[blindkid] was Signs NOW Different

empwrn at bellsouth.net empwrn at bellsouth.net
Wed Feb 27 17:05:40 UTC 2013


Carrie, it appears that I have offended you and I certainly did not mean to. I think we share a common point. Everyone is different somehow. My additional point is insisting to someone that he/she is the SAME as everyone else does not build self esteem. Self esteem, I believe, is built through acknowledgment of the individual traits of a person NOT in the insistence of someone's sameness. It is very important that children who are blind are not raised to believe that they are incapable. They are not incapable. They just don't access visual information the way the majority of the population does. Acting as if not having access to visual information does not change anything does not build self esteem. Self esteem is built through accomplishment. If a child can not see print, we do not argue you are no less capable, you will read this print! No, we teach the child Braille. Their peers will not read Braille the way they do. Braille isn't better. Braille isn't less. It's just different than print.  

When any child is learning to read, we do not put War & Peace in front of them and say read. No we support them. We read aloud to them so that they connect reading and language. Soon they learn letters and sounds that they make. They recognize words. And eventually, they read.

Why should we not similarly support their safe travel within their neighborhood? It's not about saying that a child is not capable. It's about saying You are still learning and I will help you as you learn. 

I hope this makes my point a little clearer and a lot less offensive. 

Marie
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry


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