Rights Gone Wrong: Disability Groups Vs. Gleeks With Disabilities

Hi all-

Here is a great article re: Glee. If you don't know, there has been controversy over the show's using someone without a disability in a role portraying a character with a disability. Personally, I wish more individuals with disabilities would be cast in shows. BUT, personally, we also love Glee and they DO use people with disabilities in some of their episodes (deaf or HOH individuals, Downs syndrome) and they've had MANY episodes with great disability awareness messages. The author of this article makes some good points. I can see both sides of the debate and understand, but all of us in Team Hyndman are "Gleeks". If you haven't watched the show, you can rent the DVD first season, which has some of the best disability awareness episodes. Check it out if you're interested. Below is the link to the article.

Blessings:)
Amy


Rights Gone Wrong: Disability Groups Vs. Gleeks With Disabilities

John Wooden Quote

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."-
John Wooden

"You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."-
John Wooden

Hi all-

Two great quotes from basketball Coach John Wooden. The first one is in Nick's senior picture book and I think it is a perfect description of how Nick has approached his life.

Blessings:)
Amy

Great Quote

Hi all,

I LOVE a great quote, especially ones that have so much meaning to me. I'll try to post great ones I see from time to time. Do you have any great, inspirational, motivational quotes you'd like to share? If you do, please share them with us!

Blessings:)
Amy

‎"I always wondered why somebody doesn't do something about that. Then I realized I was somebody." Lily Tomlin

University of Illinois opens new dorm for students with disabilities - chicagotribune.com

University of Illinois opens new dorm for students with disabilities - chicagotribune.com

Happy 11th Birthday Isabella Grace Hyndman!

Happy Birthday to our girl! Today is Isabella Grace's 11th Birthday! Happy Birthday Bella:) We're so grateful you were born:) You Rock! We Love You!

Love,
Dad, Mom, Nick
Oreo, Ozzie, and Charger too:)

Dad Defends His Daughter With Cerebral Palsy

Hi all,

Below is the link to an article about a Dad who defends his daughter with cerebral palsy against bullies on the bus. I know it may be controversial to say this but this man is my HERO. I say, good for him! I would have wanted to do the same thing. I have to wonder what the parents of these bullies think. Are they proud that they've raised kids who think it is "fun and cool" to bully other people with disabilities, or anyone else for that matter? Are they bullies themselves? I can't imagine. No one is perfect as a parent or a person, BUT if my kids EVER did anything like this, well they wouldn't think of it I would bet, but they wouldn't do it again, believe me. Someone needs to put these bullies in their place. And, what about the school tolerance of it and what about the bus company or school transportation where so much bullying occurs? Well, that would be a whole other blog, couldn't it? So, here it is below.

Blessings:)
Amy

http://digg.com/story/r/dad_defends_daughter_with_cerebral_palsy_against_bullies_on_school_bus_video
http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fabcnews.go.com%2FUS%2Fdad-loses-cool-threatens-students-bus%2Fstory%3Fid%3D11660119&sa=D&usg=AFQjCNHMSddKYoAC7s2DGAD4YdXlW0I3Og

Mistakes People Make

Hi all,

I found the article below to be helpful/good advice. I found it at another very helpful website, www.wrightslaw.com.

Blessings:)
Amy


Mistakes People Make - Parents
by Robert K. Crabtree, Esq.


Because the stakes are so high, it is difficult for parents of children with special educational needs to advocate calmly and objectively for the educational and related services their children need.

Here are some common mistakes that undermine parents' ability to obtain appropriate services:

1. Viewing the special education process as the moral equivalent of war, fighting that war with a "scorched earth" approach, and letting personal animosity toward administrators and/or teachers distort one's judgment about what is best for the child and what is realistic to accept;

2. The opposite mistake: trusting administrators and teachers too uncritically; assuming that if they are "nice" they are also competent and interested in serving the child's best interest; not questioning slow, or nonexistent progress as long as the child, parent and teacher have a cordial relationship;

3. Taking an "all or nothing" approach: waiting too long before getting good independent advice, then insisting on instant delivery of needed services rather than steady progress toward the right program;

4. Failing to understand that the special education process sometimes requires that the parent educate the child's special education team about the child's disabilities and needs (the school system may not be willfully refusing to meet the child's needs; they may simply not understand those needs);

5. Not trying a program or added services, even on a temporary basis, when they are offered by the school system -- holding out for an alternative program only to have a hearing officer decide the untried program might have worked;

