[blparent] introduction, expecting

[David Andrews]

I suspect it is often different for couples with one sighted 
partner.  The problems most often seem to arise when both people are blind.

Dave

At 09:16 PM 8/11/2012, you wrote:
>Child services was not involved in any way shape or form when Gab was born
>and when I mentioned social worker, that is  just part of the services the
>hospital offers. I believe that whether you have a baby or have any kind of
>major surgery, this person comes by to see you.  Just in case.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>Behalf Of Bernadetta Pracon
>Sent: Saturday, August 11, 2012 5:29 PM
>To: blparent at nfbnet.org
>Subject: Re: [blparent] introduction, expecting
>
>It's interesting that hospitals involve child services right away, before
>the baby can be released. I'm wondering if it's just because hospitals
>aren't educated about blindness and parenting, or if it has to do with the
>parents involved. I'm saying this because, though I was observed extensively
>as I said in a previous email, I wasn't threatened with child services.
>Could it be that the demeanor of the blind parents dictates some of what the
>hospital staff puts them through?
>I don't mean to be judgmental or criticize people I don't know, but perhaps
>it would benefit some new or perspective parents to get some pointers on
>what they should and shouldn't do or say when people are challenging their
>ability to care for their child.
>Who's to say that some people really aren't capable of caring for their
>child. Can we honestly say that in each case in which parental custody was
>terminated due to a hospital's intervention, the termination was unfounded?
>I'm sure there have been some cases where a parent or a set of parents
>either conveyed that they wouldn't be able to care for their child
>successfully, or in fact, were incapable of doing so. It might not
>necessarily have to do with their blindness in general, but with issues
>stemming from their blindness.
>I think it's great that people are advocating for hospitals to be more
>educated about parenting as a blind person, but maybe it's not always the
>hospital's fault. It seems that the majority of parents who say that they
>haven't had any issues with child services are the ones who exude confidence
>and seem competent, while those who claim they have had issues with people
>intervening to the point where their custodial rights were terminated seem a
>bit more unsure and don't know how to hold their own when it comes to state
>workers and hospital staff. When I was pregnant, I felt that the possibility
>of having my child taken away by social services should be on the top of my
>list of concerns.
>But the more I observe, the more I understand that the majority of blind
>parents seem to say that they didn't face issues to that extent.
>  I don't mean for this message to be inflamatory; it's just something I've
>been wondering about.