[Ohio-talk] New Families

[mzavoli at roadrunner.com]

Hi Carol,

I live in Cuyahoga County, and I'd like to help.  Have you suggested the free White Cane Program from the national center?  Even if Dalton has had no mobility training, at least he can learn some rudimentary skills from watching Internet videos or any one of us teaching him while at convention.  In terms of Braille, perhaps I can give Dalton a crash course in learning the Braille alphabet, and possibly, a few abbreviations.  In addition to some Braille learning from someone such as myself, suggest the Hadley School for the Blind's Braille reading course, which could be done online.  I know it's not the same, and his district should be doing more for Dalton, but in the meantime, he could get started with these preliminiary tools.

 It's too bad I don't live near either Dalton's or Dorian's family as I would be able to participate more fully.  I get a little upset when I hear of stories like these--two young and bright kids with a promising future, and no one coming to their defense to make sure they get an education, just like sighted students.  We should all rise to the occasion and do what we can to help families such as these.  We should conduct more educational fairs about the NFB to reach out to anyone interested in our cause.

Carol, e-mail me or call me at (216) 939-0502 and we might be able to arrange a Braille and in-door mobility session for Dalton.  Maybe we can get Dorian's family to come to convention in the future, too. 

Milena