[blparent] re anxious

[Shannan Zinck]

It can seem a little intimidating, sorry a lot when contemplating the notion
of having children when you are blind. My husband and I have been married
for almost 16 years and always wanted children. We were nervous of this
issue as well and had heard countless stories of things like this. When we
found out we couldn't even conceive well that was devastating not to mention
terrifying. We at the time thought because we could not have kids of our own
that we would never have any because who in their right mind would allow a
blind couple to adopt. We thought our situation was hopeless. about 5 years
ago though we got up the nerve to put our name on a list and sure enough 4
years later we had our chance. Our social worker had some issues with us
adopting and even approached her supervisor about it. She later admitted to
me that she was discriminating against us. I confronted her on the issue and
we were able to work it out. The greatest tool for us was having any info
for her that would not only help her understand how a blind couple could
care for a child but, also enough info for her to realize that we knew what
we were doing and if we didn't we'd be quick to ask questions or for help
when needed. She was reluctant but once she got to know us she even
advocated for us. Basically what I'm trying to say is if we were able to
adopt without much trouble (and we were the first blind couple she ever had
to work with) then I am sure that if you are patient with people asking
questions then you should be fine. Not getting defensive is very important
and finding answers to what we would consider bizzare questions rather than
scoffing at people's ignorance doesn't hurt either. Myles has been in our
home since he was 4 days old and child protection has never been called
once. As a matter of fact the birth mother tried to take him back when sho
found out we were moving out of province and social services got involved to
keep him in our home. Most of the stories are not bad it's just that the
positive ones aren't told much because there is no questions surrounding
them. It's a matter of knowing how to handle things and therefore these
stories get told more to help someone know what to do.

-- 
Shannan Zinck
Survival is letting GOD take over!!!