Help save the future of the School for the Blind

Help save the future of The School for the Blind

The people who have signed this petition are in strong opposition of the Iowa Board of Regents decision to close the Iowa Braille School in Vinton, Iowa. This decision to mainstream these students into public schools negatively affects these students who will go from full-time specialized instruction, that they would receive at the Braille School, to around only three hours of instruction a week that they would receive at a public school, severely limiting their ability to function independently in school and life activities, thus hindering their impact on society.
According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment and independent living. It also ensures that the rights of children with disabilities as well as their parents are protected.
Part D of this law states how schools and state agencies should teach the disabled, and it also holds them accountable for this. Part D is also reinforced by the No Child Left Behind Act and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The public needs to have these legal rights met because the closing of the Braille School indicates that the voices of blind children, their parents, and the general public are being ignored.
We, as signers of this petition urge you to see that the laws, and procedural safeguards are being followed in order that childrens and parents rights are being met.