[blindkid] Explaining blindness to a child

[Susie Cooper]

I agree.  My son is 9 now but he started to loose his sight when he was 5.  From 
the beginning we have been truthful with him and have told him that he can still 
do whatever he wants and we will back him up in whatever he wants to do.  I feel 
the communication with your child is the most important one.

Best of Luck!

Susie Cooper




________________________________
From: Kim Cunningham <kim at gulfimagesphoto.com>
To: (for parents of blind children)NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List 
<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wed, September 15, 2010 12:16:57 PM
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Explaining blindness to a child

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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