IEP's and New Schools

Today took a turn for the worse and for the better... Yesterday morning I received a phone call from the local school district. C would no longer be attending her initial school and would now be attending a more local school. She will be integrated in the school system and will now be mainstreemed...YIKES. This is something I totally did NOT want for C! She has a limited start in her language skills and she deserves to have peers who will be able to interact with her. Oh My Gosh was I mad. Especially when I was told they would have Oral Communication... NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!! That, in my opinion, is a horrendous way to teach a deaf child (not that I think it is wrong for a parent to do that with their own child, it is just not right for my child and I refuse to allow that to happen to my daughter)... Anyway, off my soap box...

I went to the school this morning and we took care of the situation: C is going to the new program in our own schools and will be mainstreemed. I lost, but I won... They will not do Oral communication but will enhance lessons with oral communication while signing. They will use ASL for everyday "Let's go do..." things and SEE for specific lessons. This will be a total communication program that my child will be pioneering. But, next year she will be going back to her original school and be in a self-contained deaf class.

A few special key points about attending this new school: She and M will be in the same kindergarten class, M will have further exposure to sign language, C will learn how to use an interpreter (which is a vital asset for her later in life) and transportation will be door to door drop off and pick up for both kids! In addition, it has been proven that kids who are mainstreamed tend to have a higher education than those who are in a self-contained classroom. So, this might be a good thing... I'm keeping an open mind!