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Wednesday, June 03, 2009 4:07 PM ENCSD parents are always advocates By Matt Shaw | Times Staff Writer The proposal to close Eastern N.C. School for the Deaf is forcing parents of students at the school to contact state legislators to lobby on their children's behalf. But the struggle is nothing new, Becky Goodwin says. "Ever since we found out that our son, Sam, was deaf at age 2, it has been a fight to get him the services he needs," said the Wilson resident. She and her husband, John Goodwin, and Mary and John Miller of Elm City were among parents who met this week with N.C. Rep. Jean Farmer-Butterfield and N.C. Sen. A.B. Swindell, two of Wilson County's representatives in the N.C. General Assembly, to talk about the future of the school. ENCSD has made a major difference for both their sons, they said. The Goodwins are originally from Carteret County where teachers "basically babysat our son for seven years," John Goodwin said. At age 10, Sam "could write his name and that was it." John Goodwin said one teacher told the couple, "I'd love to help Sam but honestly, I don't know what to do." After getting a referral to ENCSD, the Goodwins moved here four years ago. Sam, who is now 14, has a strong grasp of reading, writing and mathematics, his parents say. Also four years ago, the Millers became foster parents for Billy, then 11. At the time he was nearly unmanageable. He had gone through seven sets of foster parents in six months, John Miller said.
The Wilson school has "made a major change in Billy," John Miller said. "He's not wild any more, at least not more than a typical 15-year-old," John Miller added with a grin. "Billy's not argumentative, he's more obedient and he can talk to people now." Both couples say they are trying to be advocates for ENCSD because teachers and administrators are not allowed to speak on the issue. The ENCSD has advantages over the state's other residential schools, the parents say. For example, it has a new Independent Living Center, which helps students learn job and life skills. It also has an extended high school program that allows students who have graduated but still feel they need more work on integration skills to continue to work until they're 21. ENCSD also has an athletics program, as does the Morganton school, the parents said. The Raleigh campus has no sports facilities. But the couples also believe that all three of the schools should remain open. "It's easy for the legislators and politicians to take things away from the disabled. ... We're such a small group in comparison to the rest of the state," Mary Miller said. But there have to be better solutions than taking from people with little voice, John Goodwin said. "If I were a legislator, I'd be ashamed if I had to sign my name to that," he said. mshaw@wilsontimes.com | 265-7878 |
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