But it is also only a week long. Instead of ESY have

you looked into RElated Services? I find this more helpful. Since

you can devise a plan that you know will work better for your child.

It is a little easier to get this because you don't have to

doucument for a year before you request the service as with the ESY.

You can ask for,

someone (a deaf person is best) to come into your home twice a week

for a few hours to interact with your child and family. (Deaf role

models. ) It can be a older student who is well respected in the

school or someone who has already finished HS. You could contact

Deaf Options and see about getting them to give you some support as

well. They have many diffrent programs and they will make a program

to bennifit you and your family. Or Deaf Can is a wonderful

resource as well. You can ask them to set you up with a CODA (child

of a deaf Adult.)

Now you can also use RElated Services to get ASL Classes. I had

this written on my IEP. The school felt it would be more expencive

to send me and my husband off to Madonna to learn so they set up

classes at the school and opened them up to all the

students/familys. This was wonderful because I was going to a two

hr a week class and my son was being exposed to more language each

time. I was also able to invite my babysitter and other family

members because it was free.

You must remain firm on what you want. The school will offer you

little if nothing at all. So do some research on Related services

and get the advocates manual MPAS (MPAS.org) It is a must have book

for any parent who has a child in special ed. A weatlth of info.

Anything you want must be written on the IEP. If there is no room

for it then put it on paper and attach it to your IEP. Never leave

your IEP w/out a copy of your IEP in hand.

Good luck

Barb

>

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