I am glad that I had everything scheduled on the same day, however what a day it was. My morning started off with a pre-cse meeting for David. Basically this was an opportunity for me to meet with D's teachers, and OT, PT, and speech teacher to determine where his skills are right now, and what kind of classroom he should be in for next year.
All in all it was a decent meeting, although there were a few frustrations. I wish that he could have more OT and PT in the Fall. I really think that his motor skills are his major delay and he will need intensive therapy to meet these needs. However there are limitations that define how much therapy a child can receive, and so we are stuck within those limitations.
Secondly, it seems as if D's teacher sees a totally different child at times than the rest of us... in her world he counts to 10. In my world we are lucky to get to 3...however him counting to 3 is amazing to me. It is more than I had thought and should be celebrated.
I will have more fighting to do as we go into his cse meeting next week, but for now, all is quiet and I feel like he is in a good place.
Meeting number 2 was M's CSE meeting. I love his teacher. She "gets" him. She wrote a great report, explained wehre he is at, what areas he could show growth in, and has presented a thoughtful plan for him for next year that sounds right on target! It was wonderful to spend over an hour hearing about how he is doing, and learning about her plans for him.
Then it was time for the BIG COURT DATE. For those who have not been on this road with me all year, D was expelled from the YMCA after school program after attending the program for 3 short days....I was with him the majority of the time...however when I wasn't there apparently he struggled or should I say THEY struggled.
Anyways, because there was so much of a struggle to enroll him in this program, and the fact that he was dismissed after 3 short days, I filed a suit with the Division of Human Rights, as I feel he was dismissed from this program because of his developmental disability and his diagnosis of epilepsy.
We spent almost 3 hours in questioning as information was gathered regarding D's behavior at the program, and the process of dismissing him from program.
All in all, I was able to leave feeling like I believe he and I were discriminated against due to his diagnosis of epilepsy. I am not sure whether or not that will be the finding of the case. However, whether or not the case is found in our favor, I believe that the YMCA did not offer him appropriate support and did not allow him enough time in the program to determine whether or not he could succeed. For this, I will always believe that the Y failed my child, and failed children in general.
Children are young, and need support and love from all the adults in their lives. The YMCA caused hurt and pain to D and treated him unkindly. That is not the purpose of any after school program, and for that there should be something that can be done. Even if all that changes is that the YMCA becomes more aware of how children with special needs can be accomodated in their program, I will consider that a win, and for that I will be very, very proud.
The results of this portion of the case should be determined by the end of April. Keep your fingers crossed that the YMCA is made to take notice that kids are kids, disability or not!
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