Petition by DogForDevyn: Please go out and view Devyns message and please share with others. The DOJ has investigated and they are breaking ADA law, but the school is refusing to back down and is forcing a federal case. On the advice of the DOJ we have to bring so much public pressure to bear that they will back down. It costs the district NO additional money for the existing aide to give dog commands. https://m.youtube/watch?v=rcKWH3NgwaQ Chili, NY: Seven year old Devyn Rose Pereira has Angelman’s Syndrome which is a rare genetic condition (1 in 15,000) that presents as having an extreme case of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Epilepsy. Hannah, her seizure alert service dog provides life-saving assistance by effectively alerting caregivers before seizures happen, providing time to prepare and sometimes bypass the event altogether. The dog also helps Devyn walk, stay with her teachers and classmates via her tether, and as result of her support, Devyn is better able to learn. Hannah is extremely well-trained, and does not require much more than a bowl of water during the school day. In preschool Devyn’s 1:1 aide worked with Hannah and gave her voice commands when necessary. This arrangement worked extremely well for both Devyn and her teachers. However when Devyn transitioned to kindergarten, GCCSD removed Hannah from Devyn’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) without notification to the family and against the recommendations of Devyn’s medical team. Devyn’s mother was told that none of the teachers or aides in Devyn’s classroom would be permitted to help Devyn with her service dog in any way. Because Devyn is developmentally delayed and functionally nonverbal, she cannot handle her service dog without some support. As a result of GCCSD’s decision to prevent any of its school employees to provide the necessary assistance, Ms. Pereira was forced to use her own financial resources to hire a full-time dog handler to go to school with Devyn. Ms. Pereira and her attorneys from Empire Justice have attended numerous meetings since the service dog was removed from the IEP in hopes of finding a resolution. When the district was not moved by Ms. Pereira’s pleas to compromise, she was left with no choice but to file a complaint with the United States Department of Justice. The complaint alleged that by refusing Devyn any support in working with her service dog, GCCSD was acting in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Ms. Pereira did not ask the school district to hire a full-time dog handler. She proposed that the district keep the setup that worked in preschool, which was to have Devyn’s existing 1:1 aide be trained to support Devyn in working with her service dog. This setup was not only cost effective, but was also a wonderful way of meeting Devyn’s needs in the least restrictive way. The DOJ opened an investigation in August of 2013 and has been in ongoing communication with both sides for over a year. In spite of the DOJ’s involvement, GCCSD has given no indication to Devyn’s family, the concerned community members, and politicians such as Mark Assini, that it will change the way the district is accommodating Devyn’s needs. Very rarely does anyone (especially a public school funded by the taxpayers) risk going to federal court rather than work to find a compromise. The family is grateful for the thousands of people who have expressed support on the “Dog for Devyn” Facebook page. They hope that the community will continue to rally behind this very important issue and help GCCSD recognize that it needs to change the way it is accommodating Devyn’s needs so a long, costly federal court case can be avoided. The hardship of supplying a handler could one day force Ms. Pereira to a breaking point where she has to put her daughter’s educational and medical wellbeing at risk. If Devyn is forced to attend school without Hannah, the separation would have a devastating effect on the bond between Devyn and Hannah, Devyn would lose much of the educational progress she has made with Hannah’s help over the last three and a half years, and her family would lose the peace of mind knowing her service dog is there to alert and interrupt her life threatening seizures. Devyn’s family maintains that the school district should be helping her access the supports she needs to be happy, healthy, and safe when she is under its care. ### More about Devyn’s background can be found on FB: facebook/dogfordevyn or on YouTube, search for “Service Dog Denied: Devyn’s Story”: https://youtube/watch?v=HT2qhNPTTFk)
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 20:02:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015