[blparent] Keeping young children safe as parents with a visualimpairment (Miranda)

Mon Jan 2 03:54:53 UTC 2012

That's a good point, Jo Elizabeth.  I asked for the alarms to be installed 
after a parent told me she found her 2 yr old wandering the church and 
nobody even knew she had left the nursery.  I wasn't in the nursery when it 
happened but all complaints or concerns come to me so it was my 
responsibility to see that the problem was addressed.  Often I get some 
reactions to my safety concerns at church like they think that's only a 
concern for me as a blind care giver, and not so much for them because they 
can see.  But I can't tell you how many times a sighted care giver has heard 
the alarm go off and it caused them to chase down a child trying to escape. 
Score one for the overly-cautious coordinator for pushing for added safety. 
*grin*  I love all of those babies too much to allow for anything to happen 
to them.
Leanne
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jo Elizabeth Pinto" <jopinto at msn.com>
To: "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, January 01, 2012 7:55 PM
Subject: Re: [blparent] Keeping young children safe as parents with a 
visualimpairment (Miranda)


> Hi, Miranda.  I would make a copy of Leanne's excellent message below to 
> show your case worker that first, many people (including sighted ones) may 
> have situations where toddlers could get out unsafely, and second, that 
> there is a simple solution that works to fix those problems.
>
> Jo Elizabeth
>
> "How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, 
> compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant 
> of the weak and the strong.  Because someday in life you will have been 
> all of these."--George Washington Carver, 1864-1943, American scientist
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Leanne Merren" <leemer02 at gmail.com>
> Sent: Sunday, January 01, 2012 4:52 PM
> To: "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [blparent] Keeping young children safe 
> asparentswithavisualimpairment
>
>> I am the nursery coordinator at our church, and we were having a problem 
>> with toddlers getting out of the fire exit door, because the style of 
>> door knob on those doors is very easy for little hands to grasp.  Child 
>> proofing isn't allowed since it might keep us from making a swift exit. 
>> So we purchased the door alarm to alert the nursery volunteers of the 
>> door being opened.  It is a box installed next to the door that sends a 
>> signal to a receiver that is plugged into the wall.  The sound isn't 
>> loud, it's like a door bell ringing.  It has worked out very well.  I do 
>> believe it was purchased at Lowes.
>> Leanne
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "sharon howerton" <shrnhow at att.net>
>> To: "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, December 31, 2011 12:11 PM
>> Subject: Re: [blparent] Keeping young children safe as 
>> parentswithavisualimpairment
>>
>>
>>> Miranda, no, the alarms I heard were not terribly loud and perhaps you 
>>> could adjust the volume. It was just a tone when a door was opened. One 
>>> wouldn't want something piercing as it could awaken or startle a young 
>>> child anyway. I hope Walmart can help you but if not, I'll ask my son if 
>>> they have anything at Lowe's if you like and even if there isn't 
>>> something near you, perhaps they could ship or check good old Amazon.
>>> As for the APH book, I don't recall the name, Debbie may, but you may 
>>> try to contact Terri Terlau at APH to ask her.
>>> I agree with you about the costs of those books, but you could mention 
>>> them to your caseworker as resources if nothing else. Perhaps NLS has 
>>> them in Braille or through BARD. Or perhaps your local Lions Club could 
>>> purchase for you?
>>> Sharon
>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>> From: "Miranda B." <knownoflove at gmail.com>
>>> To: "'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Saturday, December 31, 2011 10:53 AM
>>> Subject: Re: [blparent] Keeping young children safe as parents 
>>> withavisualimpairment
>>>
>>>
>>>> Hi again Sharon,
>>>> We're headed to Walmart early next week to investigate the door chimes. 
>>>> Now,
>>>> we're praying we can find some that chime and don't admit an 
>>>> ear-pearsing
>>>> beep! I agree a child needs to be safe and cared for, but I value my 
>>>> life
>>>> and sanity, and I don't want to be startled awake... LOL ;)
>>>>
>>>> Do you happen to remember the name of the book from APH?
>>>> I've found some books of interest from Through the Looking Glass, but 
>>>> I'm
>>>> wondering if I can find them for much less than they are being sold by 
>>>> TLG.
>>>> I completely understand the need to recover costs of printing and such, 
>>>> but
>>>> $35-$45 per book is a bit pricy in my opinion.
>>>> The books are:
>>>> The Adoption Experience: A Prospective Guide for Parents with 
>>>> Disabilities
>>>> and their Advocates
>>>> Ella Callow, JD
>>>>
>>>> You May Be Able to Adopt: A Guide to the Adoption Process for 
>>>> Prospective
>>>> Mothers with Disabilities
>>>> Linda Toms Barker, Megan Kirshbaum, PhD, et al.
>>>>
>>>> Mothers with Visual Impairments Who Are Raising Young Children
>>>> (Sorry I don't have the author's name.)
>>>> I've looked on Bookshare, and they do not have these books available. 
>>>> My
>>>> next place to look is NLS.
>>>> Thanks again to everyone for your wonderful help, and happy new year!
>>>>
>>>> In Christ, Miranda
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] 
>>>> On
>>>> Behalf Of sharon howerton
>>>> Sent: Saturday, December 31, 2011 11:04 AM
>>>> To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
>>>> Subject: Re: [blparent] Keeping young children safe as parents with
>>>> avisualimpairment
>>>>
>>>> Miranda, I think Debbie's suggestion about the pamphlet is a good one; 
>>>> sorry
>>>> I forgot about that.
>>>> As for the audible alarm or chimes, you might check with a Lowe's or
>>>> somewhere like that to get an economically priced alarm system; it 
>>>> doesn't
>>>> have to be anything fancy, just something to alert you when a door is
>>>> opened. Again, good luck; I hope we can provide answers for you and 
>>>> those
>>>> with whom you are working.
>>>> Sharon
