[Nfbf-l] ideas needed

[Matt Roberts]

I would like to start my response with a question.  Who told you your daughter is unsafe if she doesn't use her cane all the time? Has the school complained to you about her cane   use? She needs to know how to function without a cane.  I can tell you from experience, canes get broken!
There is a proper way to carry a cane.  Has she been taught this technique? IF she's using the proper technique to carry her cane, don't worry 
about her not using it.  A lot of places using a cane is not practical, and she needs to figure this out for herself.
I personally don't use a cane unless I'm traveling by myself.  When I am with friends and family, the cane stays at home.  It's one more thing that can get lost or damaged.
Your daughter needs to develop her own set of skills to get through life.  Using a cane is only one thing, but many skills also need to be developed.
Matt Roberts

Sent from my iPad

On Oct 28, 2011, at 2:16 PM, Doreen Franklin <doreenproverbs3 at bellsouth.net> wrote:

> Hi to all ...
>  
> we are looking for some help with our 7-yr old, first grade daughter who is visually impaired. She needs a cane but refuses to use it with us. She will "use" it during her O&M instruction of 30-minutes, but I have no idea if she uses it, or uses it safely, during the rest of her time at school. Most times with us, she holds it off the ground, like a shephard's crook. She has also not accepted her visual disability and has told me "Mom, I can see." And the school has non-verbally told her that last year in kindergarten as well as this year -- she has a CCTV in class; she does not have Braille. She is being re-evaled this year and I have been told "best practice is to use her vision." I backed off to be more collaborative instead of being near the door to due process. It is killing me, but I want to be more collaborative. 
>  
> Has anyone else experienced this? If so, how did you get around it? I can tell her about safety, but I know all she hears is "blah blah blah." She has said numerous times she HATES her cane, and I don't know how to get around it to make her see that she is safe with it and unsafe without it. She has gotten several bruises on her legs and her eye and all of those times have been because she has not used her cane. Again, she is hearing "blah blah blah." She did very well while at the national convention in July ... but within 2 weeks, she was not using her cane safely. There are no role models for her in school ... 
>  
> Any and all suggestions would be appreciated ....
>  
> Thank you!!!!
> 
> Doreen
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