His name is Ja’Dan Rucker, with a contagious smile and positive outlook on life. Confined to a wheelchair, he and his family said they are taking a stand for all children with disabilities as he struggles to get an education.
His mother Nicole Townsel is his voice, battling what she says has been a nightmare with the local city school district. After what she said seems like numerous phone calls and meetings with school officials, Nicole wants to bring Jaden’s story to the public. She wants to put a face to what she says is an unresolved issue within the local system when it comes to educating children with special needs.
“I’m his advocate,” Nicole said. “He is my main priority. He is not an excuse nor lesson. He is my blessing. I want to share his story to put an end to the excuses. There are more kids just like him dealing with the same thing. They deserve to be treated with respect.”
In fact, Ja’Dan’s story has gotten the attention of Superintendent Dr. Darron Edwards, who vows to correct the issues.
Although Ja’Dan is physically disabled, he is an excellent student with a polite disposition. He wants to be like every other student, every other child. And Nicole said she is fighting for her son to be treated with respect, not shoved aside as an inconvenience. This is their story…this is Ja’Dan’s journey.
Ja’Dan’s
First Battle
Nicole was 22 weeks pregnant when she felt something wasn’t right. Call it a mother’s intuition, but she knew something was wrong with her unborn son.
After a series of tests and screenings, Nicole was told that her firstborn son would have a club foot, possibly Downs Syndrome and a cleft lip.
“I knew something was wrong,” Nicole said. “When we looked at the sonograms, you could see spaces in between his rib cage. But I made the decision to have my child, regardless of what may happen. It was my choice to keep him.”
Ja’Dan arrived in the world with a club foot. Nicole was relieved that there was no evidence of Downs Syndrome or cleft lip. But they had other battles to endure.
Ja’Dan was also born with myelomeningocele, which is the most serious form of spina bifida, and hydrocephalus, which is the buildup of too much cerebrospinal fluid in the brain. Nicole was heartbroken to discover he would be confined to a wheelchair, but she was not going to give up on her son.
“We first had weeks of rotating his foot with a cast,” she said. “Each week, they would turn his foot at a different angle. It was very scary and something I had never experienced.”
But Nicole knew she had to be strong for Ja’Dan. Even as an infant, he was a fighter.
Now five years old, Ja’Dan has endured 12 surgeries. Still confined to a wheelchair, he is unable to feel anything from his waist down. He is required to be catharized throughout the day. But his spirit is untouchable.
“He still finds joy in life,” Nicole said. “He simply has to find different ways to do things on his own. But he never gives up, and he wants to do everything any other child does. And he does.”
And Nicole doesn’t regret a thing.
“If I had to do the same pregnancy over again, I would do it all over again,” she said.
Ja’Dan is blessed that he has no mental disabilities. And, more importantly, he has dreams.
“He wants to be a mechanic like his Dad,” Nicole said. “He wants to work on cars. If he hears a car making a noise, he wants to figure out how to fix it.”
Ja’Dan earns five dollars for washing the bottom of his mother’s car. He is already making his own money.
Starting his Education
Ja’Dan was eager to begin school, ready to learn and make friends. The Yazoo City Head Start Center was his starting point.
Nicole knew there would be challenges with Ja’Dan’s disabilities. But she said the staff at Head Start were excellent when it came to his needs.
“I was scared for him to start school, but the Head Start staff came to my house to reassure me Ja’Dan would be taken care of,” Nicole said. “They would watch out for him but allow him to explore. They took care of him like he was one of their own.”
A Turning Point
At five years old, Ja’Dan began his transition into elementary school. But Nicole said Webster Elementary School was not ready.
Nicole said the school was notified months in advance of Ja’Dan’s arrival. She was under the impression the school staff would be ready to accommodate his needs, all while providing an education as well.
Nicole said the school staff was not prepared to accommodate Ja’Dan when he arrived on the first day of school. She said no one was aware that he would need frequent catharization and diaper changes. She also said a changing station was not available, which resulted in her having to pick her son up from school.
However, when Edwards was made aware of those issues, he said he immediately went into action to resolve the concerns.
“I admit, we made some mistakes at the very beginning of the school year,” Edwards said. “I am not going to say we did everything perfect. But I investigated the issues, resolved them and opened lines of communication. I have an open-door policy, but I have to be made aware of any issues that surface. Once I know, I immediately resolve them.”
Nicole said Edwards has met with her on numerous occasions. She also said he appears to genuinely want to resolve the issues. But she said there is no communication between her and the staff at Webster.
“Ja’Dan does love his teacher and talks about her constantly,” Nicole said. “But it is the teacher’s assistant who is in charge of changing and accommodating Ja’Dan. But when I try to speak to her about issues, she always tells me, ‘I didn’t know anything. Ja’Dan didn’t tell me anything. I’m sorry.’ I am tired of hearing ‘I’m sorry.’”
Nicole said the latest issue happened last week when she picked Ja’Dan up from school. She said he was sitting in a wet seat in his wheelchair, indicating that he had not been properly changed that day. She also said Ja’Dan had developed a skin infection from not being changed frequently.
“I began asking questions, and I found out that nobody brought it to the attention of the principal,” Nicole said. “It just seems like people are constantly trying to sweep things under the rug. Ja’Dan cannot feel anything from the waist down. It is the school’s responsibility to make sure he is changed. He can’t tell them anything because he can’t feel anything.”
Edwards said Webster’s principal and the district’s special education coordinator were not aware of what he said was shared with him as a “rash” with Ja’Dan. He said had he been aware of the issue, he would have quickly resolved it.
“Please don’t think we are not hearing these concerns, but we do have to be made aware of them,” he said.
Edwards vows to make the situation right with Nicole and any other parent with concerns. In Nicole’s particular case, he said he has been in contact with the Mississippi Department of Education as the district moves forward with accommodating Ja’Dan.
“If you bring an issue to my attention, give me a chance to look into it,” he said. “We are in no way neglecting any child in the Yazoo City Municipal School District intentionally. If issues exist, please bring them to my attention. In no way do I want any child to be in an unsafe, unhealthy environment.”
Edwards said he is willing to continue conversations with Nicole in an effort to eliminate any miscommunications concerning Ja’Dan.
“To my knowledge, there are no existing issues that have not been resolved,” he said, Thursday morning. “To my knowledge, we have been working with her to make sure we are fully compliant to accommodate her son. If there remains any issues, feel free to come to me.”
Nicole said she has filed a complaint with the state office of special education, stating to them that she feels Ja’Dan has been discriminated based on his disabilities.
Nicole said the issues have not only affected her son, but her career as well. She resigned from Nissan because she said having to visit Webster on numerous occasions prevented her from holding a steady job.
“I sincerely hope things begin to get better,” she said. “But I wanted to speak out to let others know there needs to be better communication. Without communication, we cannot move forward.”
