Customer Reviews

Case About Amy (Health Society And Policy)

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The Amy in this book is near and dear to my heart. And that is not because she shares the same name as me. Or that i find her story to be inspiring and uplifting. Rather i cherish this book because Amy was my teacher in college.

No, I am not deaf, nor hard of hearing. Rather I am an Occupational Therapist.

Amy was my sign teacher at Mt. Mary College and she brought to us a wealth of knowledge that has known little equal.

People talk about imersion schooling, that is what it was like with Amy. There was no talking just signing learning and growing. First with baby steps and then with leaps and bounds. She was not teaching us about how to communicate with her world... but rather how our world needs to open our eyes and communicate with hers.

This story is a great reflection of Amy's life. What her life was and the things that her parents fought and advocated for helped to form the truly magnicifient person that she is. As a result she has a special inner light that shines for all to see.

I now work in a school system, much thanks to Amy. Without her inspiration i don't know if would have choosen this path. It is not easy to fight for my kids to get them the services they need. Its never as easy as it could be... kids need services but money always drives that bottom line.

Perhaps this is a good book for any parent to read that has a child with special needs. Weather that special need means IEP or 504 it should matter not. We all have to advocate for the little ones... they are our hearts and our souls. If we be not the Gladiators to defeat the Lions... then I know not who will be the voice of those who have none.....

A Case about Amy by R.C. Smith. 1996. Temple University Press. 322 pages.

Smith takes a reader on a time odyssey (1976-1982) to witness a struggle of the Deaf parents of a Deaf daughter, Amy Rowley, and a hearing son endured through the maze of an education and court systems in their quest towards an equal opportunity for Amy enrolled in a public school.

His book, which took Smith about 12 years of researching and interviewing, illustrates how the systems of power could be shifted into their favor by manipulating the interpretation of loosely worded in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. And later in Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (PL 94-142), which was renamed Individual with Disabilities Act (IDEA). Instead of accepting the lower court's order to provide Amy Rowley a sign language interpreter, the school board appealed and argued over the definition of "equal opportunity" versus "full potential" or "appropriate education" that went all the way to Supreme Court.

Along that time odyssey Smith introduced the family's lawyer, Michael Chatoff, who turned deaf in his 20s and how he overcame unjust discrimination against him as he was striving to become the lawyer he was and argued the case for Rowleys at Supreme Court. Smith is successful in presenting an objective insight of the politics, controversial issues, and everyone revolving around and inside the community of Deaf citizens.

A reader may be stunned to learn that the judges of Supreme Court did not scrutinize the Act that was passed in Congress, and they decided that since her achievement tests scores proved that even without a sign language interpreter Amy was getting an appropriate education. As a result, the definition of "appropriate education" or "full potential" won over "equal opportunity." This decision was also cost effective for a public school to avert providing a sign language interpreter for Amy.

Hence, from that time odyssey, a reader questions the true intention of society at large in educating bright deaf children like Amy. Does the school board ever encourage deaf children to accomplish beyond the standard academic achievement expected of average hearing children?