John,

I've had quite a few foster kiddos in my home. Most of them have needed an
IEP for various reasons, mostly behavioral and emotional. Rarely have i not
encountered a pretty profound conflict of interest on the part of schools in
working with these kids. In Colorado, it's largely about staffing issues and
who pays for what. The outcome of pushing the schools for more
individualized and humane learning solutions was marginal at best. Even the
most well-intentioned personnel were boxed in by staffing and budget
considerations. One of the more negative results is that the schools
eventually started seeing these kids as a burden. The resentment of the
child became pretty palpable in many scenarios. Learning becomes burdensome
and pressured, which seems very counter-productive to what Mary needs. There
seems to be conflicting opinions among school personnel and medical pros
about her needs. In my opinion, you and Mary's Drs. know best. Her level of
emotional safety, her anxiety and tachychardia issues indeed seem most
important.

Maybe you could give her a year's break at home to see how she lines out
emotionally, and to reassess your options. Once you start thinking out of
the box good things really can happen. Other home-schoolers of all types
make good friends, as do people of all ages in the larger society. On the
other hand, you may discover that your family or your community simply
doesn't have the resources to allow Mary to be at home. This is ok, too. But
you will have explored this option and can put it to rest, helping to make
your trajectory clearer. What would Mary say if this option was put in front
of her?

On Tue, May 12, 2009 at 7:42 AM, Meir Weiss <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>
> HEY MEG
>
> MORE INFO LINKS FOR INFO
>
> Sorry caps lock
>
> http://www.supportedlife.org/ ?
>
> In California, there is a Supported Life conference every year, it is for
> people who have developmental disabilities. It is so incredible to see how
> far we have come in the last 30 years. People with Down syndrome were once
> thought to be too "retarded" to be educable, and now there are many
> attending college, and starting their own businesses. It's truly inspiring.
> So, take heart!
>
>
> Thanks,
> Tamar
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Tamar Mag Raine, Commissioner,
>
> Oakland Mayor's Commission on People with Disabilities
>
> [log in to unmask]
> http://www.zazzle.com/TamarMag*
> www.cafepress.com/tamarmag
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: JOHN RUNER <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Monday, May 11, 2009 10:56:20 AM
> Subject: Re: Does Any one Homeschool? Part Two!
>
> This is the very technology and idea that the school is resistant too!  Yet
> it is medically recommended!  Yes she gets O.T. at school yet that is one
> person that says mental fatigue or physical fatigue are not reasons to
> adjust her school day and she is just working us and  we should make her go
> all day again against medical advice!  I understand that most are adults
> and
> that is very beneficial , infact I am glad because speaking with you helps
> with long term goals for Mary. I am being told by the medical side what
> Mary's abilities and weaknesses are and how to support those abilities,
> then
> the school builds a wall.   I am locating groups for assistive tech and
> service dogs even, but the school seems to disagree with the medical
> findings.   Please understand these medical professionals have tracked Mary
> from birth until now they know where she started and where she should be
> headed.
>
> Thanks,
> I am calm but highly frustrated,
>
> John Runer
>
>
> > Date: Mon, 11 May 2009 13:34:45 -0400
> > From: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Re: Does Any one Homeschool? Part Two!
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> >
> > I guess my question now becomes, is she going through any occupational
> > therapy?  Do you have any interactions with assistive technology groups?
> > Because surely there is some way that Mary could exhibit her skills by
> > using such tools as story boards, computers, special software, etc.,
> > etc that the school would let her use.
> >
> > Please understand that most of the people on this list are adults with
> > cerebral palsy,  not parents, and we are bound to see things a little
> > bit differently from parents' viewpoints.
> >
> > Kat
> >
> > -----------------------
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