[stylist] Sending this again: Article showingwhatparentsofblindkids are facing
Donna Hill
penatwork at epix.net
Mon Feb 18 17:28:32 UTC 2013
Legal blindness is defined as 20/200 vision in the best eye with correction
or periphoral vision of 20 degrees or less. BTW, I prefer having the visual
field defined in terms of degrees, because it gives a more concrete
understanding of how much vision the person has -- when you use percentage,
you're in a bit of a nebulus world because normal periphoral vision can
vary.
When I was a kid, I was legally blind because of my periphoral vision
according to the federal government and visually impaired according to the
state of Pennsylvania, which hadn't yet recognized the importance of
periphoral vision. I used to tell people that I was "illegally blind."
I prefer the term blind for myself even when I had some reading vision left.
It seems to me that the visually impaired thing is supposed to make people
feel better about themselves because at least they aren't blind. This to me
is an aspect of the whole social problem of discounting the value of life
without sight. Blind people who were born blind or went blind before their
21st birthdays are in the minority of all blind people. The vast majority
go blind after their formative years, when their negative stereotypes about
blindness have already taken shape. They all too often turn this negativity
upon themselves. I often think of the sighted world as having a significant
population of "not-yet-blind" people, and along with the plight of blind
children, it's what motivates me.
Donna
Donna
-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Anita
Ogletree
Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2013 8:22 PM
To: Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] Sending this again: Article
showingwhatparentsofblindkids are facing
There are three separate categories for which individuls without sight are
identified: totally blind, legally blind and visually impaired. Totally
blind--if I understand correctly--are those who have no light perception.
Visually impaired are those persons who are able to use magnifying devices
to enlarge printed documents, etc. What exactly does the term "legally
blind" mean?
I was told all of my life that I am totally blind but I have light
perception. I see objects but no shapes. Every now and then I can guess a
particular color depending on how the lighting in a room is. I am able to
tell when people are walking by me when they are only a couple feet in front
of me and I can do that if I am sitting in a parked car or some other place.
I can see the shadows of trees, poles, buildings and so on when I look out
of the window of a car.
My question is this: what category would I fit into? My optic nerve is
damaged so the medical terminology is optic atrophyddI ask this because the
so-called "experts" have not been able to give me an answer.
Anita
> ----- Original Message -----
>From: "Donna Hill" <penatwork at epix.net
>To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org Date sent:
>Sat, 16 Feb 2013 22:02:20 -0500
>Subject: Re: [stylist] Sending this again: Article
showingwhatparentsofblind kids are facing
>This is an interesting one. I had heard that of the ones who do
work, 80%
>read Braille, making Braille a marker for success. I hadn't
heard before
>where they actually looked at it in terms of amount of vision. I
think
>totally blind kids are more likely to get Braille and mobility,
whereas
>legally blind and visually impaired kids are often pushed toward
acting
>sighted to their detrament.
>Donna
>-----Original Message-----
>From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
justin
>williams
>Sent: Friday, February 15, 2013 6:21 PM
>To: 'Writer's Division Mailing List'
>Subject: Re: [stylist] Sending this again: Article showing
>whatparentsofblind kids are facing
>I heard a stat once that despite 70 percent of the blind being
unemployed,
>only 44 percent of those who operate as totals, or cloes to total
are
>unemployed. In other words, those who can read braille are less
likely to
>be unemployed. I think that is because they are comfortable in
using the
>blindness skills.
>-----Original Message-----
>From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Donna Hill
>Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2013 6:14 PM
>To: 'Writer's Division Mailing List'
>Subject: Re: [stylist] Sending this again: Article showing what
>parentsofblind kids are facing
>Lynda
>You raise some interesting points. I too have often wondered
what percentage
>of the 30% of blind people of working age who are working are
employed in
>blindness-related jobs. I haven't been able to find anything
official on
>this. I think (and maybe this shows me to be more of an optimist
than I
>usually care to admit) that it is less now than years ago.
