We had our "big" meeting yesterday with several different agencies involved with helping plan Evan's future. It was a full table. There was a representative from: Vocational Rehabilitation, Learning Opportunities (a job coaching service), Regional Center (2 people), Senate Bill 40, Evan's former Sp. Ed. teacher, Harold & I. Whew! (Evan's boss from RAIL was unable to attend.) It was good to have everyone together at one time to compare notes & start working towards the same goal.
So what did all that get us? We learned of some funding sources that will enable us to get someone who can take him to physical therapy 3 times a week, which will be a huge help. Those same funding sources should be able to provide an aide to be with him during the hours when Evan isn't working but we are. The interesting thing about that discovery was that we have been asking the Regional Center case manager if there was any funding for exactly that. She always just put us off & acted like it didn't exist. However in yesterdays meeting, as she sat at a table with all the other agency reps, the SB 40 director looked at her & said, "There are funds available for this, correct?" My mouth dropped open when the case manager said yes! Where was that answer 3 months ago??? As Evan's Sp. Ed. teacher observed, some people just need pressure on them to do the right thing.
In some not-so-great news, we got a phone call today saying that Evan's funding for the aide he has now, which is through the Bureau of Special Health Care Needs, will run out by mid-November, not the end of the year like we had been lead to believe. That would have been a wonderful piece of info to know yesterday when we were telling everyone our son was covered until the end of the year!
All this juggling gets very tiring. I really miss the routine of Evan's school days, when I knew he had somewhere to go & something to do 8-3, Monday - Friday. At the moment I am pretty overwhelmed & in serious need of a vacation! We planned as best we could for his future & I know things will eventually even out. The getting there is a pain in the tuckus though.
In other news, I am trying to decide on the next novel my L/A class will read. Should it be "Tale of Two Cities" or "The Brothers Karamozov"? What do you think? I'm having them do NaNoWriMo in November, a move that made a couple of them happy & a couple not so happy. It'll be good for them though. Like eating spinach, only more creative. The NaNo people have come up with an actual curriculum for classrooms this year, which will help the kids get off to a strong start. While I won't be NaNo-ing in November, I do have 3 semi-decent stories from the past years I've done it. Check out the website for more info, if you've never heard of it.
My vote is for The Brother's Karamozov. (It's on my list of books I want to read before I die.)
And what you're having to go through with Evan's "people" makes me tired just reading about it. Sorry you're having to go through all that mess.
I've always wanted to participate in the NaNoWriMo. Maybe get past those six chapters of my novel sitting on my hard drive.
Posted by: tom | October 05, 2007 at 01:55 PM
O man, I am not looking forward to the end of school for my boy. New nightmare to learn. "Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Can you switch to an honest case manager?
Posted by: Anna | October 06, 2007 at 04:27 PM
Tom, thanks for the vote! One of my friends suggested I have half the class read one & half the class read the other & then have them teach each other!
Anna, it isn't that she isn't honest, just horribly,ummm, unmotivated...? Thanks for the scripture!
Posted by: Lori | October 06, 2007 at 04:36 PM
I hope things work out for Evan. I'm not looking forward to that transition, myself.
I vote for the Brothers Karamozov, which I haven't read. :-)
Posted by: Julana | October 24, 2007 at 03:57 PM