[blindkid] For Blind Preteens

[Arielle Silverman]

Hi Julie and all,
When I was growing up I was given a couple of really good books in
Braille about puberty and sexuality. I really enjoyed these books and
thought it was great to be able to learn about these things in private
without having embarrassing discussions. The books were:
Asking about Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
and
The What's Happening to my Body Book for Girls by Linda Madaras

My parents borrowed these books for me from a local library for the
blind, but these or other books should be available from the National
Library Service/National Braille Press, Bookshare or other sources. If
you have trouble finding one of these books for her, let me know and
I'll look around for you.
The books aren't specifically written for blind girls, but I don't
think there's much about puberty or menstruation that is different for
a blind girl or woman than for a sighted one. If you want more
specific details about how I handle these things as a blind woman, or
how I learned to do so as a teen, you can write me off-list at
arielle71 at gmail.com
You can also call me at
602-502-2255
I'd be willing to talk to your daughter on the phone or by email too
if she would be interested.
I'm sorry it's been tough for you to find blind kids to connect her
with. All of us in the NFB want to help you and we understand how
important it is for blind kids to have contact with other blind kids
for the reasons Heather described. I do think your daughter's
TVI/teacher of blind students is a good person to start with. You
might also investigate summer camps in the Los Angeles area for her to
attend. Even if they are a little far away, I think it could be worth
it.
As some of you might remember, last month I conducted a survey as part
of my doctoral work investigating blind adults' experiences and
attitudes and how those things relate to their well-being and
employment status. I will send out more detailed results later, but
just to give a little preview, one of the strongest predictors of
overall happiness, employment and earnings for blind adults that I
found in this survey is how many blind friends they have and how well
they feel they belong in the blind community. I am trying to figure
out exactly where the effect comes from, but it is clear that having
blind friends makes blindness more "normal" and helps blind folks of
all ages gain the confidence they need to tackle challenges and be
actively involved in life. I applaud you for making the effort you are
making and please keep on trying even if it is discouraging. If you
sign up on ten different lists it is likely you'll hear from at least
one of them. I don't live in California but I'll try to help as much
as I can.
Best,
Arielle