[blindkid] (no subject)

Holly Miller hollym12 at gmail.com
Thu Aug 16 03:58:10 UTC 2012 

My son (11) went to the Louisiana Buddy program.  It was his first time away from home other than sleepovers at a friend.  He was DREADFULLY homesick the first few days.  So much so that I was seriously doubting my decision to send him.  I took a deep breath, resisted my urge to be a helicopter mom and told him it was ok to talk to one of the counsellors about how he was feeling (instead of me calling them). He did and you know what? The next day he told me it helped a little.  I told him I was proud of him for handling it himself.  

He started feeling much better over the next couple of days and by the end of he first week he hit his stride & was having a great time.  When it was time to come home, he was asking me if he'd be able to go again next year.  Two weeks later he's still talking about when, not if, he goes next year.  

With that said, there are other programs and events that you can do.  
The California state convention is in October 
http://sixdots.org/2012/08/2012-nfbc-state-convention-pre-registration/
That's a great place to meet other parents and for your daughter to see successful blind adults and children.  

Please be a little patient if people can't get back to you right away or are handling things through email.  Al,ost everyone in the organization are volunteers.  Parents have their plates full with back to school craziness.  I know it's frustrating when you feel like you need to do something right away but take a breath, you will meet people that are worth the wait.

Holly



On Aug 15, 2012, at 10:08 PM, Julie Yanez <jyanez112 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Are there camps or retreats that are for parent as well? My brat won't be
> ok leaving me for more then a day. I wouldn't want her to go and feel like
> I left her or have her shut down since she's out of her element.
> On Aug 15, 2012 7:05 PM, "Sally Thomas" <seacknit at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> Since blindness is such a low incidence disability, finding other blind
>> kids close by is tough in most places.  Finding blind kids that your
>> daughter "clicks" with is even tougher.  What worked best for us was
>> traveling to conferences and sending our son to camp/Buddy Program.  At
>> these places he met lots of blind kids.  He saw that some of them had good
>> training and were independent and he learned what it means to not have good
>> blindness skills but the best part has been that he was able to choose
>> among various kids the ones that he "clicked" with.  It certainly is time
>> consuming and expensive but it worked best for us.  Now that he has a
>> network of blind friends, he is able to keep up with them on Skype,
>> Facebook, etc.
>> 
>> Sally Thomas
>> 
>> On Thu, Aug 16, 2012 at 9:53 AM, Julie Yanez <jyanez112 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> Up until now, my focus has been on her and pushing her so she never felt
>>> behind. Thankfully she is a proud young lady. But along the way I didn't
>>> realize she was isolated from other blind children because of my want for
>>> her to feel "normal". She's no stranger to "being different". Her best
>>> friend is a heart transplant recipient and has several medical needs. The
>>> two vent to one another about "how much Dr appointments suck":).
>>> But now that she's pre-teen, I'm lost. As a parent I'm lost. It's
>> difficult
>>> to explain the changes in her body and understand what I'm gonna have to
>> do
>>> when "that time of mother nature" comes. I would love to be able to talk
>> to
>>> other moms and see what worked, what didn't ect. And let my daughter hear
>>> it from another blind woman of what she had to do to prepare. That
>> absolute
>>> last thing I ever want to do is enable her.
>>> So for me, its baby steps. Find other parents. Expose her to others kids
>>> like her and just hope its beneficial. I've never treated her impaired.
>> So
>>> as a result to that, she's very independent.
>>> I thank you all for the amazing advise. I've sent out emails, made calls
>>> and now I guess I just wait. Every group seems to be a link to this, link
>>> to that, follow this, register here. And yada yada. Very few actually
>>> person contacts.
>>> On Aug 15, 2012 6:25 PM, "Heather Field" <missheather at comcast.net>
>> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> Hello Julie,
>>>> The most likely people to know about other blind children in your area
>>> are
>>>> the teachers of blind students (tbs's). Have you tried asking them to
>>> pass
>>>> your contact info on to other parents of same-age/grade blind children
>> in
>>>> your area? Sometimes they are willing to help parents connect in order
>>> for
>>>> their blind children to have blind friends. If they aren't willing you
>>> may
>>>> also try your Special Education Director in the school district.
>>> Sometimes
>>>> they are willing to help.
>>>> 
>>>> I applaud you for trying to organise time with other blind children for
>>>> your daughter. By and large sighted people hold to a deficit model of
>>>> blindness. I.E. that blind children/people are "broken" sighted people
>>>> because they have one less sense with which to interact with the world.
>>> It
>>>> is a rare sighted school friend who truly pursues an active, equal and
>>>> lively friendship with a blind child; it does happen but much less than
>>> we
>>>> would hope.
>>>> 
>>>> Spending time with other blind children, and competent blind adults as
>>>> well for that matter, can be highly beneficial in helping your daughter
>>> to
>>>> reject the concept of herself as an incomplete, somehow less-able
>> person
>>>> because she's blind. As she meets and hears about blind people who  do
>>> all
>>>> the normal life things that everyone does -- blind or sighted -- then
>> it
>>> is
>>>> empowering and encouraging for her.
>>>> 
>>>> If you have no luck with either of these suggestions please let us know
>>> on
