6 THE QUEENS COURIER •JANUARY 24, 2013 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com bus strike s One family’s struggle in wake of bus drivers’ strike LEFTTHELURCHTHE COURIER/PHOTOS BY ALEXA ALTMANwere most impacted by the bus drivers’ strike.INCrystal Blount arrives at school with her six-year-old son Nehemiah, who suffers from a disability. Blount says these children BY ALEXA ALTMAN “It’s a setback,” Crystal said. “When a child such as Constant stimulation, usually provided by a bus aaltman@queenscourier.com Nemo misses school, it’s a routine broken. What about matron on the way to school, is an integral part of the next disabled child? A lot of disabled kids can’t Nemo’s growth. For Christmas, Santa brought him a Crystal Blount refuses to let her son be one of those get on a car or bus. They didn’t even think of disabled blue and green Furby that sings and chortles to Nemo left behind. children. And that’s horrible.” while he lies on the couch as Crystal completes morn- One week after school bus drivers abandoned their At its peak, attendance among disabled children ing tasks. He titters as the toy wiggles and lets out a routes, as panicked parents scrambled for solutions, dropped by nearly 34 percent during the strike, accord- triumphant “la la la!” In the car on the way to school, the Far Rockaway mom bundled up her disabled son ing to the Department of Education (DOE). Crystal sings to her son. Nehemiah, trekking more than an hour from her south Born premature, Nemo spent his fi rst 18 months of “A, B, C, D, E, F, G,” she sings, keeping her eyes on Queens home to her son’s school, United Cerebral life in a hospital. While at age six, Nemo is non-ambu- the road. Palsy of Nassau County, in Roosevelt, Long Island. latory, non-verbal and legally blind, working with “A, B, C, D, E, F, G,” she sings again, this time hold- It’s a small sacrifi ce for the smiley little boy she physical therapists and speech experts have afforded ing the “G” for an extended note. calls “pumpkin patch,” known by friends and class- him the ability to react to sounds, light and noise. Nemo coos from the backseat. mates as Nemo. “It’s very diffi cult,” Crystal said. “There’s always a lot “That always makes him laugh,” she said. In many neighborhoods, parents leaned on to do in the morning.” Crystal feels disabled children have been left without livery cabs and public transit when drivers announced they would be halting service in VISIT machine to clear out Nemo’s nose, monly thought to cater to all disabled students, requiretransportation options. The Access-A-Ride vans, com-Before school, Crystal uses a suction the fi ve boroughs. In Far Rockaway, where the queenscourier.com occasionally assisted by a nurse. Thanks parents to ride with children and they will only go to main transit nerve has yet to be restored since Have your to a phone call from Congressmember schools inside the fi ve boroughs. On the highway, Crystal Sandy, students were left completely stranded. kids been Gregory Meeks’ offi ce, Nemo is fi nally spots a yellow cab topped with a “School Bus” sign. There In the battle between city government us know! getting his fi rst real wheelchair, after are no vehicles like that in the Rockaways, she says.affected? Let and contracted employees, those suffer- fi ghting with the insurance company Both Crystal and Nemo’s father Gladstone work for ing the most are seemingly the children, for over a year. the city’s Department of Correction. Crystal works particularly the most vulnerable ones. Unable to take “You’ve got to fi ght tooth and nail to get anything,” during the day while Gladstone runs the midnight to public transit, disabled students rely heavily on school she said. “What about the next person who doesn’t 8:30 a.m. shift. Now responsible for picking Nemo up buses and receive more than an education from their have a voice?” at school, Gladstone fi ts a small nap into the middle of schools, attending speech, occupational and feeding Nemo suffers occasional seizures, often in the fi rst his day before heading out to his son’s school. therapies along with daily classes. Missing one can 10 minutes of sleep. Crystal doesn’t like to call them “And the end of the day, we’ve got to take care of wreck a routine and delay progress. seizures in front of Nemo, so she calls them “S’s”. him,” she said. “And he’s the love of my life.”
QC01242013
To see the actual publication please follow the link above