Go to the PUBLIC SPEAKERS portion of this School Board Meeting. Mariah is the first Public speaker called. Fast forward to 144:15 on the Video. I speak after her at 149:35 on the Video.
A copy of Mariah's speech was handed out to each of the School Board members so if some of the words that were difficult for her to pronounce weren't clearly understood by all, then the board members and the school superintendent were still able to know what she was saying to them publically.
Mariah presented herself with such style, grace and professionalism! For being so brand new to public speaking she is only going to get better at it and have a heck of a lot more confidence the more she does it! Gosh darn it I am so proud of her and her ability to stand at that podium all by herself and do her best.
By allowing Mariah to do things like this, it is paving the way for her to be a more confident SELF-ADVOCATE for the rest of her life! It is also very much showing the Public how CAPABLE she is! How ABLE our students are if provided a way!
Here is her speech:
Hi !!
*Pause & SMILE
My name is Mariah
Harris, I am 14 years old and in the 6th Grade.
I am in the Nova U-Na-Ver-ciTy
School of the ARTS Drama Camp.
I am a dancer, singer,
actress and will be in the Disney MULAN show August second.
I have teachers and
helpers that support and BELIEVE IN ME!
Want to come see me on
the stage at the EP-STEEN Center?
I went to Horse Camp
for 2 weeks and had a lot of FUN!
FIRE is the name of my
horse.
I met new friends that
liked me and BELIEVED IN ME at the Ranch!
I am on the SWIM TEAM
at River Land Pool.
Back Stroke is my best
stroke. I Like doing Free Style and I'm learning the Butterfly.
I love going to Swim practice every day!
I love going to Swim practice every day!
My Coaches BELIEVE IN
ME!
I love going to the
Movies and Cooking.
I am having a Great
Summer.
I need people to
BELIEVE IN ME and see that I CAN do it!
Do not JUDGE me
because I have Down syndrome!
I am Mariah Harris, I
love school and I'm a good student!
I have always been
fully IN-CLUDed with an adult to help me.
BELIEVE IN and
IN-CLUDE more students with Down syndrome in all of our schools!!
Have a good day!
Thank you very much.
SMILE
Mariah Harris
321funlife@gmail.com
(954) 205-0016
321 FUN ~ Mariah’s
Life Blog
Mariah's Speech to
Broward School Board Meeting on July 22, 2013
Mariah needs a Speech COACH to help her with doing public reading & speaking, to help her with her 'speech skills', articulation and her reading fluency. This is what she needs help with now if she wants to become a more polished public speaker. Who wants to help?
To see Mariah's mom (Nancy Linley-Harris) speaking after her daughter, go to 149:35 on the Video. Here is my written speech that was handed out to all the school board members:
July 23rd, 2013
Nancy Linley-Harris to School Board Meeting at Broward
County Public Schools.
Good Afternoon Superintendent Runcie and School board
members of Broward Public Schools,
Today, I will be speaking on behalf of students with Down
syndrome and ALL Special Ed Students that are being forced to be WAREHOUSED at
certain schools in ESE classrooms in Broward County Public Schools.
My name is Nancy Linley-Harris and I live in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida. On May 24th I removed my daughter with Down
syndrome from Broward County Public School District because I was being
retaliated against for being an outspoken Advocate for the rights of my
daughter to be ACADEMICALLY EDUCATED to learn and earn a real High School
Diploma. My daughter was being forced out of all regular classes and was
prevented from taking the State exams any longer. The ESE Department & the
Due Process department for Broward County Public Schools did all they could to
prevent my daughter and others like her from being treated with respect and
educated with their classmates without special needs in the least restrictive
classrooms, which is a regular classroom.
*How many students are being forced out of their
neighborhood schools because of having a disability? This seems to be a Civil
Rights concern here in Broward County Public Schools.
