CALEDONIA, Mich. (WOOD) — A Caledonia mom is trying to get help for her daughter, who has a visual impairment.

Brianna DeKuiper said her 6-year-old daughter is not getting the accommodations she needs to learn from a Caledonia school. While the mom says the school’s not doing enough, the school said it is trying to work out solutions.

Aleah DeKuiper’s looks and sounds like a typical 6-year-old. She knows how to read words on a page. It’s seeing those words that causes her problems.

“She was born with a visual impairment, leaving her with 2300 vision. With that comes cataract in her left eye and also glaucoma,” said DeKuiper.

A kindergartener at Caledonia’s Paris Ridge Elementary, DeKuiper said she’s tried to get extra classroom help for Aleah through an IEP.

Short for individual education program, IEPs are state-mandated and require schools to provide children with learning problems added tools and procedures to help them in class.

“Basically, that gives them resources or accommodations that they need to succeed,” said DeKuiper.

But she says Aleah is not getting things like access to learning Braille, a larger projector to see words in her Spanish class and other accommodations. 

“She’s not getting a quality education because she can’t see the material. And she’s not getting the help she needs,” said DeKuiper. “It makes me angry that my child, because of her disability, is being denied access to education.“

Paris Ridge Elementary leaders said along with standard IEP efforts, they have also brought in a specialist who deals with visually impaired students. They said they were not aware of DeKuiper’s request for Braille learning. The district said it has been working on a plan to provide equipment to enlarge lesson in Aleah’s Spanish class.

“It very much appears as if our staff was definitely responsive and going out of their way to   make sure that they hear the parent’s concerns and to address them the best that they could,” said Caledonia Superintendent Dedrick Martin.

Martin said he understands the frustration parents sometimes have in dealing with an IEP.

“We certainly understand how dealing with kids with special needs can be confusing just in terms of the process and how to go about it properly,” said Martin. 

DeKuiper said she’ll continue to advocate for her child.

“We need education for our kids,” said DeKuiper. “And I’m not speaking for only my child. I’m speaking for all of these kids around Michigan who are probably dealing with the same issues and no one’s speaking up.”

Martin said staff will continue to work with DeKuiper to find solutions to Aleah’s needs.