[blindkid] Aid in classroom?

Richard Holloway rholloway at gopbc.org
Mon Nov 9 16:57:11 UTC 2009


I think step #1 is finding out specifically what is being done "for"  
him. You could have a huge problem on your hands or these could be  
reasonable support adaptations (or anywhere between the two).

Some of the things that are done for my daughter (so to speak) include  
lots of adapting of lessons and explanations of what is going on  
around her. Often a para-pro does some of this while a teacher or TVI  
may also do some.

Unless everything in your situation is entirely blind-friendly  
(unlikely in the mainstream classrooms I have dealt with) there is  
going to be some of that going on and it may or may not be  
inappropriate depending on a lot of factors.

Another thing to keep in mind is that if teachers (correctly or  
incorrectly) think this assistance in needed, they may well try to  
replace what the assisting person is doing with efforts by other  
teachers, students, etc, so you are going to have to come to a meeting  
of the minds as to what help is appropriate.

If you determine things are truly being done for him which are not  
appropriate, for myself, I'd want this same person (and all the  
teachers and staff possible) to shift from doing for him, to  
supporting and reminding and keeping watch (if needed and appropriate)  
and slowly stepping back.

My child is much younger than yours (first grade) I am still having to  
fight and remind myself (and others in the family sometimes) to step  
back and let her find her own way, offering the least possible direct  
intervention and mostly verbal cues and reminders which I hope to  
continue to reduce over time, but even with that, I know that there  
will be some need for certain assistive input for a long time.

Have you ever seen, what do they call them-- DVS videos I think it  
is?-- The described video programs? These are typical television  
programs where information that would normally be gotten from watching  
them is provided between dialogue by a narrator. We do this sort of  
thing for Kendra all the time-- "We're driving past a bank on the  
right and a shopping center on the left." Or, "It is quieter now  
because we're driving into a neighborhood with lots of houses and no  
businesses." We might walk into a new place and we describe what is  
around our daughter in the room, or tell her quietly what someone is  
doing as they talk to a group of people.

Ideally, yes, I'd prefer lessons be planned so that there is the least  
possible need for any assistance, but my feeling is that unless  
classroom lessons are planned entirely to teach blind students first,  
there is very likely going to be a need to fill in the gaps by  
description for most of a blind child's education. (Parents of older  
kids, correct me if I am wrong.) I'd definitely be at least hesitant  
to dismiss any support services of that nature unless and until I was  
CERTAIN there was no value in them. They would probably be pretty hard  
to get back if you later learned they should not have been stopped.

Good luck,

Richard


On Nov 9, 2009, at 10:58 AM, Rosina Solano wrote:

> Okay, I have a rather long question here.  My son is in 6th grade.   
> I am trying to figure out ways to "wean" his aid from his  
> classroom.  When I talked to his teachers recently, they all  
> expressed total support of his aid in the classroom.  They would say  
> things like, "I don't know what I would do if she wasn't here.  She  
> does all kids of things for him!"
>
> Okay, I knew that his aid was in classroom part of the time.  I did  
> not realize how much.  What is a good age to get rid of the aid in  
> the classroom.  I mean he needs to be doing these things for  
> himself.  He is a great student, very smart, and everyone is amazed  
> at what he can do.  So I say, he can do more.  He dosen't need an  
> aid to do things for him.  How do we go about slowly taking her  
> away, without totally abandoning him all at once?
>
> Rosina
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> blindkid mailing list
> blindkid at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info  
> for blindkid:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindkid_nfbnet.org/rholloway%40gopbc.org





More information about the BlindKid mailing list