Update on Wheelchair Story

I feel like I should update you on the story about the little boy in a wheelchair who missed his field trip because the school was told the train the students were taking wasn't wheelchair accessible. Some parents are outraged the school didn't offer to take the child by bus, others are mad at me for doing the story and others say the school does a great job of including kids with special needs. I am still getting emails and comments on this story five days later!

No matter which side of the story you are on, this really struck a cord. I talked to the state yesterday and got the impression that there are a lot of kids in Woodford County who need special care. The woman I spoke with said she isn't sure if there are more kids with special needs in this county than in other parts of the state.

It sounds like getting care for kids with special needs is very challenging. Some of these kids have nurses who go with them to school. Some of them need nurses, but don't qualify. I never realized what these parents go through. It has to be frustrating to be constantly fighting for you child, whether it's at school, daycare, or at the playground. This is a world most of us probably don't understand.

Here's the story we ran on WHOI last week. I just put it on you tube. I am probably opening a whole other can of worms by doing that, but if people are this fired up about this topic, I thought I should make it easy to email the story to others. Maybe we need to talk about it more.

Update from District #60

I just talked to District 60 Superintendent Rohn Peterson. He said he was sent a letter on Friday from a mom detailing some problems she has with Special Education in Woodford County. He said some of the things she mentioned, like not enough handicap parking, are things he is now working to fix. He said the letter mentioned handicap parking at Sowers Elementary school in Roanoke, but he noticed Roanoke-Benson high school doesn't have very many handicap spaces either. "I got my own parking spot when I started working here(this year). That's kind of old school too. We can take that one out and make it handicap. That's more up to date with what needs to be done, " he said.

Other issues that have been mentioned are crowded classrooms without enough teacher's aides. Superintendent Peterson said he will be looking into this to see if it's a problem. He said, "There are two things to think about here. What does the law require? What is good for kids? So we want to make sure we are doing what's best for kids. Maybe the federal guidelines we are within, but if we're still feeling crunched, we need to address that. Maybe the aides can technically work this many hours, but in reality, we need to discuss that and figure out what we need to do."

Superintendent Peterson said any parent with concerns can contact Woodford County Special Education Director Joan Hartnett. He said if the parents don't feel comfortable talking to her, they can contact him.

Update from Dakota's Mom

Sophia Senn said she has learned a lot from this situation and she will continue to be an advocate for her children. She did call Amtrak. The company offered her family round trip tickets to Chicago. She said she is not sure if she will be able to use them, but she appreciates the offer. Dakota and his sister will both be in continuing education this summer through Woodford County and she is thrilled about that.

If you want to email the original story and all the comments that go along with it, just copy and paste this link into an email: NewsAnchorMom.com Wheelchair Story

You can also find more comments on WHOI.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Marketing at Autism One

I was shocked and a little skeptical by products that are targeted at kids with special needs after attending the Autism One Conference in Chicago last weekend. I am sure some people think some of the products presented really do help their kids, but there probably are some product owners who are trying to take advantage of these parents. I couldn't stop thinking "Why is this product targeted at kids with Autism? These vitamins are something all kids could use. Or this comfy chair is something I would like. What's with all these products marketed for autism?"

I don't have a child with autism, so maybe those who do appreciate all the merchandise. I just wonder if the owners take the products to different conferences around the country and have new signs made for each disorder/disease. Can you just picture the briefcases full of signs: "Helps kids with Autism!" "Great for kids with Muscular Dystrophy!" "What kids with Cystic Fibrosis really need!" "The best invention for kids with Cerebral Palsy."

Maybe I am just being obnoxious here, but I felt like I was walking into a big sales pitch. There was a lot of pressure to buy from some of the people. I wanted to put on a shirt that said, "I am with the media and I am not doing any stories on your product." Maybe that way I could have looked around and not been so aggravated. Maybe it's just high pressure sales in general that turns me off.

Has anyone else dealt with this? Am I being too sensitive? Does anyone have any advice for parents who deal with this? How are you supposed to know which products might really help your child and which ones are just people trying to make money?

(This is not a jab at the conference at all. The speakers were great and I was honored to be invited. This whole topic of high pressure sales to certain groups of people just made me wonder if I am the only one who thinks this.")

UPDATE: Coincidently, I just found this article that kind of talks about this. Strange.

Here's what one parent said:

"I bought enzymes and supplements from America, which cost a fortune. I even paid thousands for a special mattress, blankets and pillows with magnets sewn into them that the sales people promised would do wonders but, of course, didn’t work.
‘Autism is seen by some people as big business.
‘I meet parents who want a cure and spend money in the hope they’ll have a normal child. I try to warn them that there is no evidence any of these things work, but they’ll often go ahead."

Just to be clear, I have talked to parents of children with autism who say their children have recovered. I think that is fabulous! Whether outsiders believe these children are autism free or not, who cares. If the child and family feel they have created a better quality of life, that is wonderful!

-NewsAnchorMom Jen