I am a 1:1 aide. If the public or a parent were to ask, my
district would tell them that the district does not provide 1:1
aides. However, I am one, as are a couple of my coworkers. My
student is permanently confined to a wheelchair, as are 2 other
students I know of with 1:1 aides.

As the para, I obviously do not know all the details of my
student's case history. It is my understanding that my student
did not have a personal (1:1) aide in a previous district, but
that this student's parent was assured of receiving one by the
district I work for, after transferring here. It seems some
incidents involving the student occurred in the other district
as a result of inadequate attention to the student's personal
needs and limitations -- including one incident in which the
student was injured after being improperly secured on the
school bus. The parent of the student either hired -- or
threatened to hire -- an attorney to win proper care for the
student, i.e., a 1:1 aide.

Because of the incidents in the other district, the parent was
already quite familiar with how to best advocate for the
student, and was not afraid to say so when the family
transferred into our district. The parent and student had been
slighted by one district, and the parent planned to make
certain that didn't happen again.

The district I work for has bent over backwards, it seems, to
accommodate the physical, cognitive, and even social needs of
this student, in spite of the fact that my district has never
been negligent in the care of said student. I would like to
think my district is going above and beyond in the care and
accommodation of this student simply because it is the right
thing to do. But based on things I have been told and things I
have overheard, and because of the fact that funding is so
scarce in education, and based on my own experience with how
things work in public school districts, I have to believe the
parent must have secured -- or at least threatened to secure --
the services of an attorney or advocate who knew the law well
enough to get the needed services for the student without too
much of a fight from my district.

I guess the old adage holds true in this case: "The squeaky
wheel gets the oil." My student's parent knew what was needed
and said so; knew how to get what was needed and did so (or at
at the very least threatened to do so).

Wasub, I understand you are in a difficult position of wanting
to do what is best for your student(s), but having to closely
watch what you divulge to parents for fear of losing your job.
I wish I knew what the answer was. Seems like the only way
would be to anonymously suggest to the parents that they seek
out the guidance of an advocate or attorney. (?)

Good luck with your future 1:1 aide requests.

On 11/01/09, wasub wrote:
> 1. Have you ever had to request a 1:1 aide for a student?
> 2. Were you given the 1:1 aide?
> 3. How difficult is it to get a 1:1 aide assigned to a
> student?
> 4. If you were able to request and get a 1:1 aide, what
> process did you have to go through to get the 1:1 aide?
> 5. If you were denied a 1:1 aide, why what reasons were
> given for denying the request?
> Thanks! wasub

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