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "Miranda B." <knownoflove at gmail.com>
>>>> To: "'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Friday, December 30, 2011 8:27 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: [blparent] Keeping young children safe as parents with
>>>> avisualimpairment
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Hi Sharon,
>>>>> Thanks for your comments and encouragement! We're actually looking
>>>>> into the door chimes, and we'd appreciate any information anyone can
>>>>> give about models of chimes. We're wanting to put chimes on the
>>>>> child's bedroom door and our front door in our home. So, we're hoping
>>>>> to not spend a ton of money on these chimes.
>>>>> Thank you also for the other tips and again for your encouragement.
>>>>> We're very interested in the book from APH and will be looking into
>>>>> this. We've also referred our new caseworker to "Parenting without
>>>>> sight", and we've encouraged her to send this to the state workers as
>>>>> well as a resource to view and share.
>>>>> Happy New year!
>>>>>
>>>>> In Christ, Miranda
>>>>>
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>>>>> On Behalf Of sharon howerton
>>>>> Sent: Friday, December 30, 2011 8:08 PM
>>>>> To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
>>>>> Subject: Re: [blparent] Keeping young children safe as parents with a
>>>>> visualimpairment
>>>>>
>>>>> Miranda, do you have an auditory indicator on your outside doors that
>>>>> might beep when a door is opened? We had this when my sons were young,
>>>>> I noticed it in a friend's house (both parents are blind and they have
>>>>> two grown children but when I was there, the kids were in their teens)
>>>>> but more recently I noticed it in a condo we looked at. Another
>>>>> interesting tip came from one of my first Parenting students, a
>>>>> grandma taking care of her then two or so year old granddaughter. She
>>>>> said she closed the doors to rooms where she did not want her little
>>>>> one to go and put different kinds of wind chimes on the doors so she
>>>>> could tell which one was opened.
>>>>> Finally, APH is coming out with a new book with strictly tips for
>>>>> blind parents. I read the preliminary version but do not know when it
>>>>> will be available to the public; I reviewed it a year ago.
>>>>> I sincerely wish you well and if can be of any further help, please
>>>>> let me know.
>>>>> Your comments about foster care remind me of another student who is
>>>>> volunteering at a daycare center. One part deals with foster kids and
>>>>> the other with children of more normal families. She said she was
>>>>> being observed and scrutinized so much when she worked in the foster
>>>>> care section that she finally just got out of it altogether so I
>>>>> empathize with your concerns and hope you will be able to succeed. You
>>>>> and Andy have sure worked hard and long at this process.
>>>>> Sharon
>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>> From: "Miranda B." <knownoflove at gmail.com>
>>>>> To: <blparent at nfbnet.org>
>>>>> Sent: Friday, December 30, 2011 6:51 PM
>>>>> Subject: [blparent] Keeping young children safe as parents with a
>>>>> visualimpairment
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> For those of you who know me and have talked with me for any length
>>>>>> of time, you may find the subject of this email a bit puzzling, so
>>>>>> please let me explain.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> As some of you may know, my husband and I are currently in the
>>>>>> process of being licensed as foster parents. After sending our home
>>>>>> study to the state for approval, our caseworker (through a private
>>>>>> agency) received notice from the state that they are requesting more
>>>>>> information. They are asking her to investigate further resources and
>>>>>> information about how we will keep a child in our home safe as foster
>>>>>> parents who happen to be Blind. The state has made it very clear that
>>>>>> they are not wanting to discriminate in any way, but that they are
>>>>>> requesting more information from many families regarding child safety
>>>>>> due to recent incidents in our foster care system. They are also
>>>>>> wanting more information than usual from those applying to be foster
>>>>>> parents who have never been parents before this.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In return, we have answered basic questions of safety as best as we
>>>>>> can and we've reiterated that we have all childproofing in place in
>>>>>> our home (our case was recently transferred to a caseworker who knows
>>>>>> us but has not recently been in our home.) We want to approach this
>>>>>> situation with the intent to educate the state about resources for
>>>>>> Blind parents, and adaptions we make as parents who are visually
>>>>>> impaired. We have made it clear that there is a fine line between
>>>>>> wanting more information and discrimination (whether intentional or
>>>>>> not) and that we will appeal any denial for licensing should the need
>>>>>> arise. We are taking a Hadley parenting course, and this has been
>>>>>> documented. We've told our caseworker about the NFB and other
>>>>>> Blindness organizations. Now, we are coming to you for tips and
>>>>>> advice. Can you tell us adaptions you made to keep your children 
>>>>>> safe?
>>>>>> These
>>>>>> could be adaption for medical care, making sure they didn't run out
>>>>>> the door of your home, keeping them safe while you are cooking, ETC.
>>>>>> Anything you cn think of we'd appreciate it! Also, for those of you
>>>>>> who have adopted or been licensed as foster parents, if you could
>>>>>> provide any tips or advice on this matter this would also be greatly
>>>>>> appreciated!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Lastly, if you can think of any resources at all to pass along to our
>>>>>> caseworker and the state, we'd appreciate any thing you can think of.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks in advance for any help you can give, and happy new year!
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In Christ, Miranda
>>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>>
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>
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