[blindkid] For Blind Preteens

[Julie Yanez]

Lol. Definitely*
On Aug 15, 2012 9:52 PM, "Julie Yanez" <jyanez112 at gmail.com> wrote:

> I will defiantly look into these. Thank you.
> On Aug 15, 2012 7:24 PM, "Arielle Silverman" <arielle71 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> 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
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> blindkid mailing list
>> blindkid at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> blindkid:
>>
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindkid_nfbnet.org/jyanez112%40gmail.com
>>
>