6. Attempting to "micro-manage" the details of a child's life in school; even if parents don't feel things are going well, their efforts to control the child's day usually backfire when the hearing officer concludes that the parents were over-protective and didn't let the school professionals do their job;

7. Focusing on minor, nonprejudicial procedural missteps by the school (e.g., the parent who already knows her rights who says, "Aha! Gotcha! School district forgot to give me the rights brochure!") instead of focusing on the substantial issues in the case;

8. Not consenting to school evaluations;

9. Choosing the wrong independent evaluators: e.g., "hired guns" who only say what the parents want them to say, and have a reputation for doing so; those who will not follow through by observing programs, attending team meetings, etc.; those who do not have training or experience to evaluate a child like yours;

10. Not providing copies of independent evaluations to the school, or not providing them in a timely way;

11. Not responding in a timely way to proposed IEPs;

12. Not documenting issues with the school; not sending letters to confirm agreements with the school or to record important conversations with school personnel.

13. Seeing the school system as a monolith ("All those teachers are incompetent [or wonderful!]"); failing to look carefully at alternatives within the system for this year and at next year's teacher possibilities.


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More "Mistakes People Make" Articles by Bob Crabtree


Mistakes People Make: School Districts. What makes parents angry? Parents are angry when school personnel take actions that undermine trust, create a negative climate that destroys peace of mind, and deliver inadequate services to the child. Want to learn more? Read article

Mistakes People Make: Independent Evaluators. To make their case for services or a specific program for their child, parents usually need a competent, credible independent evaluator. Serious mistakes by evaluators can make undermine their credibility or render their opinions powerless. To learn about mistakes independent evaluators should try to avoid, read this article.

Mistakes People Make: Advocates. Because the non-lawyer advocate plays an extremely important role in the special education process, advocates must be mindful of the power of their role and the trust parents place in them. The more serious mistakes advocates may make are generally ones of excess . . . Read article



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Other Articles by Bob Crabtree
Discipline: Suspension, Expulsions and IEPs. Read this article by parent attorney Robert Crabtree to learn about functional behavioral assessments, behavior intervention plans, long-term suspensions and expulsions, the child's rights, and what parents can do to protect these rights. Learn how to request a behavior assessment, an expedited hearing, and how to invoke "stay put."


The Paper Chase: Managing Your Child's Documents. "If you have kids with special educational needs, you can be overwhelmed with paperwork in no time at all . . ."


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Meet Robert Crabtree

Bob Crabtree is a partner at Kotin, Crabtree, and Strong, LLP, a general practice law firm in Boston, MA. Among other areas of practice, Bob concentrates in special education and disability law. This article was originally published by the Family Education site at www.familyeducation.com
Contact Info:
Robert K. Crabtree
Kotin, Crabtree & Strong, LLP
One Bowdoin Square
Boston, MA 02114-2925

Phone: 617/227-7031
Facsimile: 617/367-2988
Email: rcrabtree@kcslegal.com
Website: www.kcslegal.com



Copyright © 1999-2010, Peter W. D. Wright and Pamela Darr Wright. All rights reserved. Contact Us

Nick's Senior Pics

Hi all,

I am attaching some of Nick's senior pictures. He had them taken in August. Some of his pics are with his service dog, Charger, from Assistance Dogs of America, Inc. Also, some are with Isabella. We love them! Karen McKenzie did a GREAT job taking them! Check out her website at http://www.kmseniors.com/. She is going to be posting Nick's pics up for friends/family that want to order some (we are sending some wallets to friends and family soon!) at www.kmseniors.com/Nick.

There are about 90 pics so there are so many more great ones in addition to the pics I'm putting on here. If you're interested in seeing them, check out the link above or go to our group on Facebook called "Cerebral Palsy Family" and I put the entire album on there. We'd love it if you'd like to follow us on Facebook! By the way, I love all of them, but the one of Charger and Nick looking into each others eyes above, shows the bond, love/devotion between them. We had fun getting Charger the sunglasses and bow-tie too:)

Blessings:)

Amy

Congratulations Maddie!

Hi all,

Taking both kids to the doctor today but wanted to get a quick note here in between appts.

We want to congratulate our niece, Madeline Rick (Maddie),who has been cast as a "little soldier" and "Big Angel A" in the Toledo Ballet's production of the Nutcracker!

