TODAY was a pretty good Monday for anyone who cares about our children with special needs and their parents. I received a written response from the United States Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS). This written response was to notify me that in fact OSERS has found the… Continue Reading OSERS has found the Michigan Dept. of Ed in violation of the IDEA 2004!
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#FreeHannahG from the clutches of Munson Hospital!
I am sharing this story from my dear friends, Calvin and Tricia Luker. They are fighting as they always do, with every ounce of strength, fortitude and courage of conviction. They are fighting to free Hannah G a 20 year old with an Autism Spectrum Disorder and other medical needs from the dangerous clutches of… Continue Reading #FreeHannahG from the clutches of Munson Hospital!
Oakland Community College in Violation of Section 504 & Title II of the ADA!
As the parent of a son with special needs and advocate to thousands of students with special needs, I fight unapologetically hard for their civil rights and right to a free and appropriate public education. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t an advocate for children. I believe in children, ALL children. I believe… Continue Reading Oakland Community College in Violation of Section 504 & Title II of the ADA!
U.S. Dept. of Ed, Office for Civil Rights finds MI Dept. of Ed in Violation of ADA & Section 504!
On February 18, 2014 I filed an online complaint with the United States Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights and alleging that the Michigan Department of Education’s webpage for a one-month public comment period on potentially devastating revisions to our special education rules was inaccessible. Sixteen months later and after a thorough investigation and… Continue Reading U.S. Dept. of Ed, Office for Civil Rights finds MI Dept. of Ed in Violation of ADA & Section 504!
Public Ed & A Dialogue Too Few Are Willing To Have!
So earlier this evening/late afternoon, I posted on Facebook about Dearborn Public Schools and both an ASD teacher and two speech clinicians with NO knowledge about Michelle Garcia Winner and her Social Thinking www.socialthinking.com that is used by countless districts across MI and America. Further, they had no knowledge about Sarah Ward and her extensive… Continue Reading Public Ed & A Dialogue Too Few Are Willing To Have!
Put America on Trial for the Crime of Poverty & Homelessness
I am in Boston with my son and the light of my life, Andrew. We were sitting in the lobby of our hotel and chatting with a woman who works in the hotel shop that sells newspapers, toiletries, souvenirs, etc. We have developed so many special relationships with employees in this hotel after 16 years… Continue Reading Put America on Trial for the Crime of Poverty & Homelessness
MI’s Proposal 1 went down in a show of bipartisan beauty!
Someone that I hold in the highest esteem wrote this email to Stephen Henderson, Detroit Free Press Editorial Editor. I could not have said it better and my feelings about not recognizing MI or our populace still hold true. If the MI Legislature passes bills that further erode a state I have lived in my… Continue Reading MI’s Proposal 1 went down in a show of bipartisan beauty!
Parents who lose a child, lose enough without adding isolation and loneliness….
Too few are willing to talk about the death of a child. I am not one of those people. I live in the trenches of this brutal reality on far too many days, as a parent, advocate and activist fighting for my child and all children suffering with more often misunderstood and poorly treated psychiatric… Continue Reading Parents who lose a child, lose enough without adding isolation and loneliness….
John Adams we need you!
Folks, I will undoubtably take heat for what I am going to say, but that has not stopped me before, nor will it curb me in the future when something I care about is at stake or under attack. We can respectfully agree to disagree about politics but we cannot ignore them because they… Continue Reading John Adams we need you!
Senators Alexander and Murray Get it Wrong for America’s School-Age Children
Today, Senator Lamar Alexander, Chair of the Senate HELP Committee and Senator Patty Murray, ranking Democrat, reached agreement on a reauthorization of the Elementary Secondary Education Act. They have titled their legislation, the “Every Child Achieves Act of 2015,”….I am gagging already. They think this is an improvement over the last reauthorization known as… Continue Reading Senators Alexander and Murray Get it Wrong for America’s School-Age Children