I need to vent. Budget related.

[thebeesknees]

Sorry this happened, OP. I'm thankful it wasn't a matter of your DD getting injured again due to their negligence. -A broken femur? That's terrible! My sister is disabled, and got left on the bus alone one time for over an hour (she fell asleep on the way home and they went back to the station and left her on the bus). My mom panicked when they didn't drop her off, and that set off a search for her and they found her on the bus, still sleeping. Thank God it wasn't during a particularly hot or cold time, or she probably would have died.

 

[rumrunnergirl]

We simply cannot afford 1:1 aides <snip>

Then what do you propose for children who need a 1:1 aide? I was one last year to a second grade wheelchair bound student. I had to feed her, change her, get her books and papers out, get her laptop out (she couldn't write but she could type), attach/remove her wheelchair tray, help her out in PE, etc.

Should students like her stay home all day? She was a great student but needed someone 1:1 throughout the entire day.

 

[Disfan3]

Youtube:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMC5UuiIQkI&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active



And for your reading pleasure:

http://www.ada.gov/


Just what our "leaders" want "us" to do, argue over the care of children with DISABILITIES and break down their quality of life in PENNIES.

The child has RIGHTS to a hearing aid. That child has rights to a level playing field, as much as possible, and as a fellow human being, I support the right and care of that child...

we are not talking about a kid who lost their glasses, we are talking about a child with severe and profound disabilities and under the LAW has rights and protection afforded to them

BECAUSE

without the law, left to our own pitiful devices, we, as a country and human race, would let them live, tucked away in some hole-in-the-wall care center until their premature deaths. (You can learn a lot from history, what NOT to do to you fellow human being). I, for one, will NOT support that kind of inhumane treatment of people with disabilities nor will I place a price on CIVIL RIGHTS.

 

[carymomof3]

Then what do you propose for children who need a 1:1 aide? I was one last year to a second grade wheelchair bound student. I had to feed her, change her, get her books and papers out, get her laptop out (she couldn't write but she could type), attach/remove her wheelchair tray, help her out in PE, etc.

Should students like her stay home all day? She was a great student but needed someone 1:1 throughout the entire day.

Thanks for this. My DS is cognitively normal but severely physically disabled. Without a 1:1, he would not be able to attend school. Aside from needing help with every single aspect of daily life, it wouldn't be safe. I know people post about how we should do away with such "perks" out of ignorance, but wow does it hurt.

OP, I am so sorry for all you have been through. I've been there and it is just one more thing to add to the 24/7 challenges you have. Sure hope you are able to resolve this.

 

[Hannathy]

The child has RIGHTS to a hearing aid.

we are not talking about a kid who lost their glasses, we are talking about a child with severe and profound disabilities and under the LAW has rights and protection afforded to them

Again no one is saying take away her education BUT the public should not have to pay for her hearing aid, any more than they should have to pay for my child's glasses. (unless the aid purposefully broke it)

And why isn't it the same thing? a child loosing their glasses is the same as a child loosing their hearing aid.

 

[ancestry]

And why isn't it the same thing? a child loosing their glasses is the same as a child loosing their hearing aid.

Totally going out on a limb here but I think the difference is that the average child has some ability to care for and keep up with his or her glasses. If the average child loses his or her glasses s/he is generally able to be held responsible for that loss.

From the level of disabilities that this child has (based on her qualifying for a 1:1 aide) it seems that she is unable to care for her herself or her own belongings. Heck it sounds like she wasn't even able to point out to anyone that her hearing aid was lost whereas the average child could tell the teacher, I can't find my glasses.

The difference here is the expectations on the ability of the child both to understand and to communicate.

 

[Tink-aholic]

We've gone way overboard. My kids have 44 kids to a classroom. We don't have librarians in our schools. We have no band, no art. There is no gifted/talented enrichment other than what is done volunteer. There is no money to replace textbooks - my son cannot take his math book home with him - he shares it with the five other math sections. He can check one out from the teacher - if one is available - she has TEN spares - for about 250 students.

We simply cannot afford 1:1 aides and paying for people's hearing aides. The law has got to change.

Crisi, I read many of your posts and almost always agree with you (even if I don't post so -- I think to myself "that Crisi is right on!")...so I know that you and I are usually on the same wavelength. However, you have to understand that under the Americans With Disabilities Act, we cannot legally discriminate against any student. All efforts must be provided in order for them to receive the same entitlements as anyone else. Sometimes, these accommodations are costly. But it means that all children can be educated equally under the law. In addition, it allows children without disabilities to be educated alongside those who are differently-abled...which can, hopefully, help reduce prejudice in the future.

We cannot change the law and go back to keeping the disabled kids separated from everyone else...or worse, lock them up at home.

