August 13, 2003

Dial 1-800 493-8990 for Expert Advice:

OU to Establish Telephone Hotline for Month of September to Address Concerns of Parents and Teachers of Special Needs Children

Responding to concerns that are particularly acute at the start of the school year for parents and teachers of special needs children, the Orthodox Union’s National Jewish Council for Disabilities (NJCD), sponsors of the Yachad and Our Way programs for young people with developmental disabilities and hearing impairments, has established a 24-hour telephone hotline to provide information and counseling services during the critical month of September.

The hotline number is 1-800-493-8990.

NJCD experts in the education of children with learning and developmental disabilities, as well as the physically challenged and hearing impaired, will respond to the queries. Messages left in non-business hours will be promptly returned during office hours. The children involved attend not only Jewish day schools, but in some cases public schools with special education programs.

“Children who have special learning needs are often caught between competing agendas and emotional issues involving parents, school personnel and other concerned people,” explained Dr. Jeffrey Lichtman, National Director of NJCD. “The beginning of the school year is one of several pressure points in time where tension and emotions run very high. NJCD/Yachad is in a unique position to provide help. As special educators and mental health professionals, we understand the unique challenges that families face; we have the experience of working directly with children and young adults with a variety of disabilities; and we have considerable experience and expertise working with schools. Our knowledge, our caring, and our expertise will allow us to provide answers and to facilitate communication to arrive at solutions so that each child can reach his or her potential and be successful.”

According to Dr. Lichtman, typical questions from parents might be as follows:

• My son was supposed to get speech therapy. The school says it has no therapists and he’s not getting therapy. What should I do?
• The Board of Education says my daughter goes to yeshiva and is therefore entitled to no special education services. Is that true?
• My child’s school (a yeshiva) is not following the Individual Education Plan and modifying my child’s program so he/she can be successful. How can I make it comply?
• My son’s yeshiva says he can’t stay there, that his educational and behavior issues can’t be handled by the school. Can you help me find a yeshiva for a bright boy with some minor issues?
• The private special education yeshiva is very expensive – is there scholarship money I could get to help pay for it?
• My child’s school insists he must be put on medication and see a therapist. Medication will hurt his growth and I can’t afford a therapist. What should I do?
• My child’s teacher refuses to make any modifications for my child – she says it wouldn’t be fair to treat any one child differently. Help!

Questions that teachers may ask include:

• One of my students has a very short attention span and tends to leave his seat and wander in the room during a lesson. What can I do?
• Parents contacted me to say that their child has an auditory processing deficit. Please give me some information about this and advise me on adapting my classroom to help the student succeed.

For further information, call Sharon Kolb, Education Service Director, at 212-613-8156.

The Orthodox Union, now in its second century of service to the Jewish community of North America and beyond, is a world leader in community and synagogue services, adult education, youth work through NCSY, political action through the IPA, and advocacy for persons with disabilities through Yachad and Our Way. Its kosher supervision label, the , is the world’s most recognized kosher symbol and can be found on over 275,000 products manufactured in 68 countries around the globe.

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