[blindkid] Help needed~Recess
Richard Holloway
rholloway at gopbc.org
Fri Sep 18 01:48:58 UTC 2009
Stacy,
While I too agree that some O&M training would probably help (and I
hope that she has a white cane that she's using to help her move about
through her environment as appropriate on the playground and
elsewhere), the more glaring issue would seem to be that of children
playing in a parking lot. I doubt your state would approve of that and
I wonder how the parents of the sighted kids feel about it as well.
Aren't all those kids getting excessively banged-up as too?
I've never been impressed with our state's safety standards for
playgrounds, but even so, I believe they require a "safe" playground
surface for both public and private schools. Having the kids play on
(presumably) asphalt seems like an invitation to both injuries and
lawsuits to me. I won't even let my own kids play in our own
playground without a good six inches or more of mulch where they are
likely to fall.
I think it is generally accepted that asphalt, concrete, dirt, and
grass are simply not appropriate for playground activities. I know
kids do tend to run and play on dirt / grass fields at times, but I
would think that general play would be far better on a cushioned
surface, again, for ALL the kids.
One other thing-- I may be missing something here, but I can't see
from your posting how a limited area of mobility would help the
situation-- would that not just give your child a smaller area of the
asphalt on which to fall? And I think there is no doubt that socially
a limited play area is not the best plan as it sends the wrong message
to everyone involved...
Our daughter (age seven) has no light perception at all and has been
using a typical playground with her sighted classmates since she was
barely three years old. She uses a cane to come and go to/from the
playground and then uses her cane and parks it as needed while she
plays. I think our typically sighted 3-year old has gotten more bumps
and bangs than his sister in half the years of living.
Richard
On Sep 17, 2009, at 5:01 PM, Stacy Lemmon wrote:
> Hi all! I need your help, input, suggestions. Adison is 5 and has
> low vision. She attends a parachoial school for kindergarten. There
> is no playground/equipment. The kids play outside in the parking
> lot. Everyday Adison has gotten hurt and ended up in the nurse's
> office...skinned knees, elbows, bumped head etc. She has gotten
> hurt even when I've gone in to help with lunch duty. We thought
> about asking the school to paint an area where she must remain, and
> other peers can join her. I don't want to restrict or limit her, but
> I'm concerned about safety. I'm worried the alternative would be
> 'sit here and play with chalk'.
>
> Thanks!
> Stacy
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