[Sportsandrec] clueless coaches

Sat Jul 14 05:17:26 UTC 2012

This is getting off topic, but I'll say, not everyone has escorts. I had O&M 
and I walked around middle and high school independently; I changed classes 
like everyone else. No, kids shouldn't have escorts.

-----Original Message----- 
From: hannibal8it at aol.com
Sent: Friday, July 13, 2012 1:49 PM
To: sportsandrec at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [Sportsandrec] clueless coaches

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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