Education

My eldest son, J, who has autism (and for whom I write the other blog for), has been in the special schools system for around 5 years. He never started in mainstream at all. It was decided at nursery level that mainstream would not suit him, and so I never had a fight to get him suitably educated.

It is completly different with W.
There are no vision impaired schools, at all, within our local authority, and then there is only one school further afield ( 35 miles away) that is suitable from the age of eleven, and even then it would be a battle to get him in there due to red tape in opposing councils.

So W will have to attend a mainstream school. He will have to learn alongside fully sighted chidren.
He will get no real 'extra' help either.

The school would be able to apply for extra money to finance certain special equiment such as large print text books, a tilted table (if it helps him to read with his null point), marking stairs and steps out clearly with yellow, and perhaps an assistant that would shadow him and ensure he is confident moving around the school. The assistant though is usually a no no though as councils deem it too expensive, and as he is not in need of acute medical care, it is more a lifestyle assistance, they can, and most often do, refuse.

I feel very uneasy about sending him to mainstream.
I am not talking about sending him to a special school like J's which is set up for learning difficulties, as W appears to be neuro-typical, and it would not be suitable.
I do however feel he, and the many other children with vision impairment and blindness should have a school dedicated just for them.
Every aspect would be designed with their needs in mind and all the children would be comfortable in their surroundings, with staff fully converse in sight impairments.

In a mainstream school I would be on edge all day worrying about him. Tripping over simple objects. Falling up or down stairs or steps. Banging into walls, tables, chairs, doors, other children etc.

If you looked at the first video I uploaded in the previous blog entry you can see an example of how he sees stairs. He can not distinguish them at all.
This applies to other everyday things such as tables which are a similar colour to walls or floors. His eyes can not see that they are separate and therefore he is more likely to bump into them. Children are little whirlwinds, W no exception, and whizzing about here there and everywhere, playing chase games, he is likely to crash into many things.

I know children need to be children, but he is my baby and my need to protect him is immense (like most parents).
I want him to be able to learn with appropriate tools that are not different from everyone elses and where he won't be singled out as the 'special needs kid.'

It is early days still, I know, but sitting back and just hoping is never going to achieve much.
I may well have to fight for him to have an assistant to aid him in the first few months. To help him learn the layout of the school. To educate the children into why sticking their foot out to trip him up will not be tolerated. To make sure their resources for him are suitable. It's always a fight though.
Readers of my other blog will know how hard and how much I have to (as well as many other parents do too) fight for (sometimes) even basic things. This is another battle I have had to undertake, and although it is stressful and tiring, I know that I am doing it for the well being of my children , and that is always a good thing.