Crisi, I understand your frustration. Unfortunately, the 1:1 attendant in the OP's case most likely cost that school (and that district's taxpayers) the cost of replacing the hearing aid...which means even fewer resources for everyone else. Maybe the district should consider suing the attendant for negligence to recoup their money?

 

[ccgirl]

Again no one is saying take away her education BUT the public should not have to pay for her hearing aid, any more than they should have to pay for my child's glasses. (unless the aid purposefully broke it)

And why isn't it the same thing? a child loosing their glasses is the same as a child loosing their hearing aid.

I'm not sure you have read just how disabled the OP's DD is. The child losing the glasses is not the same because the OP's DD is so disabled she is in a wheelchair, wears diapers and several other things. She has an aide assigned, whether people like it or not, they are assinged a 1:1 aide meaning the aide is with her the entire time and resonsible for her. Yes, the aide should be checking that she has everything she needs, including her hearing aide and her prosthetic (which the OP has said has been lost).

OP - is there a way to get her to another school or have another aide? The only thing this aide is getting paid to do is to care for your daughter ONLY and it appears she is not doing that.

 

[Hannathy]

but actually we are discriminating against the average student. They are the only ones getting things taken away. Why can't some of these children share 1:1 aids? If my child has to share a book with 10 other kids I think they can share aids. Maybe they don't get to go to programs where they fly kites, all things like that have been done away with in the average students school.
Cut backs have to be across the board and not at the expense of only the average student.

And accidents happen things get lost and that is why you have insurance you don't expect the school to pay.

 

[Hannathy]

Yes, the aide should be checking that she has everything she needs, including her hearing aide and her prosthetic (which the OP has said has been lost).

And the aid could have realized as soon as they got into the building her hearing aid had fallen out and went immediately back out side and it still could have been run over already. heck it could have fallen out and been run over by the wheelchair the second it hit the ground! should the school pay then?

It fell out and was damaged accidentally not purposefully, not the aids fault, not our responsibility to pay.

 

[daughtersrus]

To those of you that have been supportive, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
My DD is completely dependent on an adult for everything. From changing her diaper, to feeding her, to getting her assistive tech devices out so that she can use them, to putting her glasses and hearing aids on and the prosthesis in her eye to cover the one that was damaged by a negligent doctor, to putting her in her wheelchair, to pushing her wheelchair where she needs to be...All of this because she is one of about 200 people in the entire world with this particular genetic disease.

DD was in a self-contained classroom in our district for children with severe needs up until she was in 4th grade. At that time, the staff determined that physical and occupational therapy were no longer needed even though DD could not sit, stand, crawl, feed herself, hold a pencil, use a communication device... We fought with them but as parents, we are only a small part of the IEP team. They assured us that they would train her 1:1 aid to do everything that the PT and OT would do. It didn't happen. Just before Thanksgiving of that year, we got a phone call saying that they thought DD's hip had dislocated. I got to the school and they hadn't even called an ambulance. It was very obvious that DD was in a lot of pain. The ambulance arrived after I asked them to call and it was obvious to them that DD's femur was broken. DD was taken to the hospital where it was determined that she had a spiral break that was several inches long. (DD is very small for her age was just just about 30lbs at the time. She's now almost 17yo and is 4' and 52lbs). I was questioned by the hospital staff because they thought that I broke her leg. Once I told them it happened at school, they dropped the investigation.

After several months of going back and forth, it was determined that the aid was not trained. She had put DD into a ring-sit position without doing the necessary stretching. DD leaned to one side. Instead of helping her up by her waist or shoulders, the aid pushed on DD's knee because it raised up because she was leaning to the other side. The aid continued to push on the knee thinking it would help DD right herself back to sitting. It didn't. Instead, her femur twisted. DD had surgery to insert 2 rods into the bone.

After that, she was sent out of district to a school run by UCP. She goes from there back to our high school twice a month so that she can participate in Best Buddies. For those that may not know, Best Buddies is an afterschool club for disabled students to socialize with regular ed students.

DD's IEP clearly states that the bus aid is to check and make sure that DD's hearing aids, prosthesis for her eye and glasses are on. It also states that the 1:1 school aid is also to check to make sure all of that is where it should be when DD gets to school. Had either of them checked, they would have realized that the aid was missing before Best Buddies started. It likely fell off and was somewhere on DD's wheelchair. If that had happened, the aid wouldn't have fallen off into the parking lot while they were out flying kites.

To those of you that say DD should be responsible for her own things, I wish that she were physically and cognitively able to do so. DD is not able to talk so she can't even tell anyone that it had fallen out. She physically isn't able to pick it up and put it back in her ear. Because of the vision loss in one eye, she probably couldn't even see it as it was the right aid that was damaged and DD has no vision in her right eye.

