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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 60
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Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 60 |
So sorry Pemberly. We are cautiously optimistic at this point. Hope things get better and glad you called the lawyer for you DD.
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Joined: Aug 2011
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OP
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 739 |
No word back from the school district about allowing DD to actually use the iPad they have provided her.
The school, however, is trying their best. They found an old laptop and are trying to get it refurbished so they can at least have DD work on that without having to go through the district. The teacher also said she had DD do some keyboarding on her computer. Everyone is extremely frustrated and its all so unnecessary. As I told the director - if they recognize what she needs and we are in agreement (not to mention that it is already included in her IEP...) but their hands are tied by the district's refusal to cooperate this is never going to work. So unbelievably frustrating...
DD's psych suggested DH and I purchase an iPad and load it as necessary so the district's "nanny strings" are cut. We are going to have to check with the lawyer about how this could work. Maybe we provide it ourselves and go after them for reimbursement because they are failing to provide a service as specified in the IEP?
Anyone have experience providing your own iPad or computer? My understanding is the district is supposed to be responsible for all maintenance and updates but only if it is their machine. They have already spent the money to buy a machine and equip it as specified by the AT eval. I really just can't believe they are being so bullheaded at this point. According to the school director every other district just gives them the machines fully loaded and/or provides an iTunes card for loading apps as needed. We can't even provide the iTunes card ourselves because the district will not authorize anyone to load anything onto equipment that they own.
Really - can you believe this? This is AFTER they spent the money on an assistive technology evaluation, bought the iPad and agreed to all of its uses.
Seriously I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried...
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 735
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Pemb
Wow, so sorry you are going through all this - again! Since she can't do any work because she hasn't been provided her AT maybe you and she and the iPad should go down to district in person and sit and wait for the person to come and provide the code! I would love to see the reaction to that, no we are just sitting here waiting so that my daughter can start her education . ..
I mean seriously do they actually want you to sue!!!
DeHe
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 102
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I have been following your threads about the difficulties you have been having with your dd's schools. I'm so sorry to hear about the problems that you are hearing. I'm not sure if I remember correctly or not, but did "that" principle go to work at (or have "friends") working at your district?? Could there be any influence of "dragging their feet" on accommodations? I'm not sure what you could do about this directly, but maybe some official pressure at the district is in order. I can NOT think of any other reason why the district would drag their feet on a simple accommodation that has already been agreed upon.
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Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 954
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I, personally, would be very leery of sending your own personal iPad into the school with her without the administration all being 100% on board.
~amy
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,181
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You have your school on board with this and it would probably make life a lot easier to just provide it.
Have to agree.
Yes, it's not legally something you SHOULD have to do...
but we've BTDT so many times that it's mind-boggling. We've gotten used to it being the price of inclusion. We spend thousands a year for DD to be included and safe, and have for many years.
Schrödinger's cat walks into a bar. And doesn't.
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Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 141
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We purchased an iPad & bluetooth keyboard for DS7. Having control over the apps and ensuring he's using the same device & programs at home and at school - not to mention ensuring he actually has a device in each and every class! - were key for us. So far it's working well, but we did have everyone at the school on board.
