IN THE NEWS

On the Radio

On Sept 3, Annette was the featured guest on Bruce Werner’s radio program In the Money, which airs on WBZ News Radio 1030. During the 90 minute program, Annette answered questions from listeners about estate plans, family trusts, elder law and how to get benefits from Mass Health.

Werner referred to Annette as “Your advocate and your expert”.

In her legal practice, Annette counsels businesses and families on protecting their assets and establishing functional estate plans to protect their families. She is also known for her work advocating for the rights of the elderly and disabled.

Helping MDA
This year’s Jerry Lewis Telethon for Muscular Dystrophy raised more money than ever before. Here in Massachusetts, Annette Hines helped raise more than any other individual in the MetroWest region.

On August 23, Annette was “arrested” by the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office as part of an annual Jail-a-Thon fundraiser. Annette raised over $5,000 in “bail” money from friends, colleagues and supporters.

Deputy Superintendent Don Moore of the Middlesex County Sheriff’s escorted Annette from her office in Natick Center and drove her in his 1955 Chevy Cruiser to the Rat Pack Restaurant in Framingham for the Jail-a-Thon. Annette says “the most fun part of that day was riding in the back of that cruiser.”

Because she raised so much in donations, Annette was invited to appear on the telethon on September 4 and present a check for $32,000 to WCVB TV’s David Brown on behalf of the MDA’s Central Massachusetts District. Annette’s 10 year daughter, Elizabeth, who suffers from Mitochondrial Disease, also appeared on the telethon.

Front page story
Annette is well known in the MetroWest area for her work on behalf of families with disabled children. The MetroWest Daily News profiled Annette and her family as part of a lengthy feature story on how parents are battling for special education services. Annette detailed her battle with the Natick Public Schools over establishing an Individualized Educational Program (IEP) for her daughter, Elizabeth, who is severely disabled.

She told the paper, “It finally came down to needing to just point out to them that the liability on them is huge.”

Parents battle for special ed services
By Tyler B. Reed/ Daily News Staff
Monday, August 14, 2006 - Updated: 01:20 AM EST

Annette Hines of Natick is a trained negotiator, an attorney who stands up for people with disabilities and the elderly.

"I’m at the top of my game," she said.

But seven years ago, in a tense meeting with school district officials over the educational services her severely disabled daughter Elizabeth would receive, Hines cried.

The battle, Hines said, was over whether the district would provide a personal nurse for Elizabeth, who has a degenerative disease and is developmentally delayed and blind.

"She wasn’t safe at school without a one-to-one nurse," Hines said. "It finally came down to needing to just point out to them that the liability on them is huge."

The Natick school district eventually gave in, she said.

Hines said she underwent a "psychological assault" when she first met with school officials to work out the details of her daughter’s yearly Individualized Education Program (IEP).

An IEP is a signed contract between parents and school officials outlining a special education student’s goals and the treatment the school will provide each year.

Parents interviewed for this story said Hines’ accounts of battles with the school district are common among the families of children with special needs. Parents claimed they were intimidated during their first meetings with school officials, that they came unprepared to debate what services the schools should provide their children, and that school officials used parents’ ignorance of complicated special education law to skimp on services and save money.

"The government and the schools have set up this mega-maze that you have to get through in order to get what your child needs," said Cathryn Kaner, a Framingham mother of three.

"It was a really tough time," she said. "You have to pull yourself out of whatever hole you’re in...and start educating yourself about your child’s disability."

Framingham Director of Special Education Pam Kaufman admitted the IEP process is "very confusing" and often "intimidating" for parents. But Framingham officials, she said, "work very hard to try to make parents welcome and make them feel comfortable." Disagreements are "minimal," Kaufman said. "Our job is to really build that trust."

Ellen Chambers, executive director of the Pepperell-based nonprofit SpEdWatch, said a lack of education funding at the state and federal level has created a pinch, forcing districts to minimize the services they offer.

"The name of the game is to let as few children through the gate as possible," Chambers said.

Due in part to a surge in autism diagnoses and an increase in the survival rate of premature babies, school districts every year are confronted with more special education students and budgets that cannot keep up.

"Until the money is right, the problem is not going away," Chambers said.

Kaufman, on the other hand, said money has never forced the district to cut back on services.

"I find it difficult to accept when parents say that the Framingham public schools are not providing a service because we’re minimalist," she said. "The word money is never used in a team meeting."

Kaufman said far more children meet the standards for the state’s early intervention treatment than for special education, and that confuses parents. Any student "at risk" of falling behind is admitted into early intervention treatment. Of the 66 children moving from early intervention into pre-school in Framingham last year, six were ineligible for special education, Kaufman said.

"The standard is more narrow for people moving from early intervention to a special education system," she said.

Kaner, who said she still battles every year for services for her son and daughter, urged parents to attend workshops and research the IEP process before their children enter the schools. She is scheduling three workshops in Framingham next year run by the Federation for Children with Special Needs.

"One thing they need is to be educated," Federation spokeswoman Andrea Watson said. "It’s an ongoing struggle."

Susan Hewlett, a Framingham parent whose daughter, Julie, gets physical, occupational and speech therapy at schools, said she did lots of research before her first IEP meeting with the school district.

She said parents should bring a friend or advocate with them to the meetings for support.

"It’s very nerve wracking," she said, remembering walking into a room and sitting down in front of eight school officials. "You hear the horror stories."

(Tyler B. Reed can be reached at 508-626-4423 or treed@cnc.com.)