[blindkid] Explaining blindness to a child

[Kim Cunningham]

I know this is a hard time for your family. When parents hear the word "blind" and their child in the same sentence, it can be overwhelming. It's important to know that what we perceive blindness to be, is actually not at all what it means to be blind. The unknow in any situation in life is scary. You have come to a great group of parents who can answer most any questions you have. Your nephew is still very young and should adapt to his situation easier than his parents will. My suggestion would be to present his condition to him truthfully and without fear. You will find that his life will be limitless if you truly believe in his abilities. When most four year olds ask questions, parents don't need to go into great depth as you will lose their attention. Most of the time, simple sentences will work. Maybe you can present braille books and adapted games to let him know he will have different choices to make for playtime and school. He will still be able
 to have fun and learn. 
Even though my daughter was born blind, there were times when she also had questions about her blindness. I always tried to be positive and honest.
I recommend visiting www.nfb.org. There are many links to answer questions for new parents. 
Kim Cunningham


--- On Wed, 9/15/10, Mario and Dina <dinamario at comcast.net> wrote:


From: Mario and Dina <dinamario at comcast.net>
Subject: [blindkid] Explaining blindness to a child
To: blindkid at nfbnet.org
Date: Wednesday, September 15, 2010, 1:08 PM


My 4 year old nephew is rapidly losing his vision.  The doctors cannot figure out why other than his optic nerves are atrophied and it looks as though there is nothing to be done.  We are imaging the day when his sight goes completely.  We really need to hear from parents who have gone through this and can help us figure out how to explain it to him.  This has happened very quickly and we can hardly explain it to ourselves much less a 4 year old.

Can anyone share their story with us?

Thank you!
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