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 3,363
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We purchased an iPad & bluetooth keyboard for DS7. Having control over the apps and ensuring he's using the same device & programs at home and at school - not to mention ensuring he actually has a device in each and every class! - were key for us. So far it's working well, but we did have everyone at the school on board. We also chose to provide our ds' AT (originally a laptop, now an iPad). We had a similar situation to what you're experiencing with AT Pemberley. The laptop we were offered from the school came without ability to add software, and the school tightly controlled what would be loaded - for instance, we had a list of about 10 different types of software that we wanted ds to have access to (each of which the district had site licenses for), but because the district laptop was parsed out through the AT department, each piece of software had to be installed one at a time and then ds had to go through an eval period in which data was taken of writing assignments done without the software as a benchmark, and then again after a trial period of use, with the software and showing a "significant" improvement. We felt this was a test set up to fail, because due to his expressive language disorder, ds couldn't produce much writing even with accommodations at that point in time - but he *needed* the accommodations for his dysgraphia. Our school was also requiring us to sign to pay for full replacement value of a brand-new laptop if ds took the school-issued laptop home - yet the laptop the school issued was at least 5 years old. It was also not in good shape - it wouldn't hold charge, and ds had to sit next to an outlet with it plugged in in order to use it. We also found out that support would be non-existent outside of the initial training in the software. So - we fought the battle to win the right to have ds use school district AT, only to find that it was limiting - if he used it he would lose most of the software he was already using at home, he would be limited in where he could sit in the classroom, and he wouldn't have any technical support. Even if we'd had a really good workable solution from the school district, it still wouldn't have provided ds with AT over the summer and it would not have been as forward-looking or moved forward with ds as he matured as we could be when we make the AT choices. So we opted out and chose to spend the money ourselves to give ds the AT he needs. It's worked well for us, but that's just us. polarbear
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 3,363
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We purchased an iPad & bluetooth keyboard for DS7. Having control over the apps and ensuring he's using the same device & programs at home and at school - not to mention ensuring he actually has a device in each and every class! - were key for us. So far it's working well, but we did have everyone at the school on board. We also chose to provide our ds' AT (originally a laptop, now an iPad). We had a similar situation to what you're experiencing with AT Pemberley. The laptop we were offered from the school came without ability to add software, and the school tightly controlled what would be loaded - for instance, we had a list of about 10 different types of software that we wanted ds to have access to (each of which the district had site licenses for), but because the district laptop was parsed out through the AT department, each piece of software had to be installed one at a time and then ds had to go through an eval period in which data was taken of writing assignments done without the software as a benchmark, and then again after a trial period of use, with the software and showing a "significant" improvement. We felt this was a test set up to fail, because due to his expressive language disorder, ds couldn't produce much writing even with accommodations at that point in time - but he *needed* the accommodations for his dysgraphia. Our school was also requiring us to sign to pay for full replacement value of a brand-new laptop if ds took the school-issued laptop home - yet the laptop the school issued was at least 5 years old. It was also not in good shape - it wouldn't hold charge, and ds had to sit next to an outlet with it plugged in in order to use it. We also found out that support would be non-existent outside of the initial training in the software. So - we fought the battle to win the right to have ds use school district AT, only to find that it was limiting - if he used it he would lose most of the software he was already using at home, he would be limited in where he could sit in the classroom, and he wouldn't have any technical support. Even if we'd had a really good workable solution from the school district, it still wouldn't have provided ds with AT over the summer and it would not have been as forward-looking or moved forward with ds as he matured as we could be when we make the AT choices. So we opted out and chose to spend the money ourselves to give ds the AT he needs. While it's not legally something we should have to do, we simply felt that our $ and time were better spent focused on our ds' actual needs than on a legal and emotionally draining battle with school. It's worked well for us, but that's just us. polarbear
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 739
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Well, I heard from the director of the school. The district plans to send their AT person out in the middle of October! This was presented as good news. How on earth can they think it is appropriate to actively prevent this child from having access to what she needs for a month??? Especially after everything that has gone on. Unbelievable!
The school has forwarded a list of apps they are requesting and maybe - just maybe mind you - the district will agree to load them. After that decision comes the determination of just HOW they would go about getting them loaded. It's truly crazy.
So we spoke to the attorney about providing it ourselves. He said its akin to seeking a unilateral out of district placement. We can do it and then seek reimbursement plus any needed compensatory services to make up for the time she's losing. (Because you know losing ALL of last year wasn't enough...) To do this, though, we have to put them on notice in writing. I just sent an email saying that we consider them in violation of the IEP and that unless she has either a properly loaded iPad or the school is given the necessary passwords and authorizations to load it themselves we will purchase a new one ourselves, load it according to the specifications of the AT evaluation and seek reimbursement. We gave them a day next week to get this done by.
I also added in there that DD has been having debilitating migraines daily and this situation in exacerbating her anxiety. I guess we'll see what happens...
ETA: You know it would have been different if we had been told about all of this and allowed to decide what we wanted to do. How much trouble would it have been to say "We are happy to provide the iPad but because of district policy there will be a delay in getting it loaded with what she needs. You may want to consider if you prefer to provide it yourselves so you have sole discretion about what she has loaded." Then we could have decided. We could have bought one over the summer for her to practice/play on and then had the school load on whatever they felt was necessary once she enrolled. That simple courtesy would have made all the difference in the world. But then again this is the same district that allowed that horrible principal to behave the way she did for as long as she did. I guess I shouldn't expect anything more from them...
Last edited by Pemberley; 09/26/13 01:07 PM.
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