Aubrey L McKenzie Air Conditioning Fund!
Donation protected
Update 4/2/17 10am
Aubrey's Mom is hoping to attend the Wrightslaw Advocacy Conference here on 'Oahu this coming weekend. http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/17.04.hi.htm
The cost is $250. This will help Mom better understand SPED Law as she assists Aubrey's attorney as they move forward with her case. For more information about Aubrey's ongoing denial of FAPE--please see the history of our journey below...
Update 4/2/17 6pm
We have raised $125. Just $125 to go! MAHALO to Sandra and Sheryl for their generosity! God Bless you both!
Aloha #AubreysAngels!
You are here because you may have already met our Aubrey as Miss Hawai'i Princess United States 2015! This charismatic beauty with multiple disabilities, is shining brightly as she advocates for acceptance of people with special needs here and around the globe! Sadly though, the truth behind her crown is that she herself--is experiencing the appalling opposite in her educational setting here in the state of Hawai'i. Aubrey desperately needs your help!
The photo below is of the same Miss Hawaii Princess US 2015 sitting outside her school office refusing to go in to school on 9/1/15. "I am sad. No one listens to me, Mommy!" At a time in her life where she should be rejoicing in her amazing worldly accomplishments--she is despondent, now often sleeping in her school environment. She may have given up. But her family has not.
Aubrey, who has Down syndrome and autism, and also is mild to moderately hearing impaired was taught to use speech/sign language/device (Total Communication) to communicate and learn from K-8. In her high school, she currently has NO SPED TEACHER assigned to her (she has been waiting THREE YEARS for her school to hire the SPED Hearing Impaired teacher she so desperately needs), NO current staff who understands her signing, NO appropriate articulation therapy and frequency to improve her rapidly regressing speech skills, NO INTERPRETER, and her ipad/Proloquo2go communication device has been purposely withheld from her almost three months now.
Aubrey's family is stunned by the conduct of the Hawai'i DOE as Aubrey has alleged inappropriate touching by a teacher and after over a year--no one in this school has provided her with the appropriate supports to communicate or emotionally process what may have happened to her, let alone learn effectively!
No student is safe or can derive meaningful educational benefit without appropriate communication supports. Aubrey's family is determined to set a precedent so this will never happen to another student like her again.
Will you please help her single parent family who has depleted all of their own financial resources--to give Aubrey the opportunity to reclaim her voice in school?
Upon the urging of many around the world, Aubrey's family is fundraising for her attorneys' retainers, to pay for experts to make recommendations/testify re her educational needs, her autism needs, speech needs, her emotional needs, etc and especially to fly her to impartial experts on the US mainland for her hearing impairment needs (resources in Hawai'i are scarce ) with the intent to take her case to due process as soon as humanly possible. This is just an estimate of the cost to begin this process.
When Aubrey (who wanted to dress and perform as "Cinderella!") was honored with her crown, she was asked what she would like others with special needs to have--to establish her platform. Aubrey simply said-- "many friends." This is at the heart of her platform hashtag #ADreamisaWishYour HeartMakes! Please grant this wish for Aubrey, too.
Aubrey's family publicly promises that whatever donations are made to the Aubrey L McKenzie Education Fund that exceed Aubrey's expenses or are reimbursed to our family--will be transferred to another student(s) like Aubrey with multiple disabilities who needs our help!
Mahalo and God Bless #AubreysAngels in Hawai'i and around the world in advance for your kokua (help) to ensure Aubrey's right to receive an education that is pono--aka appropriate and righteous! #AubreysAngels #TheRighttoCommunicate #TheRighttoFAPE! #TheRighttobeSAFE
Much love from Aubrey, Mom and sister Ashley
Mililani, Hi, USA
See Aubrey on Facebook at Miss Hawaii Princess United States 2015. Here is a link to her page:
https://www.facebook.com/AubreyLMcKenzie
Here's a link to Mom's favorite on-stage performance by Aubrey in 2012--before her regression began:
http://youtu.be/u3XxXRm44DI
Aubrey's Mom is hoping to attend the Wrightslaw Advocacy Conference here on 'Oahu this coming weekend. http://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/17.04.hi.htm
The cost is $250. This will help Mom better understand SPED Law as she assists Aubrey's attorney as they move forward with her case. For more information about Aubrey's ongoing denial of FAPE--please see the history of our journey below...
