[blindkid] blindkid Digest, Vol 87, Issue 23 Expanded Core list

[Leslie Ligon]

Eric, your letter was incredibly pertinent to our focus with Ethan (also 
going into his first year of high school).

After a huge hick-up with the Colorado Center Independence Initiative, 
he's back home two weeks early, and like you and your older son, are 
tackling things we understood would be practiced each day at the Center. 
We've just finished eating French toast Ethan made under Eric's 
direction, and I've reminded him to clean the things used to prepare the 
food, and clean the entire table (not just his spot, as he would 
normally do) and he knows to close and put away butter and syrup after 
this meal.

As for the o&m, I'll be walking with him to several destinations in town 
over the next few weeks before school begins. We'll also work with him 
to start calling ahead for a shopping partner, and going through the 
grocery store to get our food. (We eat more Euro style, buying a little 
every two or three days, and I told him he could continue that practice 
if he's living in a large metro area, but he'd want to buy larger 
quantities and go fewer times if he lived in a more rural area during 
college.)

Like you and your wife, we've asked Ethan (and Spencer, who's sighted) 
to make their own lists; I'm in complete agreement that it's the best 
path for them to begin their independence work!

We're all amazed at how it seems we've gotten to the top of the roller 
coaster all of a sudden, and that we've still got much to cover before 
Ethan's off to college. Though it might not work, our goal is for him to 
have learned all the skills for him to be independent at college, and 
not have to go to a blindness learning center the summer after high 
school. Fingers crossed, and checklist items covered, that will happen!

Thanks and best - thinking of you all,
Leslie Ligon