[blindkid] Which Direction Should I Go?

Arielle Silverman arielle71 at gmail.com
Mon Jan 19 21:55:31 UTC 2015


Hi Dare, and welcome. I am a 30-year-old woman who's been totally
blind since birth. While I am not a doctor or a parent, I have a few
thoughts on this. The most important is that there is absolutely
nothing wrong with being functionally blind or using nonvisual
techniques to do things. I would also say that if your son has tried
visual techniques and they don't work well for him, regardless of any
medical opinion, it can only help him to try a new, nonvisual way to
do those things. I'd definitely suggest switching from an ID cane to a
white cane that's fitted for him and also having him learn Braille.
Again, these things might help him and they definitely will not hurt
him. If your son's vision tests as 20/400, then he should qualify for
an IEP where you can request he receive Braille instruction. If you
are homeschooling, there are some other parents on this list, I
believe, who have gone that route. You should also check out
www.nfb.org/nopbc
and
www.blindchildren.org
or the NOPBC group on Facebook to get some excellent resources on cane
usage and to connect with other parents. Good luck and welcome!

Best,
Arielle Silverman, Board Member, National Federation of the Blind
Greater Seattle Chapter

On 1/19/15, Haley Dare via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>  Good afternoon,
> I haven't posted to this listserve before, but I am seeking some
> direction...hopefully, someone out there has a child who is experiencing the
> same type of problems as my son and can give me some advice.  Okay, here
> goes...
> My 8 year old has been dx with amblyopia, huge refractive error, strabismus,
> accommodative esotropia, and a problematic visual processing disorder.  He
> wears very strong glasses with a bifocal/magnifier in the bottom.  We don't
> know how well he sees peripherally, but we know that his acuity is 20/400 in
> his bad eye, and 20/35 in his good eye with correction.  Our ophthalmologist
> says his eyes are structurally healthy and that none of these problems cause
> "blindness", but my son's behavior suggests otherwise.
> He walkes into the sides of the wall, misses changes in the terrain, panics
> about leaving the house, and won't go out in the dark (or a cloudy
> day), falls over toys or items that are right in front of him and acts very
> clingy and nervous in large groups of people or in unfamiliar environments.
> He can read, but not for any length of time, and the light must be bright.
> He struggles with glare (especially on a bright, snowy day), print size,
> reading and math in school; I currently k12 him at home.  He carries a white
> cane for identification purposes, but I've noticed that his posture has
> improved.
> Here's my question...and it probably seems pretty stupid, but I'm going to
> ask it anyway.  Is my son blind?  Should I be trying to get him some
> nonvisual services (like braille, O&M, etc), maybe under sleepshades?  I
> sometimes wonder if I should just "lose" his glasses so he isn't so
> overstimulated (crazy thought, I know, but he does seem calmer w/o them).
> Right now, he has no professional supports, just me trying to teach him a
> few things.  Perhaps permaturely, but I worry about his future...he's a guy
> and needs to be able to read, work and take care of himself and a family.
> I've been in touch with so many organizations and people that have provided
> wonderful advice, but I have yet to come across another parent who is living
> with this confusing visual conundrum.  Can anybody out there suggest to me
> which direction to go?  Thanks so much.
> hdare
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