[Pibe-division] Reaching your potential

[Marianne Denning]

This even applies to many students who are visually impaired and have additional disabilities.  I work with a student who had a para up through 7th grade.  The parents moved to a different school district and that district, due to funding cuts, opted not to provide an aid.  I have continued to work with the student and the progress she has made is remarkable.  She attends classes for students with multiple disabilities and there is a teacher and an aid in every room but she completes her work independently and comunicates her wants and needs.  I see the confidence it has created.  We believe too many students need paras who are very capable.
Marianne Denning
Intervention Specialist, Visually Impaired
Finneytown Secondary Campus
mdenning at finneytown.org
513-931-0712
________________________________________
From: pibe-division-bounces at nfbnet.org [pibe-division-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Dr. Denise M. Robinson [dmehlenbacher at yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2011 6:52 PM
To: Professionals in Blindness Education Division List
Subject: [Pibe-division] Reaching your potential

Reaching Your Potential<http://blindgeteducated.blogspot.com/2011/09/reaching-your-potential.html>
One of the biggest issues in the blind field (and there are many) is how much should a para educator be with a child?

What I have seen:
When a district has no one, a para is glued to the child's side and does most of the work for the child because the para lacks the blind skills to help the child do for themselves. The child is succeeding (though only because of what the para is doing, NOT the child) and all are happy. BUT the parents do not realize how much their child is NOT doing and many times, the district is unaware of this also. Or parents fight for a para next to their child all day, without realizing this para will be a big brick wall between their child making friends and achieving their own goals and potential.

I have come into districts and watched the blind child rocking back and forth while the para did the work, sitting side by side, away from class, in their own little world. When I talked with the child, the most intelligent words came from her mouth, so I knew there was a brain there. We spent the next couple of years teaching her all the technology, braille and other blind skills and she was completely independent by the third year. The para just adapted the work for her and made sure she had it in class when all the other students did. This is what SHOULD be happening all the time.

I have had the first scenario over and over and depending on the "pain" level of weaning the child from the para, is really up to the child and parents. Most are on board with the heavy duty technology, braille lessons and other blind skills and within that 2-3 year window you can have an independent child.

However, there are the people who are not thinking ahead to graduation, college, a job. They really think that somehow, miraculously their child will be completely independent when they graduate, when in fact, they have been completely dependent on a para throughout their school career and this dependence and lack of ability will follow them. The child ends up living with the parents and the parents continue to do everything for this child who has the potential of Mt. Everest inside, but instead the child sits like a glacier holding her down and going no where.

Parents and child bring the fear to each other. The child brings that fear to the parents and the parents have the same fear, or the parents put the fear on the child and they tell the child they cannot live without the para (the second scenario is the most common). They truly believe they cannot live without that para being right next to the child all day long. It kills the confidence of the child. The child lacks friends because the para has become the end all to be all of their life. They fail to gain enough skills to go onto college, and worse be gainfully employed to their IQ level.

So, back to reaching your potential. We can't do it without "pain". It will be painful, not physically, though I have seen a lot of sweating, but emotionally. The fear. The dread of not being able to do your work because you forgot something. The fear of getting lost in the school or on a bus ride because you took a wrong turn.

I use the phrase: We learn more from our failures than our successes. I give everyone permission to fail because we are going to fail at something no matter what it is. Don't feel bad about it, feel happy that you are progressing toward something. We can learn from our mistakes, but if we never try, we do not know our own potential.

When they are getting ready to take their first solo bus ride, they are very fearful of getting lost. I tell them, "Don't worry (very cheerfully)...you will!! And they laugh. That is why God gave you a mouth. Speak up and ask someone directions. Same thing goes for class. Speak up and ask. I see relief come over my students. Yep, it is better to fail at trying something than to never try anything. You can only reach your potential with work and pain....but the pain goes and confidence and success follow.

       Denise

Denise M. Robinson, TVI, Ph.D.
Teacher of the Blind & Visually Impaired
TechVision-Independent Contractor
Specialist in blind programming/teaching/training
509-674-1853     deniserob at gmail.com<mailto:deniserob at gmail.com>

http://blindgeteducated.blogspot.com/


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