>There are many blind people who have broken barriers in
professions like
>engineering, chemistry and the law, and of course many blind
lawyers. I only
>know of two living blind people (both men) who completed medical
school as
>blind students.
>Celest Lopes is the head of the Racketeering Department at the
NYC District
>Attorney's Office, and there are many blind women in teaching and
social
>work. Temple U. had a blind summa cum laude a few years ago
(Harriet Go),
>who is now one of several blind teachers in the Philadelphia
School
>District. I think our NFB Scholarship Committee head, Patty
Chang, is an ADA
>in Chicago, and Elizabeth Campbell has worked as a reporter for a
newspaper
>in Fort Worth for over 20 years.
>In terms of the sighted TVIs and rehab counsellors being given
preference
>over the blind ones, I think there's a lot of truth in that.
Nevertheless,
>my brother, who teaches Braille at Lions World Services in Little
Rock, has
>survived many lay-offs and was recently given a promotion to a
management
>position.
>I always get the impression though that when the average sighted
person
>hears about any of these accomplishments, they either think
they're being
>fed a line of bull or that the specific individual is some sort
of sevant --
>that the accomplishment is not something that a normally
intelligent blind
>person could achieve.
>When I was heading off for college and indeed throughout my
college and post
>college years, I felt pressured by my advisers to go into a field
like
>teaching blind children or rehab counselling. I fought fiercely
against this
>for several reasons. First, it was my opinion that I really
didn't have
>anything to contribute to blind kids, since I was having such a
hard time
>myself and didn't have Braille or mobility skills. Second, I
couldn't help
>wondering how it could work to funnel all the blind folks into
>blindness-related jobs. It felt unsustainable. Third, it felt
like I was
>being pushed aside into that separate but "not" equal world out
of which
>black people were trying so desperately to escape.
>As far as the trained professionals being stumbling blocks ... I
think that
>is far too often the case. When I was doing the Braille literacy
series, I
>had occasion to monitor the online forum for TVIs. They were
discussing this
>business about Braille literacy that the NFB had been promoting.
I don't
>know if you recall, but the NFB got Congress to authorize the
minting of a
>Braille silver dollar as one of the two commemorative coins for
2009, which
>was the 200th anniversary of Louis Braille's birth. The one post
that stood
>out for me came from a TVI who admitted that she wept openly when
she
>learned that she had to teach Braille. If the teachers of
sighted children
>were as poorly equipped to teach print reading as the TVIs are to
teach
>Braille, there would be rioting in the streets.
>Carlton Ann Cook Walker, the current president of the National
Organization
>of Parents of Blind Children, had a lot to say about this issue.
When I get
>the chance, I'll try to find the article I did about her for my
Braille
>Literacy series. Her story, which I subtitled, "Lessons from a
Right-Handed
>World," was the article that got picked up the most by other
sites.
>I must say though, that there are many wonderful TVIs who are
fierce
>advocates for their students. Sister Meg at the St. Lucy's Day
School for
>Blind Children run by the Philadelphia Arch Dioces comes to mind,
as do a
>couple of the TVIs I corresponded with concerning the winners of
our Youth
>Braille Writing Contest.
>Donna
>-----Original Message-----
>From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Lynda Lambert
>Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2013 1:51 PM
>To: Writer's Division Mailing List
>Subject: Re: [stylist] Sending this again: Article showing what
>parentsofblind kids are facing
>Donna, what a powerful story! It is really well done, and I love
the way you
>end it with information for others who may be looking for help.
>It seems to me as though the people who are "trained
professionals" in this
>field are often more of a stumbling block than the helpers that
they are
>supposed to be.
>This is very enlightening to me, as I think it would be to anyone
who had no
>prior knowledge about blindness.
