[blindkid] Leaving classes early

Sun Jan 25 22:05:48 UTC 2009

I am all for electronic copies of textbooks for kids who want them (though 
for diagrams & such I still am a big proponent of having an embossed copy as 
well).
The problem is that the VI educational establishment is overall VERY 
resistant to moving towards e-textbooks.
I wish this attitude would change more quickly.
Eric V
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter Donahue" <pdonahue1 at sbcglobal.net>
To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)" 
<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, January 25, 2009 10:40
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Leaving classes early


> Hello Carol and listers,
>
>    Also add electronic copies of her textbooks to that list to eliminate
> her having to carry bulky hard-copy versions further reducing the load.
> Little pointers like this can do wonders to make attending school, moving
> between classes, and eventually landing employment  a whole lot easier.
>
> Peter Donahue
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Carol Castellano" <blindchildren at verizon.net>
> To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)"
> <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, January 25, 2009 11:50 AM
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] Leaving classes early
>
>
> Brave of you to post, Kim :-)!
>
> Thinking about some of the things you list, I wonder if maybe her
> load could be cut down somehow.  For ex., does she have to carry the
> binders around?  Maybe she could substitute large-size
> folders?  (Serena used them in high school and college.)  Also, maybe
> a notetaker instead of a laptop?
>
> Carol
>
> At 07:09 AM 1/25/2009, you wrote:
>>Well....I guess that I may be the only parent on the list serv who
>>sees the need for my daughter to leave class 5 minutes early. I
>>thought about not posting, but I'm open for critism this morning!
>>Don't be too harsh with me....
>>My daughter is in the 11th grade and has left her class 5 minutes
>>early since 7th grade. She wears a watch and begins packing up her
>>laptop, books, etc and heads out at the appropriate time (no
>>reminders from the teacher). There are quite a few "sighted" kids
>>who are in the hallway at the same time for various reasons due to
>>injuries, etc. My daughter carries a very heavy backpack with a
>>laptop, books, technology, and binders while using her cane. She is
>>rather small and must lean forward for balance. The school is 2
>>story and she is constantly up and down stairs. The school is
>>dealing with a huge influx in population due to rezoning with around
>>3000 kids. My daughter's sighted friends complain about getting to
>>and from classes while carrying one book and a binder. There are
>>times when she hasn't left 5 minutes early and gets caught in the
>>traffic. She has found that she has a hard time getting to her
>>locker as the other kids are blocking her access
>>  while they get their belongings and they also gather in groups
>> outside of classrooms to chat causing the hallways to be blocked.
>> At these times, she ends up being frustrated and rushed, sometimes
>> arriving just seconds before the bell. Then she is rushed about
>> getting her laptop set up and loaded for the begining of class
>> (Some of the programs and textbooks take a while to load). There is
>> no time to visit with friends when this happens.  When she leaves 5
>> minutes early, she goes to her locker and arrives at class early
>> enough to still talk with her friends and have her technology ready
>> to start. During this time she is also able to talk with her
>> teacher and get clarification about what is needed for the day and
>> will prepare for it with the appropriate technology. I believe that
>> my daughter should act and be treated equally as a blind person,
>> but what about taking into consideration all the "extras" that our
>> kids must handle as a blind person. Do we
>>  expect our children to go above and beyond what we expect for
>> their peers? Most all of our kids attend the same class schedule as
>> the other kids, but must also have O&M lessons, TBS services,
>> braille instruction, etc. There are only so many hours in a day to
>> get something accomplished and if leaving class 5 minutes early
>> helps to alleviate some stress, then I'm OK with it, as is my daughter.
>>Just my two cents.
>>Kim Cunningham
>>
>>--- On Sat, 1/24/09, Barbara.Mathews at sce.com <Barbara.Mathews at sce.com>
>>wrote:
>>
>>From: Barbara.Mathews at sce.com <Barbara.Mathews at sce.com>
>>Subject: Re: [blindkid] Leaving classes early
>>To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)"
>><blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>>Date: Saturday, January 24, 2009, 4:26 PM
>>
>>My advice is to just say "No thank you.". My daughter attended a large
>>middle school.  She is totally blind and her orientation skill isn't that
>>great, but she got herself from class to class just fine. We did
>>include in her
>>IEP an accommodation that she would not be penalized for being tardy
>>to a class
>>if it was due to orientation problems, but this was intended primarily for
>>the
>>beginning of the year when she was still learning the routes or if there
>>was a
>>change in schedule or something that meant she wouldn't follow the usual
>>route.  We wanted to make sure she would handle those situations
>>independently
>>without undue stress about being late.  We also told the teachers that the
>>accommodation didn't apply if she was goofing off between classes.
>>
>>I asked her about this 5 minutes early idea, and she thought it was
>>silly.  She
>>also said you would miss less if you got to class a little late because it
>>usually takes a while for class to settle down.
>>
>>I also wonder who would tell your son it's time to leave 5 minutes before
>>the bell rings.  Kyra's teachers wouldn't have interrupted what they
>>were doing for that.  If some other adult would come into the room for 
>>that
>>reason, how embarrassing for a middle school kid! For an otherwise
>>typical blind
>>kid, not a good idea.
>>
>>
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: "Andy & Sally Thomas" [andysally at comcast.net]
>>Sent: 01/24/2009 07:38 AM CST
>>To: <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>>Subject: [blindkid] Leaving classes early
>>
>>
>>
>>My son's O&M instructor has told him that next year in junior high he
>>will be dismissed from classes 5 minutes early in order to get a
>>head start into
>>the halls to make it to his next class. I'm wondering if most of the blind
>>kids out there get this "accommodation."  I personally think it is an
>>opportunity to miss some afterthought the teacher has and to be
>>singled out and
>>isolated in the classroom. Walking to classes with friends is one of the
>>few
>>times kids have for private conversations.  Would you share your
>>experiences
>>with this?
>>
>>Sally Thomas
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>
>
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