[blindkid] 5year old with low vision (again)

[Arielle Silverman]

Hi Jill,
I would suggest getting him a white cane and teaching him the basics
of using it if your commission won't do it themselves. You can order
free white canes from the National Federation of the Blind by calling
410-659-9314
The website
www.blindchildren.org
has some great articles about how to teach your child basic mobility.
I know vision with albinism does tend to be stable, but even if you
think he doesn't "need" a cane all the time, it really won't hurt him
to learn, and he will likely find himself in situations where using a
cane will allow him to be much more safe and independent. Also it's
much much easier to teach a 5-year-old to use a cane, especially in
public places and school, than it is to teach a 10-year-old or
15-year-old. Older kids will feel self-conscious about appearing in
public with a cane, and will likely be more resistant to it.
Also, if you have any doubt about your son's ability to keep up in
print with his peers-whether now or in college-insist on Braille
instruction at your IEP meetings. If his vision is 20/200 he is
considered legally blind and he qualifies for whatever specialized
services the IEP team-including you-decides are most appropriate.
Again, learning Braille won't hurt him, even if he doesn't end up
using it much, and if his vision is such that he won't be able to keep
up with larger print-reading demands, he will benefit a great deal
from knowing Braille.
Arielle

On 5/12/12, Jill Fass <jillfass at gmail.com> wrote:
> I had sent this to from my work email by accident!!! This is my correct
> email
>
>
> Hi All!
>
> I am new to this blind kid thing so I hope I am doing this right.
>
> I have a 5 year old boy with albinism. He has low vision. His vision
> is about 20/200.  Outside in the sun much worse. What can an O and M
> person do for my child. It seem like since my son has sight our state
> Commission (not for) the blind does not do much for my son. He has not
> had any O and M services since he was 3. They were in the backyard for
> maybe 20 minutes and said he is fine. Then she has him at his
> preschool and said he is fine. Call when he goes to elem. school. I
> feel stupid, is my son missing something?
>
> Also, can anyone give any insight on Low Vision evals. I want my son
> to have a cctv and a monocular for kindergarten. Are there specific
> questions I should ask? When should he start keyboarding? They will
> not give him Braille because he has too much sight for that. He does
> seem ok with large print. Then again he is only 5. He has nystagmus so
> I know reading will become a problem when he is older. I am sorry with
> so many question..
>
> Mrs. Jill Fass
>
> Hamilton, NJ
>
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