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Special Ed 101
How to say no to an "accommodation" you don't want?
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<blockquote data-quote="Rannveig" data-source="post: 668546" data-attributes="member: 5689"><p>Thanks so much for your note, Copa. After my last posting I did do some research but couldn't find any free representation at all. I did find a place with a list of referrals, but everyone on the list was a lawyer or educational consultant who would charge for their services. So I put on a business suit, hinted to X he should do the same (he did), and showed up acting strong and confident. Mind you, we had decided only to ask for a 504, not an IEP, thus lowering the stakes for everyone. </p><p></p><p>The 504 coordinator started by saying that just because the neuropsychologist had recommended something didn't mean we'd get it. That made me nervous, but from there on in things got better. I actually found it to be a pretty good experience, though I definitely needed to be on my toes. To her credit, the coordinator ended up presenting the situation to the assembled teachers not as, "Will we give Odin accommodations?" but as, "Which accommodations will we give Odin?" And they gave most of what we were asking for in terms of reduced homework and longer test times. They also offered organizational coaching from the school's guidance counselors, which sounds more like a "service" than an accommodation and which I was happy to accept, of course.</p><p></p><p>To my surprise and relief, neither the 504 coordinator nor the teachers ended up suggesting that Odin be moved to general ed classes. Some kids at this high school pay a few hundred bucks to take some of the more advanced high school classes for community college credit. We hadn't done that with Odin, and they seemed very relieved that we hadn't. So maybe that's what made the difference? Maybe it's easier to give him accommodations in his existing courses if he's not getting college credit?</p><p></p><p>Partly I think we were just very lucky that the teachers seemed quite flexible (except for the history teacher, about whom I've written on the "General" page; but even the history teacher ended up giving a little ground). The one annoying thing was all the times I heard something like, "Well, this is the way we have to do things in our classes, because this is how they're done on the AP exams." [Expletive deleted] the AP exams!</p><p></p><p>Oh, okay, and there was one other annoying thing. The 504 coordinator sent everyone the 504 plan the next day. X and I were still supposed to sign, but the teachers all got copies before we signed. I told the coordinator in advance that I was sure to have edits I would request -- not because I didn't think the meeting had gone well but just because I'm very careful about this sort of thing. She sort of dismissed that, and then, sure enough, the plan she sent out had errors in it. I got back to her the next day with my -- polite, mind you -- suggestions and requests, at which point she got to sounding a bit irritated (though she'd been very nice up to then). And I still don't have a corrected version that I'm willing to sign, which is why I hadn't updated here yet. But it was a much better start than I'd expected.</p><p></p><p>Thank you again, Copa <em>et al.</em>! I was definitely stronger and more confident in the meeting than I ever could have been without your coaching. I am deeply grateful to everyone here.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Rannveig, post: 668546, member: 5689"] Thanks so much for your note, Copa. After my last posting I did do some research but couldn't find any free representation at all. I did find a place with a list of referrals, but everyone on the list was a lawyer or educational consultant who would charge for their services. So I put on a business suit, hinted to X he should do the same (he did), and showed up acting strong and confident. Mind you, we had decided only to ask for a 504, not an IEP, thus lowering the stakes for everyone. The 504 coordinator started by saying that just because the neuropsychologist had recommended something didn't mean we'd get it. That made me nervous, but from there on in things got better. I actually found it to be a pretty good experience, though I definitely needed to be on my toes. To her credit, the coordinator ended up presenting the situation to the assembled teachers not as, "Will we give Odin accommodations?" but as, "Which accommodations will we give Odin?" And they gave most of what we were asking for in terms of reduced homework and longer test times. They also offered organizational coaching from the school's guidance counselors, which sounds more like a "service" than an accommodation and which I was happy to accept, of course. To my surprise and relief, neither the 504 coordinator nor the teachers ended up suggesting that Odin be moved to general ed classes. Some kids at this high school pay a few hundred bucks to take some of the more advanced high school classes for community college credit. We hadn't done that with Odin, and they seemed very relieved that we hadn't. So maybe that's what made the difference? Maybe it's easier to give him accommodations in his existing courses if he's not getting college credit? Partly I think we were just very lucky that the teachers seemed quite flexible (except for the history teacher, about whom I've written on the "General" page; but even the history teacher ended up giving a little ground). The one annoying thing was all the times I heard something like, "Well, this is the way we have to do things in our classes, because this is how they're done on the AP exams." [Expletive deleted] the AP exams! Oh, okay, and there was one other annoying thing. The 504 coordinator sent everyone the 504 plan the next day. X and I were still supposed to sign, but the teachers all got copies before we signed. I told the coordinator in advance that I was sure to have edits I would request -- not because I didn't think the meeting had gone well but just because I'm very careful about this sort of thing. She sort of dismissed that, and then, sure enough, the plan she sent out had errors in it. I got back to her the next day with my -- polite, mind you -- suggestions and requests, at which point she got to sounding a bit irritated (though she'd been very nice up to then). And I still don't have a corrected version that I'm willing to sign, which is why I hadn't updated here yet. But it was a much better start than I'd expected. Thank you again, Copa [I]et al.[/I]! I was definitely stronger and more confident in the meeting than I ever could have been without your coaching. I am deeply grateful to everyone here. [/QUOTE]
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How to say no to an "accommodation" you don't want?
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