Update 4/2/17 6pm
We have raised $125. Just $125 to go! MAHALO to Sandra and Sheryl for their generosity! God Bless you both!
Aloha #AubreysAngels!
You are here because you may have already met our Aubrey as Miss Hawai'i Princess United States 2015! This charismatic beauty with multiple disabilities, is shining brightly as she advocates for acceptance of people with special needs here and around the globe! Sadly though, the truth behind her crown is that she herself--is experiencing the appalling opposite in her educational setting here in the state of Hawai'i. Aubrey desperately needs your help!
The photo below is of the same Miss Hawaii Princess US 2015 sitting outside her school office refusing to go in to school on 9/1/15. "I am sad. No one listens to me, Mommy!" At a time in her life where she should be rejoicing in her amazing worldly accomplishments--she is despondent, now often sleeping in her school environment. She may have given up. But her family has not. Aubrey, who has Down syndrome and autism, and also is mild to moderately hearing impaired was taught to use speech/sign language/device (Total Communication) to communicate and learn from K-8. In her high school, she currently has NO SPED TEACHER assigned to her (she has been waiting THREE YEARS for her school to hire the SPED Hearing Impaired teacher she so desperately needs), NO current staff who understands her signing, NO appropriate articulation therapy and frequency to improve her rapidly regressing speech skills, NO INTERPRETER, and her ipad/Proloquo2go communication device has been purposely withheld from her almost three months now. Aubrey's family is stunned by the conduct of the Hawai'i DOE as Aubrey has alleged inappropriate touching by a teacher and after over a year--no one in this school has provided her with the appropriate supports to communicate or emotionally process what may have happened to her, let alone learn effectively!
No student is safe or can derive meaningful educational benefit without appropriate communication supports. Aubrey's family is determined to set a precedent so this will never happen to another student like her again.
Will you please help her single parent family who has depleted all of their own financial resources--to give Aubrey the opportunity to reclaim her voice in school?
Upon the urging of many around the world, Aubrey's family is fundraising for her attorneys' retainers, to pay for experts to make recommendations/testify re her educational needs, her autism needs, speech needs, her emotional needs, etc and especially to fly her to impartial experts on the US mainland for her hearing impairment needs (resources in Hawai'i are scarce ) with the intent to take her case to due process as soon as humanly possible. This is just an estimate of the cost to begin this process.
When Aubrey (who wanted to dress and perform as "Cinderella!") was honored with her crown, she was asked what she would like others with special needs to have--to establish her platform. Aubrey simply said-- "many friends." This is at the heart of her platform hashtag #ADreamisaWishYour HeartMakes! Please grant this wish for Aubrey, too.
Aubrey's family publicly promises that whatever donations are made to the Aubrey L McKenzie Education Fund that exceed Aubrey's expenses or are reimbursed to our family--will be transferred to another student(s) like Aubrey with multiple disabilities who needs our help!
Mahalo and God Bless #AubreysAngels in Hawai'i and around the world in advance for your kokua (help) to ensure Aubrey's right to receive an education that is pono--aka appropriate and righteous! #AubreysAngels #TheRighttoCommunicate #TheRighttoFAPE! #TheRighttobeSAFE
Much love from Aubrey, Mom and sister AshleyMililani, Hi, USA
See Aubrey on Facebook at Miss Hawaii Princess United States 2015. Here is a link to her page:
https://www.facebook.com/AubreyLMcKenzie
Here's a link to Mom's favorite on-stage performance by Aubrey in 2012--before her regression began:
http://youtu.be/u3XxXRm44DI
Organizer
Desi McKenzie
Organizer
Mililani, HI