All I knew was that in the school there was this special education program for my child. So, what I did was to go to that program and enroll my child. But the program didn’t have anybody on board for this type of education and since I was the parent who went to see the doctor with my child they assumed I knew what I was doing.
During our every meeting we had everyone asking this question: What shall we do? So how could our Individual Education Plan work when everyone was asking me what I wanted them to do and what was my child’s illness even after I gave them the examination report? They keep saying that I should know what my child wanted.
Sadly, I didn’t know because the doctor only gave me the examination report, but not information about this illness and how to help my child.
Here’s a list of what they offered:
They could help my child plan a career and from high school transfer to college, then from college to work.
They told me to check NMPASI which could advocate for us.
They said after high school OVR could help my child get a job.
There were more, but I think these are enough to give you an idea.
I tried going to all of these recommended agencies but everyone seemed to not understand what my child wanted, which was to get education or training that could help my child find a job that my child like.
Every time I tried to help my child, my child would tell me that I couldn’t be trusted anymore.
The jobs that I got for my child involved maintenance and the agency told me there was nothing they could do because that was all they had.
The doctor told my child, “You could work,” but the doctor never helped us or guided us.
My child is still unable to live independently and the doctor is not providing treatment to help my child recover because the government doesn’t have money to pay for the doctor to provide my child’s medical needs.
OVR cannot help my child get a job because there is nothing available for the career that my child wants, and no one wants to hire a trainee for that career. They are only offering maintenance and security.
Social Security won’t provide my child security supplemental income because the doctor to whom they sent my child said my child can work, but how can my child work when everyone does not want to hire my child because of my child’s conditions and my child does not know how to address his needs without their assistance?
My child wants to know why did the doctor tell him that he is sick and not help him address his needs to live independently.
He said, “I can’t say anything because of my illness. No one would trust or believe me that I can work and this doctor who said I’m sick and can work won’t help me explain to these people that I can work even with this condition.”
I think we need to tell these people where to get what they need or guide them to get it. And for my child’s needs, the doctor needs to be in the individual transition plan to guide us, so that together we can provide him with all the services he needs, since he, the doctor, was the one who told us that he is ill. Don’t you agree?
WINNIE ATALIG
San Jose, Tinian