A mom of a 5 year old with Down syndrome recently contacted
me and let me know that she had filed for a Due Process Hearing, because
Broward Schools is refusing to allow her son to go to Kindergarten at the
school that is just a few blocks from her house, which is HAWKE’S BLUFF Elem. She
told me that Broward Schools is forcing him to have to attend a school that is
almost 6 miles away to be in a segregated special ed classroom at PEMBROKE
LAKES.
The parents are not agreeing to this and have let the school know they
would like to have him be included in a regular Kindergarten classroom with his
neighborhood friends that he knows. This little guy has already been attending
HAWKE’S BLUFF ELEMENTARY School for 2 years already because of the 3-5 year old
Early Intervention classes that used to be called the PLACE Classrooms for
students with disabilities. I am asking;
“Why HAWKE’S BLUFF is even allowed to say, “NO” to this particular student?”
Is this school and this district
DISCRIMINATING AGAINST Students with Down syndrome from even being allowed to
attend their neighborhood schools anymore? I THINK SO!
Please School board
members, there needs to be an investigation into the INCLUSION Practices that
this District is doing, because it is the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA) that provides the FEDERAL FUNDS to help educate our
students with Disabilities.
From what I am seeing as happening in Broward
County Public Schools is; our students with Disabilities MATRIX FUNDS are being
used to WAREHOUSE our Children into schools and classrooms that not all parents
of these children agreed to and ultimately parents are forced into filing a Due
Process.
How much money is the district spending on the Due Process for
families like this one? Parent just wanting there child to attend the school
down the street and to go to a regular kindergarten class with the neighborhood
friends.
School Board members of Broward County Public Schools, for
the record, I would like to know how much is this District spending from our student’s
special education funds by NOT ALLOWING our students with disabilities into the
regular classrooms, from being educated academically so they can learn and earn
a high school diploma.
As an Advocate for the Disability Community, I am asking; “HOW
MUCH DOES THIS DISTRICT RECEIVE IN Special Ed Matrix FUNDS federally and thru
the State Special Ed Funds from FDOE?” “What is the amount for the entire
district and how is that being spent?”
“HOW IS BROWARD SCHOOLS SPENDING our children’s ESE funding
that’s there to help educate our Special needs children?”
This school district does not BELIEVE IN
students…….especially the students needing the most support that comes with
extra funding to help educate them, students with disabilities!
Stop forcing
parents to file Due Process Hearings, because we want our children to attend
their neighborhood school and be included in regular classes.
We want our Teachers
to BELIEVE IN our children and to TEACH our children. Where is the training for
the teachers and staff? Stop the Discrimination & Segregation of our
students with Disabilities!
How are you spending our Special Education Funds in Broward
Schools?
I want to know if my daughter’s ESE Matrix Funds were
actually spent on educating her instead of allowing Parkway Middle’s ESE
teachers and staff to attend 10-IEP meetings to go against my wanting her to
continue to be fully included and to be educated academically so she too could
learn to earn a real high school diploma.
Nancy Linley-Harris
(954) 612-2997
DS Advocate BLOG
My Message to the Down syndrome Community:
If more parents of DS go before school boards with the same message - it would speak volumes across the Nation & the World. What I have found here where I live is that parents are afraid to speak out - Knowing that makes me feel more obligated to be that voice for many of them!
My daughter "learning to speak publically" is amazing to be part of with her! She has no fear of Public Speaking! I see it as her Self-Advocacy "training" as well for Mariah and showing our Community that she IS CAPABLE of so much more than our schools want to believe. She is gaining more confidence each time she speaks!
I would encourage more parents to help our children show your community that our children and young adults with Down syndrome have so much to give!! The Public needs to SEE our children being successful, if that means giving a simple message before your school board and learning how to give a speech with a real microphone than so be it! I'm pretty sure many of our kiddos love the "stage" and will do anything to have an opportunity to speak into a microphone.....without it being taken away from them. My daughter like many with Down syndrome loves "the stage!!"
Out of the mouths of children: The result of having goals and striving for them - despite the Florida DOE's resistance.
ReplyDeleteMariah shows us why accountability and the expectation of excellence is not just about grades, it's about being human and striving - shame on you Tallahassee DOE, shame!