[blindkid] blindkid Digest, Vol 57, Issue 33 Subject: Has this happened to anyone?

[Bonnie Lucas]

Thanks to all for your thoughts and suggestions regarding Aubrie's PE 
experience. I'd like to let you know just what I did.
I e-mailed the teacher and sent the link to an article published in Future 
Reflections regarding ideas for sports and recreation for blind people. I 
explained what happened and encouraged her to call and talk. She did and we 
had a good conversation. Of course, she couldn't say enough about how awsome 
Aubrie is. I tried to explain that she is no more awsome than the other 
children in the class who are fast runners. She also mentioned that she has 
30 students in the class and did not mention having an assistant. She also 
mentioned that she had asked a girl in the class to be Aubrie's partner for 
activities but she didn't see this girl interacting with Aubrie very often. 
She does not feel that she could make someone go with her either. I 
suggested that she inform Aubrie ahead of time that they were going to do 
something for which she might like a partner, and then Aubrie could begin 
asking people a head of time. I still think she just needs to ask someone to 
go with her and let Aubrie demonstrate to that person that she will not be a 
burden.
She was also interested in the article and had printed it off to read. We'll 
see how things go. Thanks again for your suggestions.
Bonnie----- Original Message ----- 
From: "J DREICER" <j_griego1321 at msn.com>
To: <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2009 10:07 PM
Subject: Re: [blindkid] blindkid Digest, Vol 57, Issue 33 Subject: Has this 
happened to anyone?


>
> Bonnie,
> Could the VI or O and M teacher talk to the PE teacher?
> Ask the PE teacher if there are student assistants in the class - often 
> they are older students who run errands for the teacher or help with 
> activities, perhaps they could run with Aubrie.
> Ask the PE teacher if he/she could identify a few students in the class 
> who may be willing to guide Aubrie during the run. The PE teacher could 
> approach these students before/after class.
> Does Aubrie run with a guide or does she run on her own? If she uses a 
> guide can this person go to the class to demonstrate?
> re: Aubrie's self advocacy. It sounds to me as if she was speaking up - 
> she asked other students to guide her during this activity. I thought this 
> was pretty mature.
> Hopefully once Aubrie shows the others how capable she is they will not 
> immediately assume that she may "slow them down"!
> Janet
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------
>> From: "Bonnie Lucas" <lucas.bonnie at gmail.com>
>> Sent: Friday, January 30, 2009 8:52 AM
>> To: <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>> Subject: [blindkid] Has this happened to anyone?
>>
>> > Something happened in PE yesterday which tells me that we still have a
>> > long way to go to help the school and staff understand that Aubrie is 
>> > as
>> > capable
>> > as the other children in the class. They had a situation where the
>> > children were to run around the gym as many times as possible. Aubrie 
>> > was
>> > talking with
>> > another student who is overweight and out of shape. This student knew 
>> > that
>> > and she and Aubrie asked several students if they would be willing to 
>> > be
>> > the
>> > runner with Aubrie because Aubrie said that the route was confusing to 
>> > her
>> > and she didn't feel comfortable running it by herself. They found no 
>> > one
>> > who
>> > was willing because as Aubrie put it, "they all assumed that I would 
>> > slow
>> > them down." Aubrie is a fast runner and loves to run. So, she just went
>> > with
>> > the girl and the girl quit, huffing and puffing after three times. 
>> > Aubrie
>> > was not even breathing heavily. The teacher recognized this and agreed
>> > that Aubrie
>> > should have been with someone who was in better shape. Aubrie was so 
>> > angry
>> > that she could hardly tell me about it.
>> >
>> > Of course, the problem is that she just started PE after Christmas and 
>> > I
>> > have not taken the time to speak personally or send a note to the PE
>> > teacher about
>> > what blindness is and is not. Also the business of being a selfadvocate 
>> > is
>> > still a piece of her personality that needs more work.
>> >
>> > My plan now is to send an educational note to the teacher in hopes of
>> > making the remainder  of the class better.
>> >
>> > Another thing that I wonder about. When I have tried to get Aubrie to 
>> > role
>> > play with me on how to handle situations, she just refuses. I have 
>> > tried
>> > to get
>> > her to do this to help her with those advocacy skills. any ideas?
>> >
>> > Bonnie Lucas
>> > (770) 992-0484
>> > lucas.bonnie at gmail.com
>
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