[Sportsandrec] clueless coaches

[hannibal8it at aol.com]

escorts, really?  kinda defeats the whole field of O&M... that's 
horrible!  and note-takers... wow.
glad i grew up when i did and how i did.

Jody that's crazy!  i can't imagine how that girl must've felt.

i remember when i was in grade school, the playground was split up by 
age groups, we had a piece of equipment that i had been climbing on 
since i was 4, that during the school year, i couldn't play on because 
you had to be in 3rd grade... even the sighted kids.
it was essentially a telephone pole, which had tires bolted to it going 
around progressively higher, so you climbed the tires to the top, and 
slid down a fireman's pole to get back down; i think it was called the 
Tire Tipi.  it was so much fun!
when i was in 3rd grade, i was so happy to be "legal" i went and played 
on it with my friends, and a teacher named Miss Stump pulled me away 
one time when i got back to the ground saying i wasn't allowed to play 
on it due to being blind.  next recess i was back on it.  she held me 
in for recess the next day.
this is where i maintain my previous position of kids can indeed 
indicate their desires, and enhance their own experiences, because i 
did go to my homeroom teacher, and the principle of my own accord, and 
complained.
he called my parents in, and my father told them they were wasting his 
time, i should have access to anything the other kids had.
so from that day on, i made sure to have my friends let me know when 
miss stump was watching, and i'd wave to her from the top of the Tire 
Tipi... part of those bad citizenship grades i talked about.  LOL
Here's to ya, Phillis!!!! wherever you are!
Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: jody <jody at thewhitehats.com>
To: 'Sports and Recreation for the Blind Discussion List' 
<sportsandrec at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Fri, Jul 13, 2012 10:20 am
Subject: Re: [Sportsandrec] clueless coaches

Hi Ashley,

I look back on my education and I would have resented having an aide 
even at
an early age. I always had an attitude of 'I'd rather do it myself'.  I
think it is far more important to teach a child the skills they need.  
What
I see is that in many cases the aide does too much and is there long 
after
the child needs them.  The aide needs job security after all.

When I was a kid I walked to school Other blind kids took the 
neighborhood
bus.  Now blind kids ride special buses and they have aides ride with 
them
to carry their bags for them so they won't trip on the stairs.  I know 
one
parents who finally got the school to agree not to have the aide on the 
bus
but the driver didn't know this.  The driver had the kids wait on the 
bus
for 40 minutes and she refused to drive because she thought it was too
unsafe.  The blind child was so embarrassed because she knew she was the
reason for the hold up.  She was in 9th grade for heavens sake!

As for the material being more visual, it is up to the teacher to simply
verbalize what is being presented visually.  It isn't that hard but most
teachers will complain it isn't in their job description.  If a blind 
child
has an aide to bail them out of every situation then what will happen 
when
the child goes out in to the real world and they get a job?  Just an 
example
but when I was a kid I called RFB&D (which was RFB at the time) No one 
did
it for me.  Now college students even have someone to order books for 
them.
Colleges even offer note takers and escorts.  It's too much.

About ten years ago I took some college courses.  I explored the campus
ahead of time, figured out where my classes would be and I talked to the
professors about testing etc.  Someone at the disabled student services
office offered me an escort, orientation to the campus, note takers 
etc.  I
said I didn't need them and I was actually called UPPITY!  Damn right!  
I
never went back.

One thing that really makes me sick is the policy that many schools have
that it is a dangerous liability for a blind child to walk the halls 
alone
or walk to school or ride the bus independently.  What message are blind
kids getting from this hysterical reaction?  They grow up believing it 
is
too dangerous to do things without assistance every where they go.

I guess all this qualifies me as an old fart.  So call me an old fart 
and
proud of it.

JODY


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