Carol's blog

(first off, welcome home Lisa!!  We missed you :)This year the Watertown community’s Deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened and Deafblind members can grab a “floating” sign language interpreter to connect with the many businesses, community organizations, artists, and other vendors at the ever popular Faire on the Square this coming Saturday September 27. Events take place in four adjoining locations: Saltonstall Park (on Main Street/route 20), in and around Town Hall (including the ball field), behind the Boys & Girls Club, and behind the Library (especially the parking lot). Interpreters are made possible by the Watertown Commission on Disability and can be found at the main information tent/Commission on Disability table on the Corner of Saltonstall Park on Main Street next to the Town Hall.  For more info contact Carol at:  camenton(at)tmo(dot)blackberry(dot)net (ps to Lisa: how to create space between paragraphs on the h2o blogs? grazie)

... not exactly Watertown-related, but pretty cool all the same ... check out www.wcod.org re: a Superbowl Pepsi ad!

(or go directly to the ad on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffrq6cUoE5A)

... there's also a cute 3-quarterbacks/Tom Brady joke going around ... but I'll spare you all :) (I'm not even remotely a football fan, baseball's my game... but this hype is just so contagious :)

Go Pats!

Watertown resident named this year’s “Hero among us” by the (once & again) fabulous Boston Celtics! Congratulations Jaimi!!

Check out: http://www.perkins.org/whatsnew/perkins-alumna-named-hero.html

Perkins Alumna named “Hero Among Us”

"When she was born deaf and blind, doctors told Jaimi Lard’s parents she would not be able to learn at all. But today Jaimi spends most of her time teaching others about the obstacles she faces – and overcomes – on a daily basis. Jaimi is a graduate of, and deafblind spokesperson for, the Perkins School for the Blind and she has been named this year’s “Hero Among Us” by the Boston Celtics."

The Watertown Commission on Disability joins the local, state, and national communities in honoring our veterans: http://www.wcod.org/archives/category/veterans/

... the Watertown Commission on Disability (WCOD) has a website! Check out www.wcod.org for the latest in disability and access issues in the community and beyond... ... join the discussion, post events, or community news (or even state, national or international news if you think it's relevant.) The website is an evolving project, so, contact us with feedback and comments. also contact us with questions and/or comments on access issues of all kinds in the community itself. And, a reminder: You can join the discussion *live* at WCOD meetings on the third Wednesday of each month, from 7pm to 9pm in the lower meeting hall at the town hall *except* for November's meeting which will be held on the fourth Wednesday, November 28, due to Thanksgiving.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” is due out within hours, check this out, from the Boston Globe's West Weekly section, at Perkins tomorrow (Saturday July 21) afternoon:

Harry Potter Extravaganza Saturday, 1-3 p.m., Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library, 175 North Beacon St. 617-972-7242. Please reserve in advance. Residents of Watertown, and Perkins library members, will have preference. Marching band, first chapter readings by Boston Celtics team members, crafts, snacks.

On the education front . . .

As part of its accountability system -- Coordinated Program Review System (CPRS) -- the Massachusetts Department of Education (DOE) oversees local compliance with State and Federal special education laws, including Chapter 766 and the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), State and Federal civil rights laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other State and Federal Requirements. This is done in a six-year cycle with a mid-cycle Special Education follow-up.

In March of last year the DOE conducted a Coordinated Program review of the Watertown Public Schools (see the full report here:
www.doe.mass.edu/pqa/review/cpr/reports/2006/0314.doc).

Areas assessed were: Assessment of Students, Student Identification and Program Placement, Parental Involvement, Curriculum and Instruction, Student Support Services, Staff and Administration, School Facilities, Program Plan and Evaluation, and Record Keeping.

The results, released just before Thanksgiving are dismaying: of the 59 categories assessed, Watertown was in full compliance in only 19. That means Watertown failed to meet the standards in 40 categories, or 67%.

Under DOE’s Coordinated Program Review System (CPRS), local school districts that fail to meet the standards must propose corrective actions to bring those areas into compliance with the respective statutes or regulations. According to the report, Watertown Public Schools must submit an Action Plan for corrective actions by January 11. Watch this space for the Action Plan once it becomes public.

Please note that the Wednesday November 15 meeting of the Watertown Commission on Disability will be held in the Watertown Savings Bank meeting room at the Watertown Free Library instead of the usual lower meeting room at the Town Hall.

As always, the meeting is from 7pm to 9pm.

Please note that the Wednesday November 15 meeting of the Watertown Commission on Disability will be held in the Watertown Savings Bank meeting room at the Watertown Free Library instead of the usual lower meeting room at the Town Hall.

As always, the meeting is from 7pm to 9pm.