[Pibe-division] Reaching your potential: Aides/Paras as “Independence Coaches"
Dr. Denise M. Robinson
dmehlenbacher at yahoo.com
Sat Sep 24 15:39:00 UTC 2011
Eric,
May I use your "letter to the teachers" in my blog?--The blog goes around the world, and this a great letter for other parents to use. May I also put your contact information in the blog? If so, I will need the full spelling of your last name as if they would like to do more research on your aricles, they could pull more up--unless DrV is good?--smile
Thanks
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
http://blindgeteducated.blogspot.com/
From: DrV <pumpkinracer at gmail.com>
>To: Professionals in Blindness Education Division List <pibe-division at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Saturday, September 24, 2011 7:25 AM
>Subject: Re: [Pibe-division] Reaching your potential: Aides/Paras as “Independence Coaches"
>
>
>I’m glad to see more balance in the recent aide/para discussions.
Postings on this topic are too often emotionally-driven based on real but on
extreme examples. I get uncomfortable when positions veer too strongly into the
negative impacts of aides/paras leading the reader of the posts to potentially
conclude that aides/paras are across-the-board “a bad idea” & should be
avoided. As has been pointed out, so much depends on the situation of the
individual student & the way services are provided in the district. There
just aren’t blanket statements that are appropriate for all situations. The
definitions of aide / para / intervener & their perceived
roles & distinctions can also be somewhat “fuzzy” & overlapping.
>Those of you that know me, know that I don’t want my kids to just
get by; I want them to excel - to be outstanding – to reach their full
potential. I am a strong proponent of equal expectations. I well realize that
my kids won’t have an aide in college & the workplace & that they will
then need to advocate & fend for themselves, but they aren’t there yet -
they are still in school - in mainstreamed public schools with very high
expectations & with braille-production & itinerant VI support that
hasn’t always been consistent in physical presence nor philosophy. That all
being said we are also very aware of & have been mindful to avoid the
described pitfalls of an aide & have taken great care to avoid or at least
minimize the negative aspects. In our situation, I do believe firmly that the
plusses have & continue to outweigh the negatives.
>My kids attend our local neighborhood school. They are the only 2
braille readers in our district. While this raises challenges, it also has many
advantages - for the lack of precedent & experience in this area can be
turned into a big plus -> I think that in many instances the general ed
teachers & administrators who lack the negative biases of “this is how we
have always done it, so this is how it is done” are more open to suggestions as
they search for “how to do it right” – including those of equal expectations,
especially when we can site examples of “the best of” what other students/kids
are doing around the country – many of those coming from NFB families &
educators. Our VI program support does not come directly from our school
district, but from Los Angeles County which also provides VI program support to
all of Los Angeles & its surrounding communities & is feeling the same
financial & workload strains as everyone else around the country.
>Each of our sons works directly with the VI teacher twice a week -
in the very beginning, getting even that was a struggle. Having an aide,
especially in the early years, made a huge difference.
>The aide’s role has evolved over the years. In our case they
weren’t specially-trained in VI issues. They were amongst the pool of special
ed aides in our district & since our kids are the only blind students in
the district, none of the aides have had experience with other blind kids &
have thus been learning along the way. While we have had some aides (& even
VI program providers) that just didn’t “get it”, the aides we have now “get
it”.
>My 4th grader’s aide has really been more of a classroom
aide - the other parents love it because it’s almost like having a second
teacher in class, for he works with all the kids. The aide has been learning
braille. He steps in when it is appropriate & stands back & lets my
younger son struggle though tasks when appropriate. It’s hard to teach common
sense & intuition – qualities that are very important for an aide – he has
both.
>My older son just started his freshman year in high school. Middle
school was a bit complicated the first year; I won’t go into details, but
suffice it to say that it was not ideal from a VI service standpoint.
Never-the-less, an overall goal we insisted on was to further phase out the
direct interaction with the aide role over the course of middle school. By
eighth grade, my son was on his own for Spanish & English. Throughout middle school he went from class
to class on his own or with friends when he chose to do so. Our local high
school is big & academically demanding. Our intent is to further phase out
the aide over the next few years to a fully background role, while at the same
time trying assure he acquires the remaining skills he needs to learn to make
it on his own in college.
