The Virginian Pilot newspaper, the daily newspaper for the Tidewater Virginia area, carried an article yesterday on deafblindness. The article can be found here.
The reporter did a good job writing this article - not a lot of depth of information, but at least enough to raise awareness. The conference, unfortunately, is being organized by a group of four frustrated parents, and will feature some 'experts' whose opinions are not the most well-respected in the deafblind community. I worry that teachers, administrators and other professionals who might attend will feel the anger and frustration and will leave with a negative opinion.
One of the most difficult things for very frustrated parents, in my opinion, is finding the balance between collaboration and effective advocacy. I wish there was a magic formula for that, but unfortunately there is not, and a negative result could be worsening relationships between parents and professionals. The children, I fear, will then bear the brunt of those poor relationships.
I hope things go well for these parents and for the conference and that the result will be an increased awareness of their children's needs.
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