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Success Stories
JUSTINA
Justina is a high school student who has a visual impairment and developmentaldelay. When she came to AFC for help, she had completed three years of high school but was reading at a 5th grade level and working at a slightly lower level in math. When talking with AFC staff, Justina’s mother admitted to being afraid of and confused by the NYC special education system. She felt that Justina’s school did not offer the services she required to learn and thrive,but had been unable to find her a better placement and felt overwhelmed. With the help of AFC, it was determined that previous evaluations of Justina’s abilities had been flawed due to poor accommodation of her visual impairment. AFC first arranged 10 hours a week of home instruction for Justina, then started the process of setting up a new neuropsychological evaluation and securing private tutoring paid for by the DOE and private school placement. She began classes in a private school with appropriate services in February. Her parent reports that Justina is doing well in her new school. Her new evaluation, conducted in April, stressed the importance of a 12-month school year, and AFC has sought to secure summer tutoring services for her.
MONICA
Monica, a highly motivated nineteen year-old with severe learning disabilities, was troubled when she discovered from a family friend that the diploma she was scheduled to receive, an IEP diploma, would not be sufficient if she wanted to attend a community college after high school. Monica and her mother first sought AFC’s services in November 2004 to help Monica receive a local diploma, as both felt that they had been cheated by the school system by Monica being ill prepared to survive in the world post-high school. In speaking with Monica’s guidance counselor, AFC staff discovered that she would have to pass at least three more Regents Competency Tests (RCTs) before she would be able to obtain a local diplomaEvaluations reported that her reading and math skills were on a third grade level and that she suffered from significant memory deficits, though she was extremely motivated and willing to improve her scores. She was not being offered the tutoring she needed from her school. AFC went to hearing on behalf of Monica and obtained 480 hours at Huntington Learning Center, for general tutorial services, and at Lindamood Bell, a nationally recognized reading remediation program. Monica has started her tutoring at both facilities and is making strides towards her goal of a local diploma.
JIMMY
When Jimmy was 5 years old his mother tried to register him for Kindergarten at his local zoned school. After a couple of hours, she was told that he couldn't stay there; that he needed to be evaluated. Mrs. Yasuda came to our office three years later. Jimmy was almost 8 years old, she thought he might be on the autism spectrum, and had never been back to school since that first day of kindergarten three years earlier. It is only with AFC's help that he did go back. When we met with him, we found him to be a bright, articulate child even though he had never gone to school. He was knowledgeable in many areas, but unfortunately because he didn't go to school, he couldn't read and didn't have any friends. Due to AFC's assistance, ultimately representing Mrs. Yasuda at a Committee on Special Education review, Jimmy was offered a placement in a great public school that would meet his needs. At the beginning of September when school opened, Jimmy was ready to go. Although his mother was worried about his behavior, he got on the bus without a problem, came home happy, said he had nice friends and a nice teacher. He is doing very well in school now. He has made a lot of progress, has learned to read, is good in math, is receiving speech therapy and counseling, and recently had a birthday party and invited all of his classmates.
DONALD
Donald was a 10-year old boy who loved to learn and who studied very hard. However, even though he worked hard in class and studied hard at home, he could not keep up with his schoolwork. His family had Donald evaluated and he was diagnosed with dyslexia. When his mother told the principal of his public elementary school that Donald was dyslexic, the principal said the school would not be able to help Donald since there were no Department of Education services available to address Donald’s needs. Donald’s mother was really upset by this news because she was supporting her family on minimum wage and had no money to pay for services for Donald. Her friend told her to call AFC for help. She called. AFC identified a possible school for Donald, The Sterling School, which serves dyslexic students, and assisted the parent in applying to Sterling. Through AFC, Donald was accepted to the Sterling School in September 2003. At a hearing, AFC was awarded full tuition for Donald and he also received money for transportation services. Donald is now thriving at the Sterling School, receiving the attention and services he needs.
MS.CAHILL
Ms. Cahill is a parent on a “thorough quest” looking for a Kindergarten program for her son. Here is her story, in her own words, of how our website, www.insideschools.org helped: “Thank you very much for visiting PS 121, The Throop School, in February 2005. This is our zoned school. My son was accepted to the West Side Montessori School, but we painstakingly declined the offer due to financial constraints. Finding a program that closely reflects our philosophy and addresses our concerns has been quite a challenge in the Bronx. However, I was pleased to see such a satisfactory review of PS 121 [on Insideschools.org]. It made me feel more comfortable with the possibility of my son attending Kindergarten there, and prompted me to visit the school for a second visit…I have used this site throughout my search and am so thankful for this wonderful resource, which I read about in the Real Estate section of The New York Times a few months back. I also got Clara Hemphill's book as a guide. I will continue to recommend this site to others, as well as using it myself. Thank you, thank you!”
KAY
Kay was a 19-year-old pregnant, immigrant student living in a homeless shelter when she first came to AFC for assistance. Kay desperately wanted to graduate from high school and she was only a few credits short of being able to obtain a regular high school diploma. But, she was pregnant. This meant that her high school in Brooklyn sent her to a school for pregnant students where the students were encouraged to get a GED instead of a high school diploma. Kay was very distressed by this and although Kay did not know what to do, AFC did. AFC was able to enroll her in a summer school program and then into a small school in the Bronx that offered daycare for her child. Kay graduated on June 28th with a Regents diploma one month before she turned 21 and has moved into permanent housing with her child.
GEORGE
George, an extremely bright and motivated 19-year-old with a severe learning disability, could not read. He had dropped out of high school in the 11th grade due to his frustration and embarrassment with his inability to read. No one in any of George’s schools ever identified that he was illiterate. Year after year George went to school and he desperately tried to get help for his reading disability but received none. George came to AFC and told us of his desire to obtain his GED and finding a steady job so that he can start a family. But George could not take the GED because he could not read. AFC took George’s case to a hearing where we won the right to have George attend the nationally recognized reading remediation program, Lindamood Bell. George has since received many hours of one on one individualized tutoring. George is finally learning to read and on his way to a GED.
JONAH
At age 15, Jonah had been involved in a family court matter and sent to juvenile detention upstate. Jonah turned his life around there. Jonah had decided that he wanted to graduate from high school and even go to college. While upstate, Jonah moved up almost three years in math and reading levels by studying hard. However, Jonah’s plans were shattered when he came back to New York City. His school district illegally refused to let him go back to school and, as a result, he missed six months of his education. In addition, he was told that his records were lost which meant that all his hard work would have been for nothing. AFC took his case and through our advocacy, the City found Jonah’s records and sure enough, he had enough high school credits to be an 11th grader. Jonah is now back in school and through AFC, Jonah is on his way to a private cooking school fully funded by the City who lost him.
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