[blparent] Keeping young children safeasparentswithavisualimpairment

Mon Jan 2 15:33:11 UTC 2012

I left my almost two year old son in the living room while I put lunch
together and when I came back he was gone and the front door was open. There
was no furniture or toys in the room he could move to stand on and he could
not reach the regular dead bolt so I felt safe leaving him for just a few
minutes. A couple of days later we caught him trying to repeat the maneuver
with my overly compliant guide dog being led to the front door and pushed
into a step stool position. Kids really can find surprising ways to do the
unexpected. This kid was shortly after dubbed Henry Houdini by the
neighbors.:) He was headed for the park that was just down the street and I
caught him about half way across the driveway. He is still alive today and
still adding to my grey hair count.

Jennifer

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Leanne Merren
Sent: Sunday, January 01, 2012 9:48 PM
To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blparent] Keeping young children
safeasparentswithavisualimpairment

Hi Miranda,
Well I wasn't actually the one who installed it - our building and grounds 
committee ended up taking care of the request.  But 
right now we have the receiver plugged in on the other side of the room and 
it works fine.  Maybe call Lowes and ask them what they carry.  I'm almost 
positive they got it there.
I will be honest though, I think I would want a dead bolt or something if I 
was thinking about security for my door leading to the outside.  Toddlers 
getting outside can be a very scarry situation.  If they aren't wearing 
bells or any kind of sound source, they can often be very quick and I 
wouldn't chance it.  I might do the alarm as a security measure in case 
someone forgot to throw the lock, but securing the door I think is the 
biggest concern.  My kids can't open my door when they're little so I 
haven't had to worry about it, but as they get older I can put some serious 
rules in place to keep them from even trying it.  With foster children, 
however, they aren't with you to have those rules strictly enforced at 
first, so you face some challenges there.  I have to think about things like

that with my day care kids so I'm sharing these thoughts from my own 
experiences.
Have you had children over to your home to kind of test the waters and see 
how child proof it really is?  Kids can find the craziest things to get into

and they can sure surprise me at times. *smile*
Leanne
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Miranda B." <knownoflove at gmail.com>
To: "'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, January 01, 2012 8:53 PM
Subject: Re: [blparent] Keeping young children safe 
asparentswithavisualimpairment

> Hi Leanne,
> Thanks so much! How far can the box be from the receiver before it loses a
> signal?
> Thanks again, and have a great week!
>
> In Christ, Miranda
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Leanne Merren
> Sent: Sunday, January 01, 2012 6:53 PM
> To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [blparent] Keeping young children safe as
> parentswithavisualimpairment
>
> 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
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> blparent mailing list
>>>>> blparent at nfbnet.org
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>>>>> .n
>>>>> e
>>>>> t
>>>>
>>>>
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