Hearing aids are not covered by homeowner's insurance. They are also not covered by health insurance as they determine them to be a "patient convenience" and not "medically necessary".

I took the aid in today to the audiologist. They do not give out loaners, so DD will be without the aid for at least several weeks. She does think that it may be able to be fixed but that seems hard to believe. Her rough estimate is about $1,000 for a repair but won't know until she gets it back.

Some people may think that I'm against teachers but I can assure you that I am not. DD#1 is a SpEd teacher and DD#2 is finishing up her degree in SpEd as well. Their little sister was the inspiration for them to choose their career paths.

 

[fortwildernessishome]

I agree with this. They could have checked when they got into the building and went right out and found it and it could have been crushed already. Why is that the schools fault. If my DD drops her glasses and a car runs over them the school doesn't pay.

Won't your homeowners pay for this?

As a taxpayer I don't think I should have to pay for this at all.

Not sure how you can compare your daughter dropping her glasses and the OP daughters lost hearing aid. OP's daughter didnt "drop" her hearing aid. She has a 1:1 aid to make sure that she is taken care of, sounds like somone wasnt doing their job.

OP, so sorry this happened to your daughter. I truly hope that it all works out for you.

 

[ccgirl]

but actually we are discriminating against the average student. They are the only ones getting things taken away. Why can't some of these children share 1:1 aids? If my child has to share a book with 10 other kids I think they can share aids. Maybe they don't get to go to programs where they fly kites, all things like that have been done away with in the average students school.
Cut backs have to be across the board and not at the expense of only the average student. And accidents happen things get lost and that is why you have insurance you don't expect the school to pay.

And the aid could have realized as soon as they got into the building her hearing aid had fallen out and went immediately back out side and it still could have been run over already. heck it could have fallen out and been run over by the wheelchair the second it hit the ground! should the school pay then?

It fell out and was damaged accidentally not purposefully, not the aids fault, not our responsibility to pay.

I am just stunned at the bolded. Obviously you are very angry at the education your child, presumably an "average" student is/is not getting. No reason to take it out on a disabled student that, by law, has access to an education and via his IEP a 1:1 aide. She cannot share an aide because that aide is kept very busy just by her. That way her teacher can focus on all of the "average" students. If you read the OP's post you will see the aide did not realize it was missing at all. "losing " a hearing aide when the aide is supposed to make sure the child has it is negligence IMHO.

My DS3 is very smart for his age. I am looking into sending him to an inclusive classroom. This is something similar to what the OP's DD does with the Best Buddies. He would be paired as a peer leader with a disabled child. They have a 1:1 relationship. I am so glad he will be taught empathy at a young age, to thank God for what we have been given and that everyone has a right to an education.

 

[crisi]

Then what do you propose for children who need a 1:1 aide? I was one last year to a second grade wheelchair bound student. I had to feed her, change her, get her books and papers out, get her laptop out (she couldn't write but she could type), attach/remove her wheelchair tray, help her out in PE, etc.

Should students like her stay home all day? She was a great student but needed someone 1:1 throughout the entire day.

Fund them somehow other than through the general school budget. If its important to us as taxpayers to take care of these kids, then make it a funded mandate. Don't take resources away from the rest of the kids for a 1:1 aide. This needs to be funded COMPLETELY outside of the school budgets.

And its possible that once that is done we will decide we can't afford a 1:1 aide for kids as a society. And we will have to do away with mainstreaming or their parents will have to self source if they want their kids mainstreamed. Its a hard choice, but we cannot afford the way these programs are currently set up. The U.S. debt rating has been downgraded. We are at our debt ceiling. Our country has reached boiling point regarding the tax situation. Foreclosures means less property tax revenue for localities - which is how schools are funded.

I'm about as liberal as they come. I'd be happy to pay more taxes. Who is with me that EVERYONE should have their taxes raised (because we will ALL need to have our taxes raised - you can't do this simply by taxing the rich) - AND we are going to need to put in austerity cuts. Are you ready for that?

 

[nowellsl]

OP,

I just want to say "bless your heart", It sounds like you've had some challenges in life with your child that most people can't even imagine! I hope you are able to resolve the issue in a way that doesn't cause you even more stress and hardship than you already endure!

 

[LisaTC]

Again no one is saying take away her education BUT the public should not have to pay for her hearing aid, any more than they should have to pay for my child's glasses. (unless the aid purposefully broke it)
And why isn't it the same thing? a child loosing their glasses is the same as a child loosing their hearing aid.

