10-17-2009, 11:21 AM
I am sorry to have sidetracked the issue toward special needs kids, as I get the feeling no one else here is concerned about their special situation. Until the universe brought this child into my life, I was not too aware of what's involved for them either. I do want to reply to Dick Wilson though:
Where is the unfair treatment of special needs students. All students are being deprived of a major portion of the education week. Adding the furlough days to the end of the school year makes to much sense for Lingle and her band of idiots. But all students are being treated the same, or are we saying that special needs students are a little more equal than others? " shades of animal farm there."
First, they are not more equal, but they need more service to participate in any kind of activity or program. The extra is to try to put them on more of a level playing field. In truth, they never get to a level field, but they get an education, if they can get past the mean remarks, and the bullies, the taunting, mocking, and all that good stuff.
Those mandating the furlough are softening the idea be putting furlough relief programs into place, which non special needs kids may participate in. But the special ed kids aren't included like they are in regular school. For some time, the programs for special ed have been integrated into the school system and not spread out into the community; therefore when the school systems cuts its hours severely, these kids have no alternatives. They cannot even stay with a regular child care provider, some of them. There are many kinds of disabilities, but all the kids require more one on one. Some need help being fed, being moved around, being helped with toilet function, or being brought into the group dynamic. They can't get sent to the park and all have a wonderful game of soccer or go on a group hike or any of these fun activities. Please do not worry about them being better off than the other kids. That is not going to happen, Dick. Obviously this is an emotional topic for me, so I will stop participating. I mean it literally puts tears in my eyes that people don't understand about these kids.
I am blessed to have one of the sweetest kids I've ever met in my family, with an amazing sense of humor and noticeable musical talent. He extends his heart to anyone he meets. But because he has a twisted foot and cannot bear weight on his legs, he can't walk, and because of CP he can't use his right arm enough to use a motorized wheel chair. At home he races around the house scootching on his but using one arm, but he can't do that in a group of kids who are running around. He is small and would get injured. (He is 5 1/2 but still wears 24 month size bottoms.) In his life he has had at least seven major surgeries by the time he was three, and he has a shunt, so that will continue.
Please don't worry that his life is better than healthy regularly developed kids due to all the special services. I am sure he would be willing to trade.
ETA that one reason this is hard on him is he loves people. He loves to converse and interact with groups. He gets bored out of his skull being home with one person.
Second, as part of school, he gets physical therapy that is relaxing his clenched arm and helping him learn to walk, that he cannot get at home, and if it's not done regularly then he doesn't progress, so he is losing a lot more than a day.
Where is the unfair treatment of special needs students. All students are being deprived of a major portion of the education week. Adding the furlough days to the end of the school year makes to much sense for Lingle and her band of idiots. But all students are being treated the same, or are we saying that special needs students are a little more equal than others? " shades of animal farm there."
First, they are not more equal, but they need more service to participate in any kind of activity or program. The extra is to try to put them on more of a level playing field. In truth, they never get to a level field, but they get an education, if they can get past the mean remarks, and the bullies, the taunting, mocking, and all that good stuff.
Those mandating the furlough are softening the idea be putting furlough relief programs into place, which non special needs kids may participate in. But the special ed kids aren't included like they are in regular school. For some time, the programs for special ed have been integrated into the school system and not spread out into the community; therefore when the school systems cuts its hours severely, these kids have no alternatives. They cannot even stay with a regular child care provider, some of them. There are many kinds of disabilities, but all the kids require more one on one. Some need help being fed, being moved around, being helped with toilet function, or being brought into the group dynamic. They can't get sent to the park and all have a wonderful game of soccer or go on a group hike or any of these fun activities. Please do not worry about them being better off than the other kids. That is not going to happen, Dick. Obviously this is an emotional topic for me, so I will stop participating. I mean it literally puts tears in my eyes that people don't understand about these kids.
I am blessed to have one of the sweetest kids I've ever met in my family, with an amazing sense of humor and noticeable musical talent. He extends his heart to anyone he meets. But because he has a twisted foot and cannot bear weight on his legs, he can't walk, and because of CP he can't use his right arm enough to use a motorized wheel chair. At home he races around the house scootching on his but using one arm, but he can't do that in a group of kids who are running around. He is small and would get injured. (He is 5 1/2 but still wears 24 month size bottoms.) In his life he has had at least seven major surgeries by the time he was three, and he has a shunt, so that will continue.
Please don't worry that his life is better than healthy regularly developed kids due to all the special services. I am sure he would be willing to trade.
ETA that one reason this is hard on him is he loves people. He loves to converse and interact with groups. He gets bored out of his skull being home with one person.
Second, as part of school, he gets physical therapy that is relaxing his clenched arm and helping him learn to walk, that he cannot get at home, and if it's not done regularly then he doesn't progress, so he is losing a lot more than a day.