Partners in Advocacy: A Guide to the IDEA Process

A mother with a hearing impaired, six-year-old left a comment on my post Does My Child Need an Interpreter and I've had it on my mind since.  I wanted to make a reply immediately, but I also wanted to take time to think it over.  So, after a very long day and a mostly sleepless night, I am ready to write.


First, I had to dig through my stack of IEP stuff.  I have been accumulating information since February of this year.  That stack you see in the picture is only three months worth of information.  It's already quite a stack.  But, as I read the comment left about that six-year-old, one thing kept floating back to me.  I had read something about special needs students being left to fend for themselves.  And I had to dig through my stack to find where I had read it.  Because I want to share it word for word with you.

I located it in the booklet "Partners in Advocacy: A Guide to the IDEA Process".  That's the booklet standing on top of the stack.  It was provided to me by our Advocate.

I'll refer you to a few sentences in the Placement section:  The words "least restrictive environment" mean that children with disabilities must be with children who do not have disabilities as much as possible.  This may mean that the child will need special support or services in the classroom (p. 22)......This does not mean that the disabled child should be put into a regular classroom and left to make the best of it.  When a disabled child is placed in a regular classroom, the child's special needs must not be ignored (p. 23).

So, what does that mean for the six-year-old, hearing impaired student who spends the majority of her school day in a hearing environment without an interpreter?  It means her mom should get on the phone immediately to Protection & Advocacy. 

I can't speak for our school system or the Kentucky Department of Education. 

But, I can say that I feel this student deserves more help and more support.  A lack of apppropriate support is not just a hardship for the student, it's a hardship for the teacher, as well.  I can also say that this student is entitled to a Free Appropriate Public Education regardless of the expense to the school system and/or the state.  In fact, and I can't point out where I read it, the school system must provide necessary services regardless of cost.  And that right there is the catch.  As parents, we have to convince the school system that our student requires additional services.  That's a pretty big battle for a family who's already dealing with the stresses of having a child with special needs. 

You know, if I had a non disabled kid who just happened to have poor eye sight I could pick up the phone, make a call to the regular ed teacher, and ask to have my child moved to a seat near the front of the room.  Easy, peasy.  Problem addressed and solved with one little phone call.  But, for a parent with a child who has special needs, I might have to hire an attorney (at my own expense) and take the school to court to get the appropriate supports and services for my child.  It's not all butterflies and rainbows.

Mom who left the comment, thank you for sharing, and if you haven't contacted Protection & Advocacy, please pick up the phone and give them a call.  You'll be put in touch with an intake clerk who will take all of your basic information and they will relay that information to an advocate who'll get in touch with you.  It's a pretty quick process.  I think you'll be getting that call from an advocate by the end of the week.  Ask them to send you as much information as they can so you can read, read, read everything you can about your child's rights.  Just like they always say, knowledge is power.  And I'll be here if you need to talk to someone who understands exactly how scared and frustrated you are.