[Nfb-krafters-korner] Being a Blind Kid

Tue Aug 31 19:09:49 UTC 2010

I lost my sight at 15 and I had the most wonderful parents and sister!  They 
let me try/do anything I wanted as long as I cleaned up after myself.  So, 
needless to say, I was in the kitchen, in the barn, in the fields/gardens, 
in the wood lot and wherever my dad went, there was I.  Believe it or not, I 
had a lot of bumps and more than my share of black and blue splotches, but 
never stitches or a single broken bone.  I drove our tracter with directions 
from daddy on the ground, road and fell off my horse, went fishing, climbed 
all over our local fire trucks (my dad was the chief for many years), and 
now 32 years after I lost my sight I'm not sure if I would have had as much 
fun if I had been a sighted teen.  Oh well, go figure!

Susan R.
dogwoodfarm at verizon.net
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Terrence van Ettinger" <terrencevane at gmail.com>
To: "List for blind crafters and artists" <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 12:51 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Looking around

> That happens all too often.  Mostly, where I work, we get adults
> coming through.  But occasionally, we get some youth that pop in.  I
> was lucky enough to be able to talk with the guy's mom and explain how
> blind kids benefit from the same experiences as sighted kids, how yes,
> they may fall and get a few bruises here and there, and/or even break
> a bone.  But these are things that happen just as easily to sighted
> kids playing around too.  Plus we had a recent high-school graduate
> who was here at the time as well, and he talked with the family too,
> talking about his own experiences doing all kinds of sports and rec
> activities.  I think sometimes parents feel that if something happens
> to their blind kiddo, they're going to take flack for it.."How could
> you let this happen to this vulnerable child?"  It's up to us, I feel,
> as blind adults to help parents understand that blind kids don't need
> to be extra-protected, any more than sighted kids do.  Sure we may not
> totally change their minds in a heartbeat, but just planting the seed
> is important.
>
> Terrence
>
> On 8/31/10, Powers, Terry (NIH/OD/DEAS) [E] <Terry.Powers at nih.gov> wrote:
>> Terrence;
>> I love your aditude!  Sure wish my adopted mother and grand mother had 
>> been
>> like that.  They were over protective.  When I wanted to learn to cook, 
>> my
>> grand mother would not let me in the kitchen.  I was not exposed to a 
>> cane
>> until I was a teanager and then I was ashaimed to use it.
>>
>> Terry Powers
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Becky Frankeberger [mailto:b.butterfly at comcast.net]
>> Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2010 11:26 AM
>> To: 'List for blind crafters and artists'
>> Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Looking around
>>
>> Oh Dick, bless you a zillion times.  My husband is the man who 
>> experienced
>> first hand an over protective mother who would not let him do anything. 
>> His
>> mother had a brother like you.  Uncle Carlos taught my husband how to saw 
>> a
>> piece of wood, farm in the soil, fix machine equipment, hunt, fish, my
>> husband has some sight and at twelve he was driving farm equipment and so
>> much more.  My husband got his love of learning from his mother.  He got 
>> his
>> confidence from his Uncle Carlos.
>>
>> Guess what his first job was in college, smile. He was a maintenance man 
>> at
>> an apartment building.  Pretty cool, smile, he got sighted help from time 
>> to
>> time.  But changing out a toilet, no big deal, Uncle Carlos let him help 
>> at
>> the farm so he had a basic idea, smile.
>>
>> I did not have an Uncle Carlos and sat home with my parents for nearly
>> thirty years feeling less then dirt.  I was smart but had no confidence 
>> or
>> life skills.
>>
>> There is a lady on this list who can give you fun artsy things you can do
>> with this little guy.  Give him fun things to touch.  Then move them a 
>> bit
>> away from him forcing him to look around and explore his world.
>>
>> Buy him some fun play close and go have fun doing little boy things. 
>> Start
>> off kind of slow with clean dirty things like shaving cream on a cookie
>> sheet.  You have to build trust in him.
>>
>> The NFB has a parents of Blind Children division.  Go snoop around on 
>> that
>> web site and look at kids being kids holding canes and exploring this big
>> beautiful world of ours.
>>
>> Oh I just want to hug you so much.  Thank you for opening up this little
>> person's world.  Just wait until his mother sees him riding a bike or 
>> roler
>> skating.  The laugh and joy on his face wil be magical.
>>
>> Also, please don't be hard on your sister.  We don't come with 
>> instruction
>> books on how to raise a blind child.  I have to remind myself of this 
>> when I
>> think back on how much I missed.  You know silly things like I can't 
>> swim.
>> Oh I can hear my mom's voice "Beck don't go near the water!" My mom said
>> don't go near horses they will kick you. I rode my first horse at twenty
>> seven, smile. She just did not know how to raise a blind child.  So get 
>> your
>> sister in touch with parents who are raising blind children.  There are
>> summer camps for blind children she can go and see what those kids can 
>> do.
>> Arts and crafts, swimming, canoeing,archery, horse back riding, rope
>> climbing things, hiking, toasting marshmellows etc.  Hmm, wonder if those
>> camps take big kids, giggle.
>>
>> Becky who still likes making noises with empty pop bottles, giggle.
>>
>> And guide dog Jake who says "What the paw are you saying now.  Let's go 
>> for
>> a walk. You need to clear your head, arf!"
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org
>> [mailto:nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Dick Carlson
>> Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 11:29 PM
>> To: nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Looking around
>>
>> Hello everyone,
>>
>> I'm Dick and found out about this list through a teacher who works with
>> blind kids.  I hope this list is for everyone, including sighted folks.
>>
>> I am helping to raise my little nephew, and he's a totally blind kid who 
>> is
>> perhaps a tad socially delayed for his age.  I mainly try to spend a lot 
>> of
>> time with him and wanted to see how much he and I could do together to
>> stimulate him a bit.  He has been very over-protected by his mom, who 
>> means
>> very well but sometimes doesn't know whether or not to let him do things 
>> on
>> his own.
>> I realize most guys don't really get into crafts, but I think working 
>> with
>> your hands can be fun and I have no problem with it.
>> I hope there are other guys on this list to share with as well.
>>
>> One of the things my little nephew is not used to doing or maybe doesn't
>> like doing is to do a lot of exploring with his hands.  He's not been
>> encouraged.  In addition, he doesn't really like getting his hands dirty 
>> or
>> into things, because he's always been taught to sit still and stay clean 
>> and
>> all that stuff that most children don't do!
>> I'd love to expose him to this sort of thing and perhaps get into things
>> where it will be inevitable for us to put our hands in things and get a
>> little messy.
>>
>> Is this out of the ordinary for blind kids, and am I doing the right 
>> thing
>> by wanting to work with him and play doing things with him?  Is this a 
>> good
>> list for good crafts and such?
>>
>> I'd love feedback and ideas.
>>
>> Dick Carlson
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>
>
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