Look Who Is In the News!

Caroline Blair and her parents were recently interviewed by the Deseret News and an article was published this week. On June 28th, Caroline competed in the National Braille Challenge held in Los Angeles. She was the only representative from Utah! Caroline's mom, Pat Renfranz is the Secretary of the Utah Parents of Blind Children. You can find the article online at:
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700246554,00.html

Welcome to the Utah Parents of Blind Children

We want to know more about your and your family. We are particularly interested in your experiences with the education of your blind or visually impaired child in Utah, and are seeking to address concerns in this area. Please list any specific concerns you have related to your child’s education. We are also very interested in hearing about positive elements that have supported your child’s educational success.

Please cut and paste this survey in word format, complete, save and send to palmermommy@comcast.net

I am looking forward to hearing from you soon!

Marla Palmer
President, Utah Parents of Blind Children of Utah

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Utah Parents of Blind Children
Family/Child Needs Survey

Parent Name (s)/Address/Phone/E-mail:

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Child(ren) Name (s)/Age/Grade/Type and Degree of Vision Loss

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

My child is educated in (check one)

___ our local public school

___ a private school

___ home schooled

___ USDB

___ other (please specify):___________________________

My child has (check one)

___ An IEP

___ an IFSP

___ a 504 plan

___ Not Sure

___ No individualized plan

My child reads (check all that apply)

___ regular print

___ large print

___ Braille

___ does not read

What’s Working Well?

Please rate the statements as follows: 1= working well; 2= working ok; 3= moderate problem; 4=serious problem or NA=not applicable

RATING

____ My child receives the educational support services he/she needs to attain and maintain age and grade appropriate skills.

____ My child reads well in print, Braille, or both.

____ My child receives travel training (O & M) that allows him/her to travel safely and efficiently in home, school, and community.

____ I have good knowledge of the wide varieties of assistive technology available to assist my visually impaired/blind child with school work.

____ My child has access at home and at school to a variety of assistive technology devices to aide learning.

____ My child’s Braille or large print textbooks are provided at the same time as the rest of the class.

____ My child has received good individualized evaluations that have helped develop good educational support plans.

____ My child has additional disabilities that have been identified and are being addressed in a good educational support plan.

Parent/Child/Family Interests
Please rate the statements as follows: 1= strong interest; 2= moderate interest; 3= mild interest; 4= no interest

RATING
____ I would like opportunities for social activities with other UPOBC families.

____ I would like to have more opportunities for my child and family to meet and interact with blind adults.

____ I would like more opportunities for social and recreational activities for my child.

____ I would like more opportunities for educational and life skills development activities for my child.

____ I would like to receive written materials on child development and education issues.

____ I am interested in college scholarship opportunities for my child.

____ I would like more parent training opportunities.

____ I would like a parent advocate to discuss my child’s educational program with me and possibly attend school meetings such as IEP.


Utah Parents of Blind Children typically honors an educator in Utah on an annual basis for outstanding service to blind and visually impaired students. Do you know someone we should consider? Yes No

If yes, who:________________________________

May we include you on our mailing list? Yes No

Feel free to add any additional statements, information, or suggestions survey that will help us better understand the needs of your blind/visually impaired child and related family issues.


Comments:

How Can I Prepare for My Child's IEP? Top 3

I have been very fortunate the past 8 years to have worked with very open minded, team spirited, professionals on my children's IEP. It is not uncommon when I receive a telephone call from a parent who is asking for advice on how to prepare for an IEP. If the need is there, then I have attended an IEP as a parent advocate. Unfortunately, my eyes have been opened and realize the fact that all IEPs are not created equal. I have witnessed IEPs where a parent doesn't speak a word, have seen a lack of cooperation and power struggle between team members, the strong presence and intimidation of politics, and the low expectations.

I don't claim to be an expert when it comes to IEPs, but I have lost track on how many I have attended. I think experience is a great teacher, and I continue to learn. Any comments or advice on this post is welcomed. Today I will mention my top three...

1. The Utah Parent Center (www.utahparentcenter.org) was the first parent resource group whom I turned to when my daughter was transitioning from PIP services to preschool. They have a wonderful handbook entitled, "The Parents As Partners in the IEP Process". This simple handbook is designed to ask questions so you as a parent can create a thorough child profile. After answering the questions (strengths and weaknesses), then it's simple to type up a summary which you can hand out when discussing your child's current level of performance and goals. I have always include a picture of my child on their profile, so it helps us remember who we are focusing on.

2. Bring your spouse, friend, parent advocate or blind mentor. If you feel like you are alone in this process, then reach out for help. IEPs can be very intimidating and it's always a great support if you have another person there. An IEP is typically once a year, so my husband has it on his "time off schedule" and makes it a priority. We discuss goals and objectives before the meeting to make sure we are on the same page. We also sit next to each other, so we can reach underneath the table to give a squeeze if things start to get heated (smile).

3. Understand the laws, regulations, and procedural safeguards. This will not only help you feel more comfortable, but the team will recognize and respect parents that are smart advocates. The National Center on Severe and Sensory Disabilities (NCSSD), formerly known as the National Center on Low-Incidence Disabilities created a webpage entitled "IEP Pop Up". It was developed to help parents recognized typical "conversation stoppers" that may be heard in an IEP. Knowing what the "real" issues might be, some respectful but effective responses, and what the laws say about educating children with disabilities can assist you in getting your IEP team meetings moving again in a more positive direction! http://www.unco.edu/ncssd/bviIEP/index.shtml

Here are the questions. When you click on the question, you will find an appropriate response.

1. "It is not reasonable to expect the classroom teacher to describe everything to your child. She has 30 other students."
2. "We were excited to discover how well your child can see!"
3. "We think the cane could pose a hazard to other students. We’d like your child to leave it at the door or in the locker."
4. "Your child doesn’t seem to want to use any specialized devices,” (e.g., a cane, braille, optical aids, assistive technology, etc.)."
5. "We don’t normally recommend a cane for children this young."
6. "We’re sorry. We are not going to be able to provide a one-on-one aide to care for your child like you do.” Or “Of course your child will need a personal aide. We can’t expect our teachers to do all that extra work."
7. "We are concerned about your child’s safety. We can’t let him/her be involved in that activity because we don’t want him/her to get hurt."
8. "Don’t worry, she’s doing fine. It’s normal for children who are blind to be a year or two behind."
9. "Sorry, our school is not equipped with and does not have the money for the assistive technology your child needs."
10. "We can’t get a certified teacher of students who are blind or visually impaired/orientation and mobility specialist (TVI/O&M) to come way out here!” or “Since our TVI/O&M has a large caseload, we can only provide _____ hours/minutes of services per week. "
11. "We don’t do things the way they did in your old school, and so we have to rewrite the IEP."
12. "We did our best to schedule everyone, but the general education teacher is unable to attend."
13. "These are the only job training opportunities we offer at this school."
14. "Some of the braille textbooks haven’t come in yet, but we’re getting them translated as fast as we can."
15. "We don’t feel your child needs braille."
16. "We don’t normally write that into the IEP."


Good luck on your next IEP.
Marla