Hi, I would like to share my story with you. Yesterday on June 25,2008, I took my daughter to her first creative dance class at peterson
park in chicago, She was so excited and so was I. We walked in waited a couple minutes, met the Instructor of the class, She seemed ok.
then we all went upstairs parents and students. My daughter has Apraxia and signs of Autism, And she is a runner (bascilly she runs away).
So they told all the girls to sit down, delia sat then she wanted to explore the place, no one even cared that my daughter wanted to play on
the balance beam and all the other apparatus's, she could've got hurt and they didn't care they kept rolling there eyes at her, my sister
and I were trying to get her to go by the instructor, she went back did a couple things with the class and then ran again, when delia came
back by the class, the instructor was passing out coloring pictures of a little girl in a ballet outfit and totally ignored my daughter and she
didn't recieve one. At this point i was not in a good place. So then they did a couple other things, Then it was hula hoop time, So the
instructor was passing all the hula hoops out to all the girls, When my daughter went up to ask for one (note: my daughter has Apraxia of
speech) The instructor acted like she didn't know what my daughter wanted, she kept saying to her what, what, what over and over it was
very disturbing. Then she pointed to the hula hoops like go get your own, This really hurts me that really wasn't right , Why couldn't she just
pass her one so my daughter don't have to feel like ***. So my daughter got a hula hoop my sister was helping her cause the instructor
and "helpers" were not helping her, Then my daughters hula hoop hit one of the "helpers" leg with it on accident and she rolled her eyes
and acted like my child was deseased and moved away from her. So the whole time during the class everytime one of the little girls would
run off or want to explore they would call them back to play with them, Not once did they call my daughter back. They constantly had a
negative attitude towards my child. The instructor wanted to cut the class off early the class starts at 5:45 and it ends at 6:45, And she
said at 6:20 well lets go down stairs to end the class, thats not right. so when all the parents and students left my sister and I waited till
they left to talk to her. I asked her about the special helper my daughter is suppossed to have because she is a special needs child, and I
aslked her why she was ignoring and acting like that towards my child. She had no answer and as I was talking to her and asking her
questions, she starts walking down the stairs, and away from a parent (me) when I was trying to talk to her, as I was talkingto the
instructor the Helper said to me with a huge attitude maybe cause its cause your child don't listen. I was irate at this point she made me
so upset, I said my child is a special needs child, she has a problem you don't talk to me like that. then she was like oh I didn't know she was
special needs, So if she wasn't special needs its ok for you to talk to me like that if I had a "normal" child. That was horrible. I went in this
place with a positive attitude looking forward to this experience for my daughter and I. and me and my daughter leave this place hurt and
in tears.
After that we walk down stairs behind the instructor and my mother was down stairs with my year old daughter waiting for us.
My sister demanded the name of the supervisor and all there names, and the instructor was reluctant to give us the names and then my
sister was furious, so the instructor gave them to her finally, The instructor told us that the other two girls were not helpers that they
were observers and I talked to her supervisor later that night and she said that she was in the wrong and those are helpers and they know
how to spot a special needs child, I told the supervisor those girls sould not be working with children if they are so ignorant.
I told Carmen my whole story and she said that they were in the wrong and she was sorry, But what does sorry do. Nothing at all.
I'm really hurt by the way my child was treated. It seems to me that they discriminate and ignore children with special needs or behavorial
differences.
When I registered her a few months prior to this event I told them and wrote on the application my daughter has Apraxia and signs of
Autism and that she is a runner, it was on the application, I disscussed it with the supervisor on that day. why didn't the instructor know
any of this?
I hope people will learn from our story and not be ignorant towards anyone who is different.
The supervisor offered us a opportunity to return but unfortunately I don't feel comfortable enough to return to the facility, I am very
hurt by all of this and I have never expected this treatment ever for my child.
Where it took place:
Peterson Park
5801 N. Pulaski Rd.
Chicago, IL 60646
Phone: 312-742-7584