It's probably not the same thing because unless your child has an IEP that specifically stipulates a checklist ensuring the glasses are on a glasses strap attached to the child and checked each class of the day for your child by the aide, then it would be viewed as accidental or no fault toward the aide. It is semantics/specifics. I get your angst believe me. It is a horrible state of affairs what has happened to some of our schools in this country, monetarily. However, legally, we cannot toss out a IEP designated 1:1 aide because of finances and I wouldn't advocate for that. No Child Left behind crap...they are all getting left behind. The schools are mandated and not funded for the mandates. It's a miserable, unworkable, stupid situation and shameful in this country.

I worked 2 jobs to pull my DD out of public school and put her in private and this coming from a whole family 10+ public school teachers because I do not like the state of affairs this country has resigned to with regard to public education. I cannot imagine what this poor child goes through and the OP just to ensure some semblance of an education for them. It's a travesty for all our children. The teachers in this country are caught in the cross hairs. OT, I know. However, if the Aide had a list of required checks for this child and did not do what was required by IEP, there is liability. However, I'd say good luck with that fight, seems like an uphill battle.

 

[crisi]

Crisi, I understand your frustration. Unfortunately, the 1:1 attendant in the OP's case most likely cost that school (and that district's taxpayers) the cost of replacing the hearing aid...which means even fewer resources for everyone else. Maybe the district should consider suing the attendant for negligence to recoup their money?

Maybe we should mandate that insurance companies cover the cost of hearing aids as a medical device (they aren't required to and most policies don't). If the child has a right to a hearing aide, lets put the cost where it belongs - its a medical device, it should be covered by medical insurance - not within the budgets of schools - who are seeing both their federal and state funding drop while the property tax basis plummets.

And if the child has a disability and requires a medical aide - that cost should be borne by insurance as well - not by the schools.

 

[fortwildernessishome]

We've gone way overboard. My kids have 44 kids to a classroom. We don't have librarians in our schools. We have no band, no art. There is no gifted/talented enrichment other than what is done volunteer. There is no money to replace textbooks - my son cannot take his math book home with him - he shares it with the five other math sections. He can check one out from the teacher - if one is available - she has TEN spares - for about 250 students.

We simply cannot afford 1:1 aides and paying for people's hearing aides. The law has got to change.

Somone in an earlier post suggested that the OP should move to a different school district............maybe that is what you should do! Your district sounds horrible! My kids go to public school and we have NEVER experienced ANY of the things that your kids are subjected to. When my kids were in elementary school the class size averaged 15-20. In high school the average is 25. We have gifted programs, everyone has their own textbooks, my kids are both in band, have librarians and can take art as well as a huge variety of other "extra" classes. Seriously, if things are that bad, I would be looking into other options for my kids!

As far as not being able to afford 1:1 aides, I think the EXACT opposite, we cannot afford to not have them. I thank my lucky stars that my kids dont need aides, but if they did, I would want them to have every advantgage that they could, and if that meant a 1:1 aide that they qualified for, then I sure would want that for my child.

Good luck to the OP. Dont let some of these comments get you down, although they must be very hurtful. Ignorance can be bliss!!!

 

[Tink-aholic]

but actually we are discriminating against the average student. They are the only ones getting things taken away. Why can't some of these children share 1:1 aids? If my child has to share a book with 10 other kids I think they can share aids. Maybe they don't get to go to programs where they fly kites, all things like that have been done away with in the average students school.
Cut backs have to be across the board and not at the expense of only the average student.

And accidents happen things get lost and that is why you have insurance you don't expect the school to pay.

A book and a 1:1 attendant is not even CLOSE to the same thing. And the student's IEP doesn't say 1:2 or 1:3...it says 1:1. That is the whole point. What if both children had different classes at the same time? Or needed to have their diapers changed at the same time?

Hannathy, clearly you feel passionately about what you are saying. Call your Congresspeople, if you feel so strongly. But I would find a better argument than comparing a 1:1 aide to a book.

Maybe you could try to put yourself in the OP's shoes for just one minute. Her child doesn't get to take the books home, either. It isn't like her daughter gets to be the star in the school play or gets 1:1 SAT prep with the Calculus professor. Her daughter needs someone there to help with everyday tasks that your kids can do for themselves...and if for some reason your kids couldn't, then a 1:1 could be assigned to them, too. Everything IS equal.

I'm sorry you can't see that.

 

[ccgirl]

I am trying really hard to say this in a calm and unoffending way so I don't get points. If we take away one child's aide/IEP then no children should have an IEP. That means that only "smart/non-disabled" children would be able to get an education. I am really trying to understand how some people can think it is okay not to fund this. Where should the money to provide an education to disabled children come from? By disabled I am talking about all children with IEP. Should there be no special education at all because that is taking money away from the "average" children???