[blindkid] Looking other parents!

[Carol Castellano]

Hello Rachel,

Congratulations on your new son!

Here are some thoughts on bringing up a blind child who also has 
cognitive disabilities.

    * Keep expectations high.  The blindness itself should not be a 
reason to expect any less of your son.
    * Plan his education to meet your son's needs according to his 
cognitive abilities.  Leave blindness out of the equation when 
planning what he needs to learn.
    * Blindness comes back in when you are planning what materials to 
use and how to present information (up close, tactily, audially, etc.)
    * The book Making It Work is a good resource for setting up the 
education program.  Available here: 
http://secure.nfb.org/ecommerce/asp/prodtype.asp?prodtype=47&ph=&keywords=&recor=&SearchFor=&PT_ID= 

    * Special issue of our free national magazine, Future Reflections 
on blind children with additional disabilities: 
https://nfb.org/Images/nfb/Publications/fr/fr29/2/fr2902tc.htm.  Make 
sure you get on the mailing list!
    * Lots of good articles at www.blindchildren.org and 
www.nfb.org/parents-and-teachers.
Good luck!

Carol

Carol Castellano
President, Parents of Blind Children-NJ
Director of Programs
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
973-377-0976
carol_castellano at verizon.net
www.blindchildren.org
www.nfb.org/parents-and-teachers

At 11:40 PM 3/26/2013, you wrote:
>Hello, we are adopting a little boy who has down syndrome and is blind. We
>do not yet know what his blindness diagnosis is or if he has any vision at
>all. One of our other boys also has down syndrome, but blindness is new to
>us. I have found wonderful information on teaching blind children, but very
>little on children who are blind and have cognitive disabilities. I am
>hoping to find parents who have been through this and can give me any
>advice! Or any parents that are near us (MN). Thank you!
>Rachel
>
>--
>Rachel Meyer
>James 1:27
>www.thislittlelightproject.blogspot.com
>_______________________________________________
>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/carol_castellano%40verizon.net