[blindkid] blindkid Digest, Vol 80, Issue 10

[Eliza Ellett]

Leslie, 
 We have a GREAT NFB here, I wish I could visit with them more, but well, 
children take ALOT of time. I like your ideas, everyone had wonderful thoughts, 
that's what I love about this listserv, I never feel wrong for asking a 
question. I do have our advocate from the Philip Rock/Project Reach Deaf Blind 
community that will be with us at our first IEP, I would love to have the whole 
NFB with, but that may look a little pushy on my part! :-) Our Vision DT, 
Hearing DT, Speech, etc will be there also, along with the Lighthouse's Vision 
Report, which she has stated that she will completely endorse putting the need 
for O&M and Braille on there! I hope that will help for the future with the need 
or lack there of through the schools. O&M seems a little....... I'm not sure of 
the word I want to use there. There's a lot of opinions out there and sometimes 
I have a hard time with the opinions that have been taught to sighted 
individuals and they think they would know what's better for the blind and low 
vision community, especially our children. I mean, if I'm going to take advice, 
I'd like it to be from someone that knows first hand what they are speaking of, 
so I get confused, often. Sometimes, I don't know if I'm over reacting or 
if some are just not taking it seriously enough. When your child is 
completely blind and or deaf, there's usually not a lot of "fights" on how to go 
about helping, that I have noticed(I'm sure there's many different opinions on 
this), but have a child with vision left and some hearing, there's SO MANY 
different opinions on what she should or shouldn't do, from O&M, that she walks 
around the house just fine, to braille, how I'm sure she can read the E if not 
the next level on the chart,so magnification should be fine, or one of my 
favorites, oh look she turned to that, she can hear just fine( and it was the 
dog barking next to her or a fire truck next to the car!!!!!). So, I have no 
idea what I'm saying now, but I'm happy that I got to vent!

Thank you, AGAIN. 

Eliza




________________________________
From: Leslie Ligon <atfirstsight at ligondesign.com>
To: blindkid at nfbnet.org
Sent: Sun, December 12, 2010 12:35:34 PM
Subject: Re: [blindkid] blindkid Digest, Vol 80, Issue 10

Hi, Eliza,

I agree with Doreen and Carol, actually. The red does tell sighted people to 
watch out for the cane user because she can't see completely/at all. On the 
other hand, though I haven't yet used one under blindfold myself, I have heard 
from many people that the metal tip gives great tactile feedback through the 
shaft of the cane, so your daughter will need all of that she can get!

As for the walker or any other type of makeshift pre/additional cane doohicky - 
what the...?! Why bother with that, when she's moving independently already, and 
using a proper cane, to boot? Our son, now 13 1/2, used one of the t-canes, but 
knowing what I know now, from his life, as well as my own experiences under 
blindfold, I would rarely if ever, recommend a sort of prosthetic cane for a 
youngster.

She'll do fine with a cane, just remind her to use it like a big girl (i.e., not 
waving it, or lifting it high in the air) and let her use it as often as is 
possible despite her age. (I wouldn't have let Ethan go in parking lots, etc. 
without holding my hand with his other one because I'm just like that as a mom. 
I don't think that'll kill him in his adult life, either. Okay, well, I hope 
not!)

I'm not as familiar with the other types of therapy your daughter might need to 
have set up in school. I would though, find out from this list if there's an NFB 
advocate or some other kind of knowledgeable family advocate to sit in on your 
first pre-enrollment IEP. If your daughter is otherwise on track, I'm not sure 
what other therapy she would need.

Best wishes,
Leslie

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