[nabs-l] Personal aides and other services in school

Sun Sep 5 03:25:15 UTC 2010

Hello all,
I had paraproes in some of my classes in high school to help me take notes.
I did take my own notes too.  I was in a resource room once a day and during
that time I would work on Braille.  I did not learn Braille intill high
school.  I used large print books and materials because I could see enough
than.  I used a cctv in some of my classes.  I used jaws in school for a
typing class I took.  I got om twice a week.  I did not know of the nfb
during my growing up years intill I graduated from high school.  I got some
opporaties but I was held back in others.  Like they did not think I needed
to learn math or take English classes.  I have struggled in college.  I had
to use tutors and real classes.
I hope I helped in a way.
Becky 

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Julie McGinnity
Sent: Saturday, September 04, 2010 5:27 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Personal aides and other services in school

Hi.  This is a really interesting topic.

>From Kindergarten up through high school I had a TVI and a Para and a
mobility instructor.  They did not hover over me.  They brailled and
scanned things as needed, and they were always there if I needed help
with anything, but they encouraged me to be independent.  Looking back
on it, I think they would have agreed with the NFB philosophy.  My TVI
started me with jaws and open book when I was in 6th grade, and I had
been given a braille light when I was in 3rd grade.  I loved my TVIs
and my paras.  They were always very close to me, and I think I could
build a relationship with them because I respected them very much.  I
had 1 hour of vision instruction(braille, technology, calling Freedom
Scientific) everyday.  I'm not kidding about the last one.  Lol!  Then
I had 2 hours or so of mobility every other week.  I wish I could have
had more mobility looking back, but that was my IEP.  My para sat with
me in math class everyday, and she was very useful.  She took notes
for me, so she could take down the graphs and things.  Beyond that I
never had my aids in class with me.  It was just never necessary.
They offered to walk me to class my first week in high school, and I
think I took advantage of that, but usually, I, like others have
mentioned, let my friends describe things like movies and the board to
me.  I never asked them to do this, but it became an automatic that
they did.  I think this is really nice, and I believe that they would
not have done this if I had had an adult helping me with everything.
I agree that it makes the "Blind person" less approachable.  I met one
of my really good friends because she offered to help me with a
project in a gifted class that involved looking at things through some
kind of microskope.  I can't remember if my aide was there or not at
that point.

After reading these few responses I think it really depends on the
different needs of the student in question how much help they need.  I
believe that students should not have their paras or whatever hanging
around them all the time because it becomes much harder to build
social skills.  It goes without saying that mobility instruction and
braille learning should begin at an early age, but other than that, I
think it depends on the level of the student.  That's why they make
IEPs after all--for the individual.

I also think it's important to let the blind student be as independent
as soon as possible.  I think more goals involving greater
independence should be worked into more IEPs.  I am by no means an
educator, so if you think I'm crazy, it's ok.  I'm not sure I know
what I'm talking about.  Lol!

On 9/4/10, Jorge Paez <jorgeapaez at mac.com> wrote:
> Since I spent my first few years in a school for the blind, I don't know
> about 1/2nd grade.
> When I started in 4th grade they, the DOE gave me a para who I've had
until
> now, entering 9th grade.
> And although the para has been nice to me, I don't consider it a needed
> service, as it sometimes blocks students from helping me and makes me a
> little more isolated I think.
> I wouldn't say that it has been completely without its use, specially in
> doing quick diagrams, and helping my TBI when she was overloaded with
> next-day or even give-in-half an hour work, but its not something I need
> personally to survive inside the actual classroom, as all that info I can
> obtain from my classmates.
>
> Actually what I've done is with my para, agreed that basically all they do
> is drop me off at class, and get me whatever materials I need, if any.
>
> Usually I sit with my friends, so they read the board to me, and give me
> descriptions whenever needed.
>
>
> I had a teacher get mad at me because of it once, but I don't consider it
> anything to get mad about--since my friends and I only talk about work,
and
> usually never make small talk unless we know we're close to or completely
> done with the work, plus it gives me a little social skill in the class,
and
> not make me look like a hopeless kid who can't do without services from
the
> state.
>
> But now my parra knows and agrees with me too.
>
>
> No complaint, just saying its not absolutely needed.
>
> Jorge
>
>
>
> Thanks.
>
>
>
> Jorge Paez
>
>
> ---
> President And CEO:
> Paez Production Networks
>
>
>
>
>
> Please note:
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> is directed to.
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>
> On Sep 4, 2010, at 6:27 PM, Arielle Silverman wrote:
>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> At this year's NFB convention, improving education of blind children
>> was an especially prominent theme, and for good reason-we would all
>> say that the ability for the blind to be fully participating members
>> of society starts with a quality education. I am on a couple of
>> listservs for parents of blind children (the NFB parents of blind
>> children list as well as another one that's not affiliated with any
>> organization), and discussions frequently come up about the myriad of
>> special services that parents often have to fight school districts to
>> get for their kids in public school. These special services range from
>> Braille instruction and provision of Braille learning materials, to
>> O&M, to technology instruction, to having a teacher's aide assigned to
>> help the blind student with visual tasks, to auxiliary services like
>> occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), speech, etc. When I
>> take part in these discussions as someone who grew up blind, I always
>> wonder which of these services are absolutely critical to helping
>> blind students get a sound and effective education, and which of them
>> may be nice, but not necessary. For example, I think it's clear that
>> quality Braille instruction, cane travel teaching and tech instruction
>> are top priorities, but what about the other services?
>>
>> I'm just curious to know what kinds of services those of you who grew
>> up blind received, and if you think these services were adequate,
>> inadequate, or superfluous. In particular, I'm curious whether you
>> guys had classroom aides (or someone besides your TVI) help you with
>> classroom activities or getting around and if you think this kind of
>> help was appropriate. When I started elementary school (kindergarten
>> in 1990), I had a classroom aide in kindergarten and first grade and
>> then the aide was discontinued in second grade and thereafter. From
>> what I remember (although I know memories from kindergarten can be
>> notoriously inaccurate), the aide basically served as my sighted guide
>> but didn't help me with classroom activities. In hindsight I wonder if
>> not having the aide would have forced the O&M to teach me independent
>> cane travel at an earlier age. But, more importantly, I didn't have
>> someone in the classroom describing things to me except when the TVI
>> was there, which I think was only one or two class periods per day in
>> the beginning and eventually she basically served as a braillist. I'm
>> therefore a little surprised to hear how common it is for blind kids
>> in this generation to have classroom aides working with them, offering
>> verbal descriptions of visual activities, etc. I feel like my own
>> education was relatively good, in part, because I didn't have the
>> luxury of getting so much information and I had to learn how to follow
>> what was being taught using nonvisual techniques, as well as actively
>> gathering information from others (like the teacher and fellow
>> classmates), skills that are critical for success in college. But, I
>> can also see the argument that having someone describe goings-on in
>> the classroom to a young child might give them an advantage and help
>> them gain a stronger understanding of visual concepts. What do you
>> think?
>>
>> Arielle
>>
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-- 
Julie McG
 Lindbergh High School class of 2009, participating member in Opera
Theater's Artist in Training Program, and proud graduate of Guiding
Eyes for the Blind

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that
everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal
life."
John 3:16

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