[blindkid] Technology and Little Kid

Heather craney07 at rochester.rr.com
Fri Feb 19 01:41:50 UTC 2010


Ah, that one I think is not a blindness issue, it is an educational style 
issue.  I do supervise my son with a fork, and at eighteen months I would 
never in a million years give him scizzors or a sharp pencil, crayons yes, 
scizzors, no.  I believe in the value of exploratory play, that is not uber 
closely supervising all learning, so that children can discover for 
themselves, a balance of guided and free play.  I think anyone could sit 
there and get into a battle of wills with an eighteen month old to try and 
get them not to hurt them self with the styalis or destroy anything and 
maybe they'd even get into the wholes, but at what cost?  A battle of wills 
with a toddler is counter productive, a three or four with supervision is 
different.  I am of the school of thought that, you should not lock lower 
cabinets with dangerous chemicals in them with baby locks, you should move 
those to high cabinets and leave the lower cabinets unlocked with pots and 
pans and other safe things in them so that the child can explore and learn 
naturally.  We in the early childhood profession call it setting children up 
for success.  By that same token I give him things that he is interested in, 
in a safe form.  Jeremy really likes to play with chords, because they 
sproing?  Ok, wrap up the chords, tape them to the wall, put them behind 
furnature, buy Jeremy a coiley craft chord and supervise him.  Jeremy likes 
unsafe plastic bags because they crinckle?  Fill a pillow case with rolled 
up wegman's bags and sew the end shut and supervise, while he has a ball. 
Jeremy loves to play with the telephone, but he keeps calling random people? 
Get old phone that we are not using and let him go to it.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Carrie Gilmer" <carrie.gilmer at gmail.com>
To: "'NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)'" 
<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 8:21 PM
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Technology and Little Kid


>I would also add that arguments mentioning some "dangerousness" or
> destructiveness of the stylus to young children I find ridiculous. Typical
> parents let toddlers write with a sharp pencil or try a scissors or eat 
> with
> a fork, but they do not let the child run around the house with it. The
> child learns under supervision. To cite this at all as a reason for not
> giving slate opportunities early is just nonsense in my mind.
>
> It may well be true that "many" blind people do not use the slate, many 
> have
> not had the opportunity to gain skill with it. Those who have often are 
> glad
> for it. And I really hope someone will pick up on Miss Heather Field's
> point~another area of no real researched data in the education of blind
> children.
>
> Carrie
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of David Andrews
> Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 2:48 PM
> To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] Technology and Little Kid
>
> Heather:
>
> I hate getting into this (smile) because everybody won't agree, but .....
>
> First I must ask you and others to treat the opinions and positions
> of others with more respect.  While they may be different from yours,
> the people who state them presumably have good reasons for stating
> them, as do you.
>
> Next, I find your generalizations about the slate to be disturbing
> and depressing.  I don't know you, or your place in life, but I would
> guess you are a sighted person, possibly with a blind child.  You
> mention a blind Mother.
>
> Would you, as a sighted person give up a pencil or pen and paper.  I
> doubt it.  While you may not use them all the time, when you need
> them, nothing else will do.  This is in part what the slate and
> stylus are for blind persons.  Yes, many people, including blind
> persons will put them down, but I suspect that in many instances they
> have not been taught well, so are minimized.  While we teach kids to
> write with a pencil before e giving them a computer as a primary
> tool, we think nothing about having them learn to write with a
> Braille Writer, then give them a slate.  Who would want it then.
>
> I am one of those over-50 persons you mention.  I use the slate
> regularly, as I also use technology.  I have used technology heavily
> since the early 80's, and was the first Director of the NFB's
> International Braille and Technology Center, and still make my living
> with technology.  So, I don't think you can plausibly say I couldn't
> adjust to technology.  Likewise, Mike  Freeman who wrote the original
> message which you seemed to hold in such disdain has been a computer
> programmer since the early 80's I think, uses talking cell phone,
> Braille Sense, etc.  We love our technology, but want to have all
> possible tools available to us, including the slate.
>
> A couple years ago, I attended a training session, costing over
> $500.  It was Minnesota and the winter and I slipped and fell, on the
> ice, on my way there.  When I got there, I discovered my Pac Mate
> wouldn't work.  So, if I hadn't also had a slate and stylus and been
> proficient with their use, it would have been $500 down the drain
> because I couldn't take notes.
>
> Blind people need all the tools we can get, and we need to use the
> right one at the right time.  That includes the slate and stylus
> which is good for quick notes, in emergencies, where there is no
> electricity or when batteries are dead, and much more.
>
> Dave
>
>
> At 07:05 AM 2/18/2010, you wrote:
>>No disrespect, but you've got to be kidding me.  No blind people I
>>know, children or adults, down right brilliant to mentally
>>challenged, men or women use those anymore.  Many own them, and
>>could use them in a pinch, but honestly, no one uses them as a main
>>means of writing or on a regular basis. Some people in the fifty or
>>older set still rely on them, because they were not able to keep up
>>with the changing technology, which I can understand and sympathize
>>with, but even my sixty year old blind mother laughed when I showed
>>her this, or rather told her that this had come up on list.  For
>>confidentiality reasons I never show any one who is not on the list,
>>list emails, and never give names or any spacifics..  I could
>>honestly say that I know over two hundred to three hundred blind
>>people, and I asked on a list serve for guide dog users, one for
>>blind parents and one for blind students, and the uunanomous answer
>>was "You've got to be kidding"  I think her four year old would best
>>be served to learn how to use a cell phone or home phone to call his
>>mother and to dial 911.  I think he should be learning on a braille
>>note, voice recorder or how to use a victor reader or ipod touch.
>>Things like that, plus basic braille and print literacy.
>>----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
>>To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)"
>><blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>>Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 10:46 PM
>>Subject: Re: [blindkid] Technology and Little Kid
>>
>>
>>>A slate and stylus!
>>>
>>>Mike
>>>
>>>----- Original Message ----- From: "David Andrews" <dandrews at visi.com>
>>>To: <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>>>Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 7:01 PM
>>>Subject: [blindkid] Technology and Little Kid
>>>
>>>
>>>>I got asked a question, the other day, and since most of my
>>>>experience is with blind adults -- I didn't know quite what to
>>>>say.  A woman said she had a four year old totally blind daughter,
>>>>and she wanted her to keep up with her peers in technology, so
>>>>what assistive technology/technology is here  -- should she start
>>>>using with her child?
>>>>
>>>>Dave
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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/carrie.gilmer%40gm
> ail.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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/craney07%40rochester.rr.com 





More information about the BlindKid mailing list