[blparent] Keeping young children safeasparentswithavisualimpairment

Fri Jan 6 20:09:28 UTC 2012

Those seem like reasonable economical ideas.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Miranda B." <knownoflove at gmail.com>
To: "'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, January 06, 2012 11:09 AM
Subject: Re: [blparent] Keeping young children 
safeasparentswithavisualimpairment


> Hi Sharon,
> We actually tried putting a gate part way up the stairs, because a gate
> wouldn't fit at the bottom exactly. :)
> I think what we may do with the alarms on the doors are to have one for 
> the
> front door and bells or wind chimes on the nursery door. This way, we 
> would
> hear when the door opens but still be able to check on the child when they
> are sleeping.
> Thanks so much for your help and encouragement!
>
> In Christ, Miranda
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of sharon howerton
> Sent: Friday, January 06, 2012 7:23 AM
> To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [blparent] Keeping young children safe
> asparentswithavisualimpairment
>
> Miranda, with the item you found at Lowe's, I wonder if you could find the
> same or comparable through Amazon which sometimes has better prices. Sad
> about the stairs. Wonder if there would be any way to put a gate part way 
> up
> the stairs. Obviously I can't know what your house is like but sorry you 
> had
> one of those days. You and Andy have worked so hard at this.
> Sharon
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Miranda B." <knownoflove at gmail.com>
> To: "'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2012 6:12 PM
> Subject: Re: [blparent] Keeping young children safe
> asparentswithavisualimpairment
>
>
>> Hi,
>> We found these alarms at Lowes, but sadly we'd need to spend $70 or so
>> to get one for each door we want them for. We found a cheaper one that
>> was point-of-contact, but it was 120DB... That's loud!
>> We discovered that there is no way we can put a gate at the bottom of
>> the stairs either. I really have no idea what the builders of our home
>> were thinking! As you can imagine, it's been one of those days... ;)
>> Sorry, but I needed to vent a bit.
>> Thanks for letting me share my frustration, 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
>>>>>>
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>>>>>> t
>>>>>
>>>>>
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