tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post997048835773305752..comments2024-02-25T10:24:30.868-05:00Comments on Special needs disability parenting BLOOM: Mom sells house to find right schoolBLOOM - Parenting Kids With Disabilitieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06901482901008135659noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post-69719285029487184082012-03-22T00:12:44.421-04:002012-03-22T00:12:44.421-04:00Hello Everyone,
My heart goes out to the author a...Hello Everyone,<br /><br />My heart goes out to the author and respondents of this post. I have also experienced segregated and mainstream schooling. Moreover, I am also the first to admit, "Children with disabilities are bright, but they do learn at a slower pace, and in a different manner, than their peers." I would also choose not to modify the curriculum, but provide an extended school year with dedicated teachers and tutors. I would fail a student if he or she needed more time or assistance to meet the provincial standard. Some might think that I'm being extremely harsh, however, "I am choosing inclusion beyond elementary and high school."<br /><br />I would choose a Catholic school.<br /><br />Matt KamaratakisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post-62055146126410253742012-03-21T01:25:22.338-04:002012-03-21T01:25:22.338-04:00Dear G's mom:
You are not alone with the chal...Dear G's mom:<br /><br />You are not alone with the challenge of inclusion.<br /><br />My son also has Down Syndrome and is in Grade 3 attending the Public School System. Inclusion up until Grade 3 has been wonderful, my child would be called up in class and would be impowered when the teacher would ask him a question and he would answer her question. His peers all got to know why some things were difficult for him and all wanted to help and were his friends. My son was invited to birthday parties and the invitations were reciprocated.<br /><br />Grade 3 has been a terrible struggle for J. Js grade 3 teacher was waiting for a Inclusion Team to show her how to include him in her class. Meanwhile the Education Assistant who has known J since Kindergarden was swatted away like she was a fly when she tried to share information about J. I too tried to share information with the teacher about how J learns, she was not interested and did not give me the time. She would pass out assignments and would skip J. The role model for this class continually excluded J in front of his peers. It was now October and there had not been one meeting with the parents to set up learning goals for J. My husband and I decided that we need to meet with the principal (also a new principal that is a acting principal). When we met with the principal her whole focus was disturbing to us. The principal was concerned about how we knew that J was not being included and was determined to reprimand the EA for telling us. We were concerned that J had no modified curriculum and we did not think that this teacher could change and accept J. It was decided that J would move to the Gr. 2 class during the duration of this teachers day (she worked mornings only) and move back to his Gr 3 class in the afternoon to be with the group of peers that he has known since Kindergarden. This was heart breaking for me but we knew that we had no choice. The relationship that I had with the EA has deteriorated, she is no longer able to communicate with me as she has been directed by the principal. We wrote a letter to the Superintendant with our concerns about the teacher, about the lack of communication, and the lack of programming. Again we were dissappointed with the outcome, the department supports the principal and agreed with the principal that the EA should never have shared information about the teacher. The department would not share how or if the Gr 3 teacher will be educated on accepting differences due to FIOP. <br /><br />My son use to LOVE going to school, and now he does not want to go to school. None of Js teachers want to talk to me and either does the EA (the person that was a friend and that I trusted) I have been desperately trying to find out what happens in my childs day but now I have 2 teachers (Gr 2 and Gr3) writing in the communication book about general things that happen in class, no valuable information. I know what you mean about being labeled as the difficult parent. I feel like I have that label and I am being excluded as well. To date the Inclusion Team that the Gr. 3 teacher was waiting for still has not come to the school. <br /><br />We are now looking at seeing if the Catholic school in our neighborhood might be a option for the remainder of Js elementary school years.<br /><br />I have the same horrible feelings of being rejected. This has been a very painful experience. I have hoped and prayed that things will get better. I can say that we have experienced how one or two people can change a good thing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post-20376301618199056702012-03-20T14:07:22.884-04:002012-03-20T14:07:22.884-04:00We often hear stories just like this one from fami...We often hear stories just like this one from families fighting for inclusion in schools. Reports back really do show how one teacher, administrator or teaching assistant can make all the difference in the world. Sometimes tackling that one person can seem an insurmountable challenge. <br /><br />What we are also hearing, however, are wonderful success stories, in schools across the Province. Through our Full Day Kindergarten Pilot programs, children receiving therapy supports in school are faring better academically and socially. Their teachers are also gaining a better understanding of the students’ behavioural, communication and learning differences. Having therapists in schools are also providing teachers with strategies to work with their students, and provides different learning tools which the whole class can use. <br /><br />Presently, OACRS is advocating with government that more therapy supports should be provided in school and that inclusion is essential to the success of children with special needs and their peers. <br /><br />We would encourage you to have a look at our Every Kid Matters newsletter which profiles Cole, and how inclusion made a difference for him, his peers, his school and his parents. <br /><br />Finally, we also encourage you to speak with your MPP, your school, your trustees, and let them know what value inclusion brings to schools, and reminding them that every kid matters. (Our campaign materials and newsletter are available on www.oacrs.com).Ontario Association of Children's Rehabilitation Serviceshttp://www.oacrs.