>One person told me when I lost my sight, that she had never known
of a blind
>person who had a job in any other field than something that is
>blind-related. This young man will have many obstacles in his
path as he
>pursues his dreams for a profssion in law, I am sure.
>I often wonder, out of the percent of blind people who are
employed, how
>many do you suppose are working in non-blind related fields?
>Have you ever done research on this?
>One thing that perplexes me, or should I say it dissapoints me,
is when
>sighted people are working at jobs in the blind related industry
that could
>or should be done by blind people. And, I wonder if they are
given
>preference over blind people for those jobs. As in any field,
job placement
>is a political animal first and foremost, I know! But, when I was
at the
>rehab school I saw that some blind people had been let go, and
sighted
>persons retained and it bothered me so much. I cannot tell you
how important
>it was to me the day I had called there, and the person on the
phone with me
>told me she was blind. It immediately gave me hope - and then,
while I was
>there, that same person was let go, along with some others, due
to cutback,
>we were told. Hmmm?
>Lynda
>Lynda
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "justin williams" <justin.williams2 at gmail.com
>To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org
>Sent: Friday, February 15, 2013 12:56 PM
>Subject: Re: [stylist] Sending this again: Article showing what
parents
>ofblind kids are facing
>> that is a fantastic story. I would have been calling for a law
suit a
>> log time ago. I would have taken the legal stick and beat them
about
>> the had and shoulders into submission. She has a lot of
patients. I
>> would have stepd on their throats.
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Donna
>> Hill
>> Sent: Saturday, February 16, 2013 12:26 PM
>> To: Stylist
>> Subject: [stylist] Sending this again: Article showing what
parents of
>> blind kids are facing
>> I don't know if this ever made the list with the problems we
recently had.
>> Since a week's gone by with no comment, I thought perhaps not.
>> Donna
>> Hi all,
>> With the lively discusion we've been having, I thought I'd like
to
>> share this article I wrote for American Chronicle in 2009.
Don't think
>> this sort of thing isn't happening today.
>> Donna
>> Braille Literacy: For the Love of Reading
>> A Mother's Struggle with America's Special Education System
>> By Donna W. Hill
>> (Word count: 4981)
>> Ad: If you were a modern American educator would you expect a
legally
>> blind child to rely upon his remaining vision to use power tools
or go
>> snow tubing? How slow would a child have to read print for you
to
>> consider teaching him Braille? How bent over would he have to
be,
>> before it occurred to you that he might benefit from a white
cane?
>> Now that Carrie Gilmer's son is headed off to college, she can
talk
>> about their ten-year ordeal.
>> As
>> President of the Minnesota chapter of the National Organization
of
>> Parents of Blind Children, she knows that her experiences are
>> unfortunately all too common. From her initial reactions to
learning
>> that her son was legally blind to the mistakes she hopes other
parents
>> won't make, she is candid about the fight she has just been
through.
>> Carrie's story is a must read for anyone with a friend or loved
one
>> dealing with poor vision.
>> Jordan Richardson (18, Minneapolis) is a Blaine High School
senior
>> with a
>> 3.7 grade point average. He is a trombonist in the school's
jazz
>> band, a reporter for the school newspaper and in Spanish club.
As a
>> freshman, he was on Student Council. As a sophomore and junior,
he
>> was in Science Olympiad. In his junior year he was in the
National
>> Honor Society and received a community service award. His
volunteer
>> projects include tutoring students learning English as a second
>> language and mentoring blind children at a summer camp. He
reads the
>> Constitution for fun and plans to become a judge.
>> When we hear stories about young men like Jordan, we are all
proud and
>> perhaps a bit relieved that the future is in such intelligent,
gifted
>> and generous hands. The fact that Jordan has done all of this
as a
>> blind person is not the amazing or miraculous part of the story.
In
>> fact, if you get too caught up in that, you'll miss the point
that he
>> and his mother, Carrie Gilmer, want to get across: blind people
can
>> compete with their sighted peers, when given the tools and
>> encouragement to do so.
