Prong 1 - “ Is what he is being offered appropriate for him ?” If the answer is no , you go to Prong 2 . In a case where you ’ re suing , “ Is where you have him an appropriate setting ?” If the answer is yes to that , you ’ ve got a pretty good case . We ’ ve always had a pretty good case .
MP : You started Brooklyn Special Needs Consulting in the beginning of 2008 . Why ?
CAROL : A very close friend of mine was diagnosed with cancer the same week her son was identified as “ somewhere on the spectrum-ish .” He had been asked to leave his preschool as my son had . She called me up , told me about her cancer and said there was no way she could fight on both fronts . I said , okay , I can ’ t deal with the cancer . You do that , and I ’ ll deal with his education .
I felt that even though I had no experience advocating for autistic kids , I would be better than nothing , and what I found out about three months in was that there were lots of people trying their darnedest to get him services , and they weren ’ t very effective . I seemed to be able to get him services that other people weren ’ t getting and setting up meetings that other people weren ’ t able to get .
Once , I went to pick him up while his mother was having a medical procedure because his bus had not yet been decided .
They hadn ’ t ponied up with a bus , which is such a basic thing . If you don ’ t have a school bus to take you to school , then you literally do not have physical access to an education . So my son and I went to his school ( I was the emergency contact ), and there I was , holding the two little boys ’ hands on the playground , listening to this absurd assistance principal trying to bond with me over the difficulty of getting a bus . He was saying , “ Oh , it ’ s so impossible , and I ’ ve been calling ,” you know , casting himself as the hero .
And I just had it , and I said to him very loudly , “ Yeah , it is a shame that you can ’ t get the bus , and you know why it ’ s a shame ? It ’ s a shame because when this goes to due process , as I suspect it will , somebody ’ s going to get flooded with phone calls . I don ’ t think it will be the district , and I don ’ t think it will be the Office of People Transportation . I think it ’ s going to be YOU . You ’ re going
ZOOM Autism through Many Lenses 27