A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.
~Yoko Ono

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Ah, Summer ...

There's nothing like the thought of those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, is there? Unless, of course, you've been unable to locate appropriate activities and respite care for your child. In which case, you have my deepest sympathies.

But before you throw all those used binders in the corner and toss carefully place this year's scrunched up copy of the IPP in a folder until September, I make one more humble offering to you.

If you're not familiar with Wrightslaw [or The Wrighslaw Way (their blog) or The Special Ed Advocate (their free e-newsletter], you really should be.

Pete and Pam Wright are Adjunct Professors of Law at the William and Mary Law School where they teach a course about special education law and advocacy and assist with the Law School's Special Education Law Clinic. Pete also happens to have dyslexia. They know of what they speak.

And in the most recent edition of The Special Ed Advocate, I came across some links I thought I should share. Even though it's the end of June.

So, at the very least, bookmark them and write yourself a note to look them up come September.

  1. Can an IEP Meeting be Postponed?
  2. Do Parents Have to Excuse Members of the IEP Team?
  3. Do Nursing Services Belong in the IEP?
  4. Who Can Override an IEP?

The first thing you might notice is the reference to IEPs as opposed to IPPs. It's an American thing, don't sweat it. After all, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, right? [Tongue planted firmly in cheek.]

And although it's true there are definite differences between the Individuals with Disabilities Act [IDEA], (the American legislation relevant to special education) and our own, there are a lot of similarities, too.

The Nova Scotia policy is, in many ways, built upon a lot of the language in IDEA, witness the right in this Province to an "appropriate" education. The biggest difference, in my mind at least, between the two regimes is that the American legislation has teeth. Ours, unfortunately, not so much.

So although that means that Nova Scotia's Special Education Policy Manual will always take precedence (and is where you should always be checking for the final word), it's still worth your time to keep up (in at least a cursory way) with what's happening to the south of us by way of Wrightlaw.

And, with that, I am so done with school. At least until September.

3 comments:

Jean Coleman said...

It will be nice to have a break from school.

Unknown said...

Wrightslaw has been in my favorites for a long time, great call! Even though the laws are different in some ways, Wrightslaw is a wonderful reference tool for those issues that you are not sure you have covered completely. I also found a book a few years back, before I found this blog called "Exceptional Children - Ordinary Schools Getting the Education You Want For Your Special Needs Child" written by Norm Forman (one of the forwards is written by Richard LaVoie!). The book is great but what makes it truly wonderful is that it is Canadian! I can't remember where I got the book but found it on Amazon.ca for you - here is a link http://www.amazon.ca/Exceptional-Children-Ordinary-Schools-Education/dp/1550417592. Happy Summer everyone!

Michelle Morgan-Coole said...

Thanks for the link to the book, I'm not familiar with it. There's not a whole lot of info on Amazon though - any chance you can give me a little more detail about what it covers? Thanks.

BTW is that your review on Amazon?