>The reality is that the first year in a new school can be rough –
the student, VI team & parents need to interact with new administrators
& teachers who have had no real exposure to what blind kids are capable of
& who are likely to be at least somewhat anxious & unsure of “how it
will work”. While in an ideal world any educator or administrator should be
able to take having a blind student in stride, the reality is that some just
“don’t get it” or get too overwhelmed or are inflexible to provide the ideal
learning experience.
>A good experienced aide can help reduce general ed educator transition
anxiety. We make an effort to meet all the teachers ahead of time every
year. Here is a modified excerpt of a few paragraphs of an email I sent out to
my older son’s new high school teachers & key administrators before we
formally met with them at the beginning of the school year.
>“For a blind student, especially at the higher grade levels, the
role of the aide is different than the more traditional role you may be used to
for other students; the aide is there to promote the student’s ability to
function increasingly independently, after all he won’t have an aide in college
or in the workplace. In a nutshell & on a practical level, the role of the
aide is 2-fold; 1. to assist teachers in getting materials together that need
to be brailled or modified ahead of time to the TVI (teacher of the visually
impaired) & to distribute brailled/modified materials & organize them
for the teachers (for all classes, including Spanish & English) & 2. to
unobtrusively help with socialization, by pointing out where his friends &
new classmates are during nutrition & lunch; to facilitate normal social
interactions & not to interfere with interactions by hanging out with him.
You might call the aide an “independence coach” of sorts – though we & all
of you - will be sharing in the role of “independence coaching”.
>We know many high-achieving
blind adults all over the country in an amazing array of occupations. Our son
will have great blind role models no matter what his ultimate career choice
ends up being. We are confident that the experience at the high school will
continue to provide him with the academic & social skills foundation that
he will need to reach his full potential & pursue further studies in the
university of his choice.
>We are trying to promote
independence. Our son has attended a number of summer “camps” at concentrated
blindness skill training center programs in both Minnesota & Louisiana where
each time he spent around a month with peers & counselors, all of whom are
blind. In addition to living at the U of M dorms they worked a host of
blindness skills in fun ways & even went horseback riding, rock-climbing,
canoeing, & even to a waterpark – all with blind counselors. From a
philosophical & confidence-building standpoint, these were settings in
which the kids could not use the excuse of “I can't do it because I’m
blind” for the friend or the counselor they would turn to was blind as well.
>Our son has started
participating in monthly conference calls with blind high school & college
students both throughout California & across the US.
>We understand that for most of
you, having a blind student is a new experience. There is an expected learning
curve for all. This happens every year & is a bit more noticeable at the
beginning of each transition to a new school. While some modifications are
needed, as you get to know him better, you will find him in many ways to be
just like many of his freshman peers. As you interact with him, it is even
pretty easy to forget at times that he is blind.”
>The perspectives of everyone on this listserv are shaped in large
part by their personal experiences. I share this as an example of “a middle
ground approach” of sorts that I believe has been best for us. Things have not
been perfect & while there have certainly been major struggles (even tidal
waves) along the way, Ifirmly believe that the aide’s role has been an important
component of the degree of success my kids have experienced – they have been an
academic & social asset for each of my boys in different ways. We have done
our best to avoid the pitfalls. While having an aide can interfere with
advocacy, that does not have to be the case. As has been pointed out nicely,
organizational skills are critical. Organizational skills don’t necessarily
have to be taught by a TVI; one could even make a case that the absence of
daily VI support creates an environment that might even force a student to be
more organized to survive & perform well independently.
>In the end, an optimal comes down
to a team effort – the student, the parents, the VI/blindness professionals,
general ed professionals & others, including the blind community, working
together. I have 2 boys who have grown up in the same household, same district,
same schools & our educational experience & how the IEP Team has had to
approach things has been at times strikingly different with each. There are
varied pathways that can taken on the way to high school graduation. I wish I
had an accurate crystal ball, but I don’t think any of us does. I am convinced
that there is no best route that will work for all. The route will likely vary
with local situations & will likely vary throughout the years as conditions
change.
>Sincerely,
>DrV
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>On Mon, Sep 19, 2011 at 3:52 PM, Dr. Denise M. Robinson <dmehlenbacher at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>Reaching Your Potential
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
>>
>>http://blindgeteducated.blogspot.com/
>>
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>>
>
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