For those of you who may have followed us, I want to apologize for not posting in so long. As many of you know... life happens.
More to come later....
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Long Time
Sunday, June 01, 2008
The Word "Retard"
This is a blog entry that a fellow parent posted on Faith's MySpace page
______________________________________________________________
Below is a copy of the transcript of the speech given by Soeren
Palumbo regarding the use of the word retard. I found it at
http://www.ncpad.org/yourwrites/fact_sheet.php?sheet=514
'Retard' Speech Made by High School Senior
(Though our Community Voice column typically involves anecdotes about the effectiveness of exercise or physical activity for people with disabilities, this month we decided to feature an essay by Soeren Palumbo which has been highlighted on national organization websites, including the The Arc of Illinois. Soeren is a senior honors student and big brother to Olivia, who has an intellectual disability. During Illinois Writer's Week last month, Soeren gave the following speech to a gymnasium full of his high school peers and faculty at Fremd High School, Palatine, IL, and received a standing ovation.)
"I want to tell you a quick story before I start. I was walking through hallways, not minding my own business, listening to the conversations around me. As I passed the front door on my way to my English classroom, I heard the dialogue between two friends nearby. For reasons of privacy, I would rather not give away their race or gender. So the one girl leans to the other, pointing to the back of a young man washing the glass panes of the front door, and says, 'Oh my gaw! I think it is so cute that our school brings in the black kids
from around the district to wash our windows!' The other girl looked up, widened her slanted Asian eyes and called to the window washer, easily loud enough for him to hear, 'Hey, Negro! You missed a spot!' The young man did not turn around. The first girl smiled a bland smile that all white girls- hell, all white people- have and walked on. A group of Mexicans stood by and laughed that high pitch laugh that all of them have.
"So now it's your turn. What do you think the black window washer did? What would you do in that situation? Do you think he turned and calmly explained the fallacies of racism and showed the girls the error of their way? That's the one thing that makes racism, or any discrimination, less powerful in my mind. No matter how biased or bigoted a comment or action may be, the guy can turn around and explain why racism is wrong and, if worst comes to worst, punch 'em in the face.
"Discrimination against those who can defend themselves, obviously, cannot survive. What would be far worse is if we discriminated against those who cannot defend themselves. What then, could be worse than racism? Look around you and thank God that we don't live in a world that discriminates and despises those who cannot defend themselves. Thank God that every one of us in this room, in this school hates racism and sexism and, by that logic, discrimination in general. Thank God that every one in this institution is dedicated to the ideal of mutual respect and love for our fellow human beings. Then pinch yourself for living in a dream. Then pinch the hypocrites sitting next to you. Then pinch the hypocrite that is you. Pinch yourself once for each time you have looked at one of your fellow human beings with a mental handicap and laughed. Pinch yourself for each and every time you denounced discrimination, only to turn and hate those around you without the ability to defend themselves, the ONLY ones around you without the ability to defend themselves. Pinch yourself for each time you have called someone else a "retard".
"If you have been wondering about my opening story, I'll tell you that it didn't happen, not as I described it. Can you guess what I changed? No, it wasn't the hate focused on one person, and no, it wasn't the slanted Asian eyes or cookie-cutter features white people have or that shrill Hispanic hyena laugh (yeah, it hurts when people make assumptions about your person and use them against you, doesn't it?).
"The girl didn't say "hey, Negro." There was no black person. It was a
mentally handicapped boy washing the windows. It was "Hey retard." I removed the word "retard". I removed the word that destroys the dignity
of our most innocent. I removed the single most hateful word in the
entire English language. I don't understand why we use the word; I don't think I ever will (understand). In such an era of political correctness, why
is it that "retard" is still ok? Why do we allow it? Why don't we stop using the word? Maybe students can't handle stopping -I hope that offends you students, it was meant to; but ,I don't think the adults, here can (handle stopping) either. Students, look at your teacher, look at every member of this faculty. I am willing to bet that every one of them would throw a fit if they heard the word "faggot" or "nigger" - hell, (even) the word "Negro" - used in their classroom. But how many of them would raise a finger against the word retard? How many of them have? Teachers, feel free to raise your hand or call attention to yourself through some other means, if you have. That's what I thought. Clearly, this obviously isn't a problem contained (only) within our age group.
"So why am I doing this? Why do I risk being misunderstood and
resented by this school's student body and staff? Because I know how much you can learn from people, all people, even- no, not even, especially- the mentally handicapped. I know this because every morning I wake up and I come downstairs and I sit across from my sister, quietly eating her Cheerio's. And as I sit down, she sets her spoon down on the table and she looks at me, her strawberry blonde hair hanging over her freckled face almost completely hiding the question-mark-shaped scar above her ear from her brain surgery two Christmases ago. She looks at me and she smiles. She has a beautiful smile; it lights up her face. Her two front teeth are faintly stained from the years of intense epilepsy medication, but I don't notice that anymore. I lean over to her and say, "Good morning, Olivia." She stares at me for a moment and says quickly, "Good morning, Soeren," and goes back to her Cheerio's. I sit there for a minute, thinking about what to say. "What are you going to do at school today, Olivia?" She looks up again. "Gonna see Mista Bee!" she replies loudly, hugging herself slightly and looking up. Mr. B. is her gym teacher and perhaps her favorite man, outside of our family, on the entire planet; and Olivia is thoroughly convinced that she will be having gym class every day of the week. I like to view it as wishful thinking. She finishes her cheerio's and grabs her favorite blue backpack and waits for her bus driver, Miss Debbie, who, like clockwork, arrives at our house at exactly 7'o'clock each morning. She gives me a quick hug goodbye and runs excitedly to the bus, ecstatic for another day of school. I watch the bus disappear around the turn and I can't help but remember the jokes..... The short bus..... The retard rocket. No matter what she does, no matter how much she loves those around her, she will always be the butt of some immature kid's joke. She will always be the butt of some mature kid's joke. She will always be the butt of some "adult"'s joke.
"By no fault of her own, she will spend her entire life being stared at and judged. Despite the fact that she will never hate, never judge, never make fun of, never hurt (others), she will never be accepted.
That's why I'm doing this. I'm doing this because I don't think you understand how much you hurt others when you hate. And maybe you don't realize that you hate. But that's what it is; your pre-emptive dismissal of them, your dehumanization of them, your mockery of them, it's nothing but another form of hate. It's more hateful than racism, more hateful than sexism, more hateful than anything. I'm doing this so that each and every one of you, student or teacher, thinks before the next time you use the word "retard", before the next time you shrug off someone else's use of the word "retard". Think of the people you hurt, both the mentally handicapped and those who love them. If you have to, think of my sister. Think about how she can find more happiness in the blowing of a bubble and watching it float away than most of us will (find) in our entire lives. Think about how she will always love everyone unconditionally. Think about how she will never hate. Then think about which one of you is "retarded".
"Maybe this has become more of an issue today because society is
changing, slowly, to be sure, but changing nonetheless. The mentally
handicapped aren't being locked in their family's basement anymore.
The mentally handicapped aren't rotting like criminals in institutions. Our fellow human beings are walking among us, attending school with us, entering the work force with us, asking for nothing but acceptance, giving nothing but love. As we become more accepting and less hateful, more and more handicapped individuals will finally be able to participate in the society that has shunned them for so long. You will see more of them working in places you go, at Dominicks, at Jewel, at Wal-Mart. Someday, I hope more than anything, one of these people that you see will be my sister.
"I want to leave you with one last thought. I didn't ask to have a mentally handicapped sister. She didn't choose to be mentally handicapped. But I wouldn't trade it for anything. I have learned infinitely more from her simple words and love than I have from any classroom of "higher education". I only hope that, one-day, each of you will open your hearts enough to experience true unconditional love, because that is all any of them want to give. I hope that, someday, someone will love you as much as Olivia loves me. I hope
that, someday, you will love somebody as much as I love her. I love you, Olivia."
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Uncle David
What I want to post about is something very special.
It's about a very special man named David. He attended our car show and took home "Faith's Favorite" and "Best of Show". His car was unbelievable and it showed how much sweat and work he had put into the vehicle. It meant a lot for us to present him with these awards. What's more special about David is that he lost his daughter in 2002; the same year as I lost my mother. January 13, 2002.... which means the same year, the same day as we lost my Mom. The story behind the beautiful vehicle was so very touching. It was like a bond was formed immediately. Even though I didn't have the opportunity to talk with him much at the car show, I could tell he was an amazing man. It warmed my heart to see him win those trophies and I never had a doubt that those trophies should have went to anyone but him. I was so upset that I didn't get photos of the event and of David's special beautiful car.
About a week before Christmas I received an email at work from my husband. He told me that he had gotten a very interesting call about someone wanting to meet Faith. I emailed him back promptly to find out the details... his response was that he would tell me when I called home on lunch. So I did.
It was David. He said he has been thinking about the car show and Faith since September and would like to meet her. I was thrilled. This was, by far, more than I could have ever hoped for. It truly touched me that our little girl and our car show had such an impact on someone that they had called us months after the show. I spoke with him on the phone and I don't think I've ever spoken to a sweeter guy. He mentioned that he would like to come visit Faith and told me that he had picked her up something for Christmas. Isn't that so touching? Through all the madness of Christmas, he remembered my little Faith Ellen.
We met he, his wife and 2 granddaughters for dinner the Saturday before Christmas. It was such a wonderful time and Faith just loved the company! Of course the gift he had gotten her was a HUGE hit (Chicken Dance Elmo) and it really touched me that he and his family thought of us. Spending the afternoon with them was a blessing and turned out to be a wonderful experience.
I am so emotional about our story touching the life of David like it did. David's story sure has touched the life of our family as well.
And to Faith's advantage.... now she has herself an Uncle David!
Monday, December 24, 2007
My little 9 yr old
Today is Faith Ellen's birthday, Christmas Eve. I can hardly believe I've had this precious angel in my life for 9 yrs. She's taught me so much in the short time she's been with me. I don't know what my life would be without her. Happy Birthday baby girl.... Mommy loves you so much and thanks God every day he chose her to bless with his special little angel.
God sent to me an angel,
it had a broken wing.
I bent my head and wondered
"How could God do such a thing?"
When I asked the Father
why He sent this child to me,
the answer was forthcoming,
He said "Listen and you'll see."
"My children are all precious,
and none is like the rest.
Each one to me is special,
and the least is as the best.
I send each one from Heaven
and I place it in the care
of those who know my mercy,
those with love to spare.
Sometimes I take them back again.
Sometimes I let them stay.
No matter what may happen
I am never far away.
So if you find an angel
and you don't know what to do,
remember, I am with you,
love is all I ask of you."
- Paul Dammann
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Website
Just wanted to let anyone and everyone know that's trying to access our website that it has been down due to a domain transfer. We tried to move the hosting from a local company to GoDaddy... which we've found out wasn't the best idea. We've now cancelled GoDaddy and as soon as we are refunded those funds we will be transferring to BlueHost, who should have the website a go within a day or two.
Worst case scenerio..... we're hoping that it will be back up within a week. Just wanted to let everyone know that we're still here.... just temporarily lost in cyber space
Monday, October 22, 2007
State Complaint
At some point you have to take things a bit further.... so I did just that. I filed 5 complaints to the State on the Harrison County Board of Education (which ended up actually being 7 complaints, per the State). My letter to the state, as follows:
WV Department of Special Education
Building 6, Room 304
Dear Ms. Bodkins,
As stated in her IEP, Faith requires hand over hand assistance for all educational activities, as well as total personal care. Faith does not initiate anything and depends on someone else to direct her, physically and mentally, to the activity being presented. All of her services are provided in a special setting, due to her great need for assistance. I do not disagree with her IEP. In fact, I believe it is well thought out and is appropriate for my daughter. (Complaint #1) My disagreement is that I believe there is no way the current staff can offer quality educational services to Faith for six (6) hours a day as she is entitled. In the 5/17 IEP meeting, the teacher stated that Faith is placed in the prone stander and she frequently falls asleep while there. They do not interact with her during this time. They also stated that she sleeps in her wheelchair at different times of the day. When questioned, the teacher admitted that those were times when the staff was busy with other students.
(Complaint #5) There was at least one episode last year when staff failed to administer Faith’s seizure medication. They said they were just so busy, they had forgotten. When confronted with this, Mrs. Hilton (teacher) advised me that she was sorry but couldn’t guarantee it wouldn’t happen again. While this incident occurred in the beginning of the school year (September 30, 2006), I chose not to file a complaint at that time as I was concerned about the consequences the children may have to face if the aide were to be terminated or suspended; the classroom wasn’t staffed enough the way it was. I did however file a complaint after the school year. I contacted the Board office and spoke to Angie Carvelli who advised me of the paperwork I needed to complete. After completion and filing of the proper paperwork, I was advised by Ms. Carvelli that this would be a citizen’s complaint not a special education complaint. I didn’t understand this, as Faith’s medication is in her IEP and on file every year via her Medicine Administration Form. After the complaint was filed, I was contacted by a Board representative that my complaint was dismissed as it was after the ten (10) days of occurrence that the citizen complaint must be filed.
Sincerely Yours,
I post this letter in hopes that other parents will take such steps to see that the School Board's failure at Special Education are brought to attention. I received the results last week, and they are as follows:
Allegation 1
Has the district proved the parent the required notification of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team meeting?
Conclusion
Policy 2419:Regulations for the Education of Students with Exceptionalities, Chapter 5, Section F, requires the district to provide written notice to the parents no less than eight (8) days prior to the meeting unless waived by the parents. In addition, the district is required to take steps to ensure one or both parents attend or have an opportunity to participate in the IEP team meeting and document its attempts to arrange a mutually agreed upon time and place for the meeting, such as video and telephone conferencing in the place of physical IEP meetings if the parent and district agree. If the parent refuses to attend or the district cannot convince the parent to attend, the district may conduct the IEP team meeting and provide prior written notice of the decisions made at the meeting.
Documentation and interviews confirm the district scheduled the IEP team meeting with the parent by telephone on May 30, 2007 and provided the notification in writing on the same date, which was seven (7) days prior to the IEP team meeting. However, no documentation was submitted to verify the parent waived the required eight (8) day notice. Subsequently, on the day before the meeting, the parent telephoned to cancel the meeting, as she was not able to participate in the meeting on that particular day. Nonetheless, the district convened the meeting in the absence of the parents without offering to reschedule the meeting at a mutually agreed upon time or providing any alternatives to a physical meeting as a means to obtain their participation. Therefore, violations occurred.
Allegation 2
Has the district provided the parent an opportunity to participate in the IEP team meeting?
Conclusion
See Allegation 1
Allegation 3
Has the district considered the parent’s request for a one-on-one aide for the student?
Conclusion
Policy 2419, Secion 5.1.3, requires the IEP team to consider the strengths of the student and the concerns of the parents for enhancing the education of their child. In addition, Section 8.1.1, requires the district to provide prior written notice to the parent of an exceptional student within a reasonable time before the district proposes or refuses to initiate, or change the identification, evaluation, or educational placement or the provision of a free appropriate public education to the student. The notice must include:
a) a description of the action proposed or refused by the district, and explanation of why the district proposes or refuses to take the action, and a description of any other options the district considered and the reasons those options were rejected;
b) a description of each evaluation procedure, test, record, or report the district used as a basis for the proposal or refusal;
c) a description of any other factors which are relevant to the district’s proposal or refusal;
d) a statement that the parents of the student have protection under the procedural safeguards or the means by which a copy of the procedural safeguards can be obtained; and
e) sources for the parents to contact to obtain assistance in understanding the provision of the procedural safeguards.
Documentation and interviews confirm during the May 17, 2006 IEP team meeting, the district considered and refused the parents’ request for a one-on-one aide for the student and made the decision to provide the same support as specified in the previous IEP. Accordingly, the district provided its proposal/refusal in writing in the form of prior written notice on the same day as the IEP meeting. Therefore, with regard to the districts consideration of the parent’s request, no violation occurred. However, the notice did not include a description of each evaluation procedure, test, record or report the district used as a basis for its refusal. Therefore, the district’s justification for its proposal/refusal was not substantiated on the prior written notice, and a violation occurred.
Allegation 4
Has the district provided the parent a copy of the IEP?
Conclusion
Policy 2419, Chapter 5, Section 2.M, requires the district, following an IEP team meeting, to provide the parent a copy of the IEP. Additionally, Chapter 10, Section 3.B, requires the district, when the parent does not attend the meeting or disagrees with the IEP, to provide prior written notice at least ten (10) days prior to implementing its proposed action or within ten (10) days of its refusal.
Documentation and interviews verify the district convened an IEP team meeting on June 6, 2007 without providing the parents appropriate opportunities for participation. Documentation and interviews verify the team reviewed the May 17, 2007 IEP and documented the results of the meeting on a Memorandum of Conference and through prior written notice, which were both provided to the parents within ten (10) days of the meeting and again on June 13, 2007 at the parent’s request. Furthermore, no documentation was submitted by either the parent or the district to verify that chances were made to the IEP during the meeting. Therefore, the parents were provided copies of the Memorandum of Conference and the prior written notice within the specified timelines, and no violation occurred.
Allegation 5
Has the district provided the student an Independent Education Evaluation (IEE) at the parent’s request?
Conclusion
Policy 2419, Chapter 10, Section 7 provides the parent the right to an IEE at the public expense if he or she disagrees with an evaluation obtained or conducted by the district. The parent has a right to an IEE at his or her own expense at any time. Furthermore, Section 7 requires the district to do one of the following within ten (10) days of the parent’s written request for an IEE:
· agree, in writing, to pay for an IEE at reasonable and prevailing rates, and provide the district’s IEE criteria and information about where an IEE may be obtained;
· offer WVDE mediation to try to resolve differences. This is only available if parents agree to mediate; or
· request a due process hearing to show the district’s evaluation is appropriate.
Furthermore, Chapter 3, Section 1.C, requires additional evaluations requested by the EC or IEP team to be completed and an EC or IEP team meeting held within sixty (60) days from the receipt of parental consent for the identified evaluations. The request for parental consent must be sent within ten (10) school days of the EC or IEP team meeting from which the evaluations were requested.
Documentation and interviews confirm the parent did request further evaluations for the student at the May 17, 2007 IEP team meeting. However, the district failed to document the requested evaluations on the IEP and obtain the required parental consent. Therefore, a violation occurred.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to correct the violation, the distrect met with the parent on September 14, 2007 to determine the evaluations necessary to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the student and obtained parental consent.
Allegation 6
Has the district implemented the student’s IEP with regard to the administration of seizure medication?
Conclusion
Policy 2419, Section 6.1, requires the district to provide the special education and related services necessary to implement the student’s IEP. Documentation and interview confirm the IEP’s did not include medication administration for the student. Therefore, no violation occurred.
Allegation 7
Has the district provided adequate staff for the student’s classroom?
Conclusion
Policy 2419, Section 6.1.3, requires the district to provide qualified personnel with the training and skills necessary to implement the IEP of each student assigned to them. In addition, Section 9.1.3, requires the district to provide qualified staff, who are appropriately trained and adequate in number to implement these regulations. Furthermore, Section 6.1.5, requires the district to assign no more than twelve student with mild mental impairments with a full-time aide and eight students with moderate and/or severe mental impairments to a separate class combination program with a full-time aide.
Documentation and interviews verify the teacher’s caseload documents eight (8) students with one (1) teacher and two (2) aides. Therefore, the district provided adequate staff for the classroom, and no violation occurred.
___________________________________________________________________
I've typed out this verbatim in hopes that there may be other parents out there who are undecided if filing a State complaint against the School Board is worth it. This proves it is. While they weren't found in violation of ALL allegations..... 4 out of 7 isn't bad. All the info you need is here.... the address, the Director and laws of which the BOE has failed to comply with in regards to my daughter's special education needs. Please feel free to use this info to your benefit or if you have any questions that I may be of some help with, please don't hesitate to post a comment or email me directly at Lori@crusadeforfaith.org
The School Board must also take corrective actions to the allegations found and report those corrective actions back to the State.... and yes, they are on deadlines. They must provide this required corrective actions in writing with copies of what they failed to provide us with from the beginning.
Maybe this will make the Board realize that we will NOT sit back quietly while they determine the fate of our child's education.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