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post-29743028698016258562012-03-20T09:50:16.288-04:002012-03-20T09:50:16.288-04:00My son is in preschool but I already see the thing...My son is in preschool but I already see the things your talking about happening. I really try to make other connects with families and/or children (ie: church, playgroups, clubs, sports, support groups). I find that schools are an environment that we have very little control over for the reasons you mentioned. The more I push them to do something, the more they exclude my child and me.D Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17361783816860844378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post-89032236935635961662012-03-19T16:58:25.394-04:002012-03-19T16:58:25.394-04:00Relationship. Its so much about relationships! If ...Relationship. Its so much about relationships! If you have staff (even one or two key staff) willing to work in partnership then many things can be created. We often called inclusion a "team sport." Without working together it does start to fall apart; working together, even if you don't arrive at the most brilliant solution, you often have fun and LOTS of laughter along the way. This works wonders, as laughter is very inclusive!<br /><br />My daughter, thankfully out of the secondary school system now, was fully included for most of her school career. I'm not sure if this was because we were insane, or just completely committed to diversity and inclusion as the way communities need to grow and thrive. J says it did not completely scar her, just a little. And over the years, the BEST years were the years that we were able to work together as a team. As soon as the team thing wasn't working, it pretty much fell apart. AT those points where the professional/parent team thing wasn't working, often the peer team kicked in, and that was a delight to see, especially in high school. Don't know if this is of any help, but also, different situations and times of life make different aspects important.Nanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10375461078977866753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post-28393891270566535072012-03-19T15:55:37.804-04:002012-03-19T15:55:37.804-04:00I think the parents should write to the Government...I think the parents should write to the Government, Director of Education and School Board Chair and let them know what is going on. They need to know what it is like trying to find belonging, acceptance and real inclusion in schools. Things are not going to change without speaking up even if you might be afraid. You should not be seen as a difficult parent. No family should have to move to find another school. The neighbourhood school should be a welcoming and well resourced inclusive place for all children to learn. No child (or parent) should be simply tolerated.<br /><br />Maybe can Holland Bloorview be a leader by bringing attention to this abysmal situation faced by so many families? Too many agencies don't speak up because they say they don't do advocacy for families. They say they can only help one family at a time. They say they cannot be more vocal. This seems wrong. Families need the support of big community organizations like Bloorview (Geneva Centre, Community Living, etc) to support them and act as a catalyst for system change in education. The system breaks too many parents. It wears them down. The system relies on this. Something needs to be done. <br /><br />Maybe start off by even just sending this column to the powers-that-be in the school boards. The column and comments are very valuable. They come from the heart. The stories are painful. All schools should be nurturing environments in which children can learn and grow. Anything less is unacceptable.<br /><br />Maybe the newspapers can pick up on this?<br /><br />Maybe write or present to your special Education Advisory Committee in your board. Make your voice heard.<br /><br />Don't accept the status quo.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post-29012441910354799302012-03-19T12:03:29.731-04:002012-03-19T12:03:29.731-04:00I wish G the very best school experience possible....I wish G the very best school experience possible. Your willingness to put your home on the market and move certainly shows your committment to give that priority!<br /><br />Our experience, with a daughter now in high school, is that "smallish" districts have been a good fit. They should be big enough to offer serveral classrooms at one grade level so there are several teacher options, as you point out. But not so big as to have "the perfect program for your son." That is 'schoolese' for "we have a program that needs participants so we can keep it funded, and we need your child's body whether it suits him or not." I have yet to meet any families in the huge urban district near us whose children are included. Nope, gotta keep those special programs funded!!<br /><br />I do not mean to discourage you with our story but to alert you to possible difficulties. Our experience has been that inclusion became harder the older our child grew. It was awesome in elementary school (two different districts). Even middle school was fabulous. But now in high school, the emphasis is on college and career placement, and there is no room (even in our third smallish district) for a child whose goals look different or who might distract other students from their goals. The kids would be fine with it--it's the staff who is resistant.Rose-Mariehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01125239149179291715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post-78976570255929904682012-03-19T11:53:25.237-04:002012-03-19T11:53:25.237-04:00In my experience, a school's tone is set by bo...In my experience, a school's tone is set by both neighborhood and the principal. My daughter was "included" in a mainstream K and 1st grade classes in the neighborhood school. She was left out. For 2nd and now 3rd grade, she attends a different school, in a self contained class and is included in school like. The current principle asked to be principle of the school that housed most of the districts needs classes. As far as neighborhoods go, at the first school, most of the students had parents and grandparents that attended that school and have cousins that attend the school with them. The current school has a mixture of new families and locals. It helps.GB's Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08866513131959998883noreply@blogger.com