VIDBE-Q Volume 67 Issue 4
Garrett. She will expand on her role as Ivey's intervener. I will weave the three
stories into one, using the thread of a parent.
Throughout this article, I will speak pointedly about my role as a parent and
as a key member of Ivey's IEP team. I have found that by applying IDEA to the
needs of my daughter, her academic success is without limitations. As a parent, I
also have the freedom to lead Ivey's IEP team down uncharted paths, even when
administration does not agree. I am the one person on Ivey's team that knows her
full story, every intricate detail. I started this journey at her birth and will remain
with her long after everyone in the school system is gone.
With that, let me introduce my daughter, Ivey. Ivey was born in April of
2006. The series of events that unfolded during Ivey's birth, with the exception of
her being a baby girl, was unexpected. Ivey emerged with a cleft lip and palate.
After she was whisked to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), it was
discovered that Ivey had bilateral anophthalmia (no eyes). From that moment
forward, Ivey's list of medical complications compounded. Within the first day, we
were told to be prepared, because Ivey would most likely not live through the
night. Three weeks into Ivey's NICU stay, we had her transported down to the
hospital chapel and baptized, while still preparing for her never to come
home. Yet, she defied the odds. Sixteen years ago, Ivey decided to live. Today, I
call that need to defy odds - her stubborn streak.