>> There is, however, something which is extraordinary about
Jordan's story.
>> It involves what his mother had to go through to get him an
education
>> in the first place. Carrie, who has been president of the
Minnesota
>> chapter of the non-profit National Organization of Parents of
Blind
>> Children (NOPBC):
>> <http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Parents_and_Teachers.asp
>> http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Parents_and_Teachers.asp</a
>> since 2004, is working to stop what happened to her and Jordan
from
>> happening to other families.
>> Unfortunately, her story is all too common. The result is lower
>> achievement, dependence and the need for tax-payer support of
>> unemployable blind adults.
>> Braille literacy is declining. Only ten percent of America's
blind
>> children are being taught to read and write Braille - down from
fifty
>> percent in the '60s. Braille's significance can be glimpsed in
two
>> statistics. Only thirty percent of working-age blind Americans
are
>> employed, and over eighty percent of them read Braille.
>> There are three major areas in which a person with low vision
may need
>> to make adjustments: literacy (reading and writing), orientation
and
>> mobility (getting around) and manual activities (everything from
>> cooking and sewing to doing the laundry and woodworking.
>> Does the thought of a blind person cooking bacon or using a
power saw
>> make you cringe a little? There are blind cooks and carpenters
who do
>> these things every day. What is truly scary is when low vision
>> students are expected to do them without learning the non-visual
>> skills which make the safe accomplishment of these tasks
possible.
>> Sight is a powerful sense. People are naturally inclined to
"look"
>> even when their vision is unreliable. One of the biggest
challenges of
>> educating low vision and legally blind children is knowing when
to
>> stop encouraging them to use their remaining eyesight. Should
you
>> teach them Braille when they are reading large print half as
fast as
>> their fully sighted peers?
>> Maybe at a third the speed? What about at a quarter of the
speed, or
>> when they're getting headaches and not having time for friends
and
>> hobbies? If the child's vision is well beyond the limits for
legal
>> blindness and the child has a degenerative condition, do you
teach
>> Braille early, taking advantage of the increased tactile
sensitivity
>> in children which makes learning Braille easier in childhood?
>> The Special Education system in the US is so biased toward using
>> faulty eyesight that children are made disabled not from their
eye
>> condition, but from the choices that force them to settle for
>> substandard achievement rather than learn non-visual skills.
Year
>> after year from the time Jordan was in kindergarten, Carrie
struggled
>> with a rat's nest of scenarios which threatened to hold her son
back,
>> limit his potential and rob him of his childhood. From not
knowing how
>> to evaluate a child's usable vision and
>> refusing to provide adaptive equipment, to judging his
potential against
>> what they thought was possible for blind kids - i.e. not much
-- and
>> sabotaging her efforts, the Special Education system has given
her an
>> uphill battle.
>> Jordan is legally blind. He has a degenerative condition called
>> retinal cone and rod dystrophy, which will probably take the
little
>> sight he has eventually. Carrie didn't know there was anything
wrong
>> at first.
>> "He liked to get close to things," she says, "but many kids do."
>> Jordan was also driving his tricycle into the curb. When she
>> expressed concern to his pediatrician, Carrie's suspicions were
>> brushed aside as a mother's worry. Not until he was about to
attend
>> kindergarten did she learn the truth.
>> "It was the daycare center at the Y where I was working out,"
she
>> says, "They mentioned it and I insisted that the pediatrician
send him
>> to an eye doctor."
>> Carrie remembers the eye doctor frowning and saying, "He has an
awful
>> lot of vision loss for his age." Jordan was sent home with
glasses
>> for his astigmatism, which didn't help.
>> When a specialist finally diagnosed Jordan's condition, his
vision was
>> 20/400 - worse than legal blindness which is 20/200. The doctor
said
>> there was nothing they could do and that he would call the state
>> services for the blind to inform them.