She's very excited and we're so proud of her. She's a gifted ballet dancer:) The Nutcracker will be playing on Saturday, December 11th at 2pm and 7pm, and Sunday, December 12th at 2pm! (http://www.toledoballet.net/ ). Isabella and I REALLY enjoyed it last year and it will be even better for us this year with Maddie in it. If you live locally, it is a wonderful production and a great holiday treat!

Blessings:)
Amy

Lighted Wheelchair Casters

Hi all,

We have been ordering these "light up" wheels for Nick's wheelchair, front wheels (or casters) for years. People stop us and ask us about them everywhere. They're so cool. I've seen adults with them as well as kids. They light up in three primary colors and are $29 a pair right now at Sportaid. www.sportaid.com. (3 " or 4 " lighted wheelchair casters) Check them out if you have someone in a chair, their cool. Nick loves them.

Blessings:)
Amy

Staying Sane and Feeling Good (TIPS) | Exceptional Family TV

Staying Sane and Feeling Good (TIPS) Exceptional Family TV

Sibshops

Hi all!

I received the following information regarding some upcoming Northwest Ohio sibshops. I registered Isabella for all of these! I think it will be a positive experience for her.

I've followed http://www.siblingsupport.org/ for years from time to time (sibshops info: www.siblingsupport.org/sibshops) and have several of Don Meyer's books as I've mentioned previously in this blog. I've ordered them from http://www.amazon.com/ and http://www.woodbinehouse.com/. Anyhow, we've read several books re: disability and being the sibling of an individual with a disability over the years and some books are more for adults which I've read and saved for Isabella when she gets older. The important thing really is just talking about disability (like it's no big deal, it just is, and how everyone feels about it or things going on with Nick at different times) and all of our feelings about Nick's disability, everything he goes through(good, bad, and in between), and it's OK to feel however we feel as long as we're all respectful and loving to each other. I don't like it when people are "complaining" about it as if it "stinks" to have an individual with a disability in the family because NONE of us feel that way. Sure, we don't like to see Nick's struggle or be hurt or anything, that stinks, but HE is a gift and his having a disability is NOT a bad thing! It is just one part of who he is like we all have different parts. With all of that, I think any opportunity for Isabella to connect with others who have siblings with disabilities and be able to talk about it would be a benefit. Isabella won't be shy to say how she feels, believe me. When she was 8, she was on a sibling panel at BGSU (the youngest one) presenting to grad students and she did a GREAT job, was very articulate, and made many good points. Yeah Bella:) We've also always made sure that we spend as much time with Bella as we do Nick when we can. Sure, there ARE times when Nick needs more care and attention but we make sure Bella gets her time too and when things are going on with Nick, we include her as much as we can and talk about it. You'd have to ask her but I don't think there are many times she's felt left out. We're all equal parts of this family, Team Hyndman.

Here is the info. I received about the local sibshops and registration for them. If you know of anyone who may be interested, please pass this information on. Thanks!

Brothers and Sisters of People with Special Needs Come and Join the Fun!
Sponsored in part by:
Lucas County Educational Service Center

Brothers and sisters of kids with special needs from Lucas County now have a program that’s just for them called Sibshops. At Sibshops, they’ll have a chance to meet other kids whose brothers and sisters have special needs and talk about the good and not-so-good parts of having a sibling with a disability. Most important, they’ll have fun!!
Sibshops are for 8 to 13 year old brothers and sisters of children who have special needs. Our Sibshops are run by a team of people who have a professional and, in some cases, a personal understanding of the impact a child’s special needs can have on brothers and sisters. Equally important, they have great kid skills!
Sibshops will have fun outrageous games, cooking activities and hands on activities that will keep your kids engaged in an energetic way.

Saturday, October 2, 2010
9:45 am until 2 pm
Deadline to register for demonstration is September 23, 2010

Don Meyer director of The Sibling Support Project and creator of the Sibshop curriculum will be conducting a hands on Sibshop demonstration. The demonstration will reflect the reality of a Sibshop. Don will engage siblings in fun, energetic hands on games through which he will have siblings express thoughts about what it is like having a brother or sister with special needs.
Sibshops
Gatherings will be:
November 6, 2010
January 8, 2011
February 5, 2011
March 5, 2011
April 2, 2011
May 7, 2011
10 am to 2pm
Deadline to register for Sibshops is October 20, 2010
Sibshops will be held at: Alternate Learning Center 3939 Wrenwood Toledo, OH 43623
If interested in having your child be a part of the demonstration and/or Sibshops please contact :
Wendy Smenner
Lucas County Parent Mentor
lcesc_wsm@nwoca.org 419-471-0384
State Support Team
Region 1