>>>> the list and we'll make some personal calls and see what we can do for
>>> you.
>>>> 
>>>> Warmest regards,
>>>> Heather field
>>>> 
>>>> -----Original Message----- From: Julie Yanez
>>>> Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2012 7:08 PM
>>>> To: Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)
>>>> Subject: Re: [blindkid] (no subject)
>>>> 
>>>> A pen pal would be nice. But I would like for her to have come kind of
>>>> interaction or activity group. A break from braille and just enjoy
>> being
>>> a
>>>> kiddo.
>>>> On Aug 15, 2012 4:59 PM, "Kayleigh Joiner" <kayleigh281 at yahoo.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Here is the link for the slate pals program:
>>>>> http://www.nfb.org/nopbc-**slate-pals<
>>> http://www.nfb.org/nopbc-slate-pals>
>>>>> 
>>>>> On Wed, Aug 15, 2012 at 5:41 PM, Julie Yanez <jyanez112 at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>>> We are in the inland empire area. Not far from Loma Linda Children's
>>>>>> Hospital. Most of the programs locally are for adult. Not many kids
>>> with
>>>>>> impairments close or semi-close. Everything I seem to find in LA
>>> based.
>>>>>> On Aug 15, 2012 3:34 PM, "Brandy W" <ballstobooks at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> There is actually a slate pals program for just that. You could
>>>>> probably
>>>>>>> get
>>>>>>> a couple of same aged kids to write her. Also is there a
>> commission
>>> or
>>>>>>> parents of blind children in your area? Maybe a light house for
>> the
>>>>>> blind?
>>>>>>> I
>>>>>>> ask because all of these organizations often have activities for
>>> blind
>>>>>>> children.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Bran
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> "To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is
>> spelled
>>>>> out
>>>>>> is
>>>>>>> a spark."
>>>>>>> - Victor Hugo
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Brandy Wojcik  Discovery Toys Educational Consultant and Team
>> leader
>>>>>>> (512) 689-5045
>>>>>>> www.playtoachieve.com
>>>>>>> Follow me on Face Book at
>>>>>>> http://www.facebook.com/**PlayToAchieve.DiscoveryToys<
>>> http://www.facebook.com/PlayToAchieve.DiscoveryToys>
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Read my new blog at www.playtoachieveballstobooks.**wordpress.com
>> <
>>> http://www.playtoachieveballstobooks.wordpress.com>
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Looking forward to helping you with your educational toy needs!
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>>> From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces@**
>>>>> nfbnet.org <blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org>]
>>>>>> On
>>>>>>> Behalf Of Julie Yanez
>>>>>>> Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2012 6:11 PM
>>>>>>> To: Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)
>>>>>>> Subject: Re: [blindkid] (no subject)
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Darci,
>>>>>>> She's does. She's pretty fluent in braille, contracted and
>>>>> iuncontracted.
>>>>>>> That would be amazing. Nautica just entered 5th.
>>>>>>> On Aug 15, 2012 3:09 PM, "Darcirae Hooks" <draehooks at yahoo.com>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Does she read Braille? Caiden is going into 4th grade and would
>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>>> write
>>>>>>>> letters in Braille.
>>>>>>>> Let me know.
>>>>>>>> Darci Hooks
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> On Aug 15, 2012, at 17:16, Julie Yanez <jyanez112 at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> I just found out about them a few days ago. But right now I
>> seem
>>>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>>>> be getting the run-a-round with emails and contacts.
>> Everything
>>> I
>>>>>>>>> get back
>>>>>>>> is
>>>>>>>>> "check out this site...", "call this #...". And nothing is
>>> getting
>>>>>>>>> me anywhere or to anyone that is helpful. It's becoming very
>>>>>>>>> discouraging
>>>>>>>> and
>>>>>>>>> frustrating that its so hard to contact a human being and not
>> an
>>>>>>>>> email or random # of someone that "will get back to me with
>> more
>>>>>>> information".
>>>>>>>>> On Aug 15, 2012 2:08 PM, "David Andrews" <dandrews at visi.com>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>>   You might want to join the nfb of California list, and ask
>>>>> there:
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> 
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/****listinfo/nfbc-info_nfbnet.**
>>>>> org <http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/**listinfo/nfbc-info_nfbnet.org><
>>>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/**listinfo/nfbc-info_nfbnet.org<
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbc-info_nfbnet.org>
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> Dave
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> On 8/15/2012 2:28 PM, Julie Yanez wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>>> my daughter is in need of peers with visual implements.
>> She's
>>> 10
>>>>>>>>>>> and
>>>>>>>> is in
>>>>>>>>>>> 5th grade. She was born premee and suffered ROP amongst
>> other
>>>>>> issues.
>>>>>>>> We
>>>>>>>>>>> live in the inland empire area of so cal. She's never really
>>>>>>>> encountered
>>>>>>>>>>> anyone who is also blind. Does anyone know of any local or
>>> semi
>>>>>>>>>>> local groups?
>>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>>> Thank you, Julie.
>>>>>>>>>>> ______________________________****_
>>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>>> 
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>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/**listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org>
>>>>> <
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>>>>>>>>>> jyanez112%40gmail.com<
>>>>>>>> 
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>>>>>>> om
>>>>>>> 
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