>> "I cried for twenty-one days," says Carrie, "I couldn't
understand.
>> How could he be blind without me knowing? How could he be blind
and
>> still see the McDonald's sign?"
>> Like most of us, Carrie had little personal experience with
blind
>> people, and her impressions were not favorable.
>> "When I was three years old, my grandparents took me to visit a
couple
>> they knew. The husband had lost his sight," she remembers, "He
was
>> really grumpy and barking orders at his wife."
>> Other than that, she knew of Helen Keller, Ray Charles, the
Sidney
>> Poitier movie "A Patch of Blue" and that some blind people could
>> string
>beads.
>> She
>> believed that blind people had little chance of living
independent,
>> productive and happy lives.
>> "I realized that my image of blindness was a horrible one and it
hurt
>> to think that people would think that way about Jordan," she
says.
>> A Gift From Beyond the Grave
>> In her pain, Carrie began to notice that something didn't add
up. It
>> was the difference between her impression of what blindness
meant and
>> the bright little boy she knew.
>> She had just moved and was unpacking a box of literature left by
her
>> late grandmother. On top was something from the NFB. Her
grandmother
>> had a secret. She had lost enough vision to be legally blind,
and she
>> had made donations to the NFB.
>> "The word 'blind' just leapt off the page at me," says Carrie,
"I read
>> the NFB books "Making Hay" and "What Color is the Sun." They
made me
>> stop crying and gave me hope. Then, I made my first big
mistake."
>> Her mistake was that she assumed the professionals at Jordan's
school
>> would also have a positive attitude about blindness and would
get
>> Jordan the tools and instruction he needed to reach his true
>> potential.
>> "I should have called the NFB right then and there," she says.
>> In kindergarten, it seemed as though Jordan was on the right
track.
>> He had a Braille instructor with forty years' experience. She
worked
>> with Jordan for half an hour after school four times a week.
She said
>> he was picking it up quickly and was tactually gifted. The
school
>> said he was doing well.
>> Carrie didn't realize that they meant doing well "for a blind
person."
>> Only
>> much later did she understand that to say that Jordan was
tactually
>> gifted, represented a sighted bias, and that even that first
teacher
>> had mythical ideas about blindness and the sense of touch.
>> "It's people's ability to use other senses not the strength of
those
>> senses," she says, "People don't realize how much they are
actually using
>> their other senses. They don't spend time analyzing what they
do. I
>> touched the kitchen counter one day after wiping it off and I
realized
>> that I could feel that it wasn't as clean as it looked. Also,
they
>> don't realize how often they are wrong about what they see - a
person
>> 'looked' nice, the ice 'looked' safe."
>> Sighted bias notwithstanding, Jordan's first Braille teacher
wanted
>> Jordan to learn Braille and wait at least until forth grade to
decide
>> if he would be able to read well enough using print. She told
Carrie
>> they would be gradually adding Braille into his school day. As
she
>> retired, she gave Carrie a prophetic warning.
>> "She told us to make sure that we held the next teacher
accountable,
>> because there were 'different philosophies.'"
>> The Fight Begins
>> In first grade, Jordan's new TBS (Teacher of Blind Students)
wanted to
>> teach
>> him to use an abacus for math and work on orientation and
mobility (OM).
>> Suddenly, the thirty-minute sessions were no longer solid
Braille
>> instruction. In addition, the quality of the instruction
changed.
>> "She wanted to make Braille fun, implying that it wasn't fun,"
Carrie
>> remembers, "They just played Yahtzee and other games that were
not even
>> Braille-based. She didn't think Jordan needed to use Braille
during the
>> day
>> and wouldn't really need it for a long time."
>> Jordan, who didn't understand why he needed Braille, began to
subtly fall
>> behind. Carrie's other two children had been fluent readers by
then, but
>> Jordan was a very slow reader and didn't enjoy it. In first
grade, his
>> print reading speed was twenty-five words per minute and ten
in Braille.
>> She thought he needed more Braille instruction, but the teachers
didn't.
>> Carrie was worried, however. It seemed to her that Jordan would
be better
>> at Braille if he had some Braille books and was being encouraged
to read
>> them. She complained at the end of that year to the Director of
Special
>> Education. For five weeks, they gave him some Braille
instruction twice a
>> week but no books.
>> "They didn't even mention that NLS has Braille books," Carrie
says, "I
>> assumed I had to get them from the school."
>> People with print handicaps, including sight loss, dyslexia and
other
>> physical and learning disabilities, can borrow Braille and
recorded books
>> from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically
>> Handicapped:
>> <http://www.loc.gov/nls/> http://www.loc.gov/nls/
>> In second grade Jordan was having more problems getting around.
He was
>> hesitant about the ground in front of him. In gym, he was told
to sit by
>> the wall so he wouldn't get hurt.
>> "He still wanted to hold my hand at seven!" Carrie remembers.
>> Jordan had also stopped interacting with his classmates. Carrie
began to
>> question the decisions the school was making. She wanted Jordan
to have
>> Braille in the classroom.
>> In a decision based on convenience and the cost of bussing him
home, the
>> school announced that they were going to remove him from science
and
>> geography classes for special instruction instead of teaching
him after
>> school. Carrie asked how this could be a good thing
educationally, when
>> he
>> loved those subjects. She was afraid that would make him
dislike Braille.
>> "He liked the pictures in print books, and I didn't want him to
get a bad
>> attitude."
>> They then said they could teach him Braille during reading
class, but
>> Carrie
>> believed that Jordan would still be missing something. She
wanted after
>> school Braille instruction plus some during school. In school,
Jordan
>> received only 5 minutes of Braille spelling lessons a week and
no Braille
>> books.
>> Jordan was alone at lunch and not mingling. The Vision
Department kept
>> saying that Jordan could see up close and was doing just fine.
They
>> recommended against adaptive physical education because "it's
for totally
>> blind kids and they don't do that much anyway." Carrie's
relationship
>> with
>> the Special Ed staff broke down when they suggested that Jordan
join a
>> support group for behavior problems.
>> A New Way of Looking at Jordan's Progress
>> Carrie learned that the school secretary had raised two blind
children.
>> Like Carrie, she had experienced problems with the Special Ed
department.
>> She gave Carrie a copy of the NFB's "Future Reflections"
magazine. The
>> article "Is Your Child Age Appropriate" by professional educator
of blind
>> children ruby Ryles
>> made Carrie understand that she was the expert about whether her
son was
>> on
>> track based on his own potential.
>>
http://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Publications/fr/fr11/Issue5/f110502
.html
>> Carrie realized that the answer to the article's question was
"no," if her
>> expectations for Jordan were the same as they would be, if he
were
>> sighted.
>> She finally made the call she should have made years before.
Judy
>> sanders,
>> at the NFB of Minnesota told her how to get Braille books and
stressed the
>> importance of expecting Jordan to keep up with his class.
Carrie entered
>> Jordan in the "Braille readers are leaders" contest:
>> <http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Braille_Initiative.asp
>> http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Braille_Initiative.asp
>> "The Vision Department at Jordan's school treated me like I did
not know
>> what I was talking about. They considered his vision to be good
and
>> wanted
>> him to use it every second," says Carrie, "They acted like my
husband and
>> I
>> were trying to make Jordan blind."
>> Jordan was still not interacting with his classmates. The
school
>> suggested
>> having the class cover their eyes with wax paper to experience
what Jordan
>> could see. Carrie, however, knew that this didn't represent
Jordan's
>> vision. Judy, who is also blind, offered to come to school that
spring to
>> give Jordan his Braille certificate and talk to the class about
blindness.
>> When Carrie picked Judy up at the bus station, it was her first
experience
>> with a competent blind person. It was Judