SEASONS!
Greetings Family!
I hope all is well with you and yours...
Today, I would like to share some reflections. As I had mentioned before there was a major loss in our family this past April; and if I am honest, we have had major losses for the last 5 or more years. Close cousins, Matriarchs of the family, uncles, friends, brothers. It has been a tough year right out of the gate and I was not emotionally equipped to handle any of it. Add to that the ever changing dynamics of my family! The boys are now young adults, I have no more K-12 students in my house. Facing the world of Autism again, this time with adults, is just as intimidating and scary as it was when my husband and I started this journey almost 22 years ago.
I didn't want that fight. Not again. The boys' transition from high school to "real-world" experiences had gone swimmingly well for one, and not so great for the other. Like any parent, I assessed their strengths and challenges to come away with a viable strategy to help both of them. The one was curious enough to try community college and the other showed that he could benefit from more direct training in a small intimate structured environment. Doesn't seem problematic? Right?
Fair warning, if you are thinking of sending your LD adult child or disabled adult child into a higher education environment just know that the following conditions may apply: prospective students are expected to pass a regular entrance exam in Math and English; despite the Guardian or Parent sending in documentation supporting the student's need for accommodations, one hand does not know what the other is doing!; Departments do not communicate as regularly as they should. Be prepared to keep a copy of your order of Guardianship with you on your phone at all times because you may have to assist with read-a-loud or any other assistance that is needed; Also, IEP's and 504's don't mean a hill of beans in this world of academia. No guidance, buddy system or mentoring club is available. No assignment reductions are sanctioned because that is seen as changing the curriculum. WHATTTTT??? So, if your student is not capable of creating a 5 paragraph essay but is capable of answering the subject matter in 5 sentences, then the assignment is considered incomplete.
I could go on and on about the short comings we have experienced because our son's community college is reactive, not proactive; instead I am happy to report that the needs of the student as an individual have been heard, even though they may fall outside the perimeters addressed by ADA. As a direct result of parent involvement (the whole squeaky wheel thing) and compassionate staff, new community partners have been added to help our student(s) adjust to life outside of high school.
Whew! I can't tell you how many iced coffees (no added sugar) I have drank in the last 4 months so, I could try to not fall out during this marathon of investigating, learning, talking, emailing, hounding people to get the needs of my son met. He aspires to earn a degree and its our duty to help him attain it.
By, February between teaching Economics (my day job) and dealing with all of these hurdles, I was ready to collapse. My sisters tried to rescue me and offer me a birthday trip to Arizona where I could relax, decompress and unclutter my mind but, of course, life happened and the trip has been put on hold.
Reader I will give you a minute to digest this information and come back with Part 2 of Seasons!
Sj
ps. I would read Romans 8:28 till the end if you are a believer in the Risen Lord Jesus Christ! That has been my lifeline.
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