changing times

your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. and most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. they somehow already know what you truly want to become. everything else is secondary.- steve jobs

have we gone back to the 80s? it's crazy to see the fashions that are on the horizon. mc hammer pants? really? but...they call them harem pants now. it's going to be funny over the next months to see these 80s fashion trends evolve.

what else is changing? well... i've been researching rhode island like a mad woman. internet. emails. phone calls. houses to rent. potential schools. deaf/hard-of-hearing (DHH) services. what i've discovered is that rhode island is way behind the times when it comes to oral DHH. kiele currently receives real-time transcription in her classes (kind of like a court reporter--kiele has a computer, the transcriber has a computer, and then the transcriber types every word that is said in the class...it then feeds real-time to kiele's computer for her to read). i guess you could say it's a bit like closed-captioning on your TV, which we just happen to use 100% of the time in our house. sooo, through my research, i've discovered that no DHH child in rhode island has or has had real-time transcription. i plan on confirming this by inquiring statistics from the special education department via the public records act. what does this all mean? it means that i very well may face quite a bit of resistance, in getting kiele the appropriate services for her DHH needs, if we move to rhode island. i've heard things like,

get your boxing gloves on you're in for a fight you'll most likely end up in court with the district.

i know how to fight the fight, if i have to but the problem is...i don't have the time in rhode island. we're there for ONE year.

is it worth it to do the move? is it worth it to displace the family, to only end up displacing them again in one short year? is it worth it to go to rhode island, where everyone has told me i'm in for a fight to get kiele what's educationally appropriate?

but then i switch gears, when the other side of my brain kicks in, and i think...

is it fair to the little ones to be apart from their daddy for a year (on top of the 7 months they will have just done)? maybe this is how things were meant to be...and i can advocate for the rhode island DHH kids and families, who might not know any different.

i was speaking with one lady in rhode island special education yesterday and after i shared with her that we are a progressive DHH family and that i'm well aware of what is appropriate for kiele's needs and i'm willing to fight for what's appropriate, she sarcastically said:

good for you. maybe you can go into law making while you're here too.

well, she better watch out b/c if i do end up in rhode island...while i might not end up in law making, i will surely advocate for others on what is possible and that they can fight for what is appropriate for their child. and hopefully pave the way and make a difference for others that might not know any different than the DHH ways and thinking that currently exist in the state.

i don't know the answers at the moment. i really have no idea at this point what we will end up doing--staying here or moving to rhode island with steve. i have to sit back for a bit and just digest this all. then i have research some more and digest some more. and i haven't even had the opportunity to talk to steve about all this b/c he's been so busy in iraq. the poor guy just keeps getting my stressed out emails.  it's hard (some days harder than others) but no matter what, i can promise you one thing...i will have given my all and done my best to try and make the best decision for our family.