Blake’s Story

Blake smiling while running on a sandy beach.

Plaintiff in J.N v. Oregon Department of Education

Blake is a happy, affectionate 14-year-old who enjoys swimming, basketball, and jumping on trampolines. He has been consistently evaluated as a bright child. He experiences a severe form of autism and epilepsy. He becomes frustrated when he can’t communicate his wants and needs. It took many years and a legal complaint for his school to begin working on providing him a communications device to give him a voice. That long delay and Blake’s inability to communicate led to him developing more difficult behaviors.

Blake hasn’t truly attended school in four to five years. Imagine how hard that has made it for him to learn the alphabet or numbers, or how to learn to spell his name and read.

When I asked his mom why she’s hopeful for Blake’s future, she told me, “Because I’m his mom, and I don’t give up on him.” Our schools shouldn’t give up on children either.