I would like to hear more from the community about these and other disability issues in the CNMI – about vocational rehabilitation needs, for example, special education programs, and assistance that is available for families caring for loved ones with disabilities.

Tina,

I have worked in the public schools in Saipan. I know many educators like myself who truly feel frustration at the school level when it comes to helping our SPED students. One goes back to the continued overcrowding, understaffing, and underfunding of our schools. Another goes back to the special nature and sensitivity training that must be used to enhance their learning. Look at the newspaper once in awhile and they’ll put some awful messages that our local leaders can’t allocate tax dollars back into PSS and PSS’s increasing reliance on federal monies. Like many struggling islanders, I want change in PSS and would like to see our community leaders nurture ALL students including those in SPED.

My questions are

What would you do to improve SPED education in the CNMI?
Have you ever worked with SPED students or public schools?
What makes you qualified to make those decisions for our children? I am sorry but I really could care less about keeping the handicaped lines painted in front of a gov’t office than having running (clean) water clean classrooms, and running lights (you can’t teach in the dark).

You emphasize strongly our brotherhood/sisterhood with Tinian and Rota in the development of our economic niches, but I believe that these islands have reaped more of a benefit from our once booming economy than we have from theirs. In one way, why haven’t I heard of any massive blackouts out Tinian or Rota?? Do they have better generators/ or newer ones? What about the possiblity of swapping generators or at least rotating the old ones?

Also, do you have an opinion on physical education in high schools after the death of a PSS student on Tinian?

Thank you for any future response to my concerns.

ADA – get the justice department involved. There are blatant federal laws that continue to be violated. Government agencies receiving federal funds are mandated to comply with federal laws.

Tina et al,

I’m jumping in a little late on this posting, but seems appropriate for me to comment–I recently ended a four year stint as Administrator for one of our public elementary schools and am currently employed as Program Manager for NMPASI (local advocacy group for people with disabilities).

Generally speaking, the best way to address the needs/resolve problems of people with disabilities seems to be on a case-by-case basis. In cases of students with disabilities, the right to a Special Education is afforded via the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)…emphasis on the Individual. In short, if a child/student is not receiving an appropriate education which is determined by a team of folks who are most familiar with the child’s needs then specific action can be taken to insure that the child gets what he/she needs. Similarly, issues regarding a lack of enforcement of ADA with respect to accessibility in Public Facilities are really only at issue when a person is denied access (i.e.- discriminated on the basis of disability) and that person takes appropriate action to resolve the problem.

Our office can provide information and referral services relating to disability law or provide direct representation (either via administrative remedies or in court). For more, please feel free to check with us at nmpasi.com or contact me directly — Office numbers: (670) 235-7273/4 [voice] / 235-7278 [tty] / 235-7275 [fax].

Hope to hear back. Yours, Jim Rayphand

I thought I’d post an item that was published in both local papers yesterday. Thank you.

A RESEARCH team from the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Universal Design and the Built Environment at the State University of New York at Buffalo is conducting online surveys examining how designed environments affect individuals’ activities.
The environments being studied are public buildings, streets and residences.
If you think you might be interested in participating or would just like additional information, go to the research study’s Web site at http://www.udeworld.com/research/index.php.
The surveys will be available online through Jan. 2008.

Sorry, the correct link (w/o the “.” is:

http://www.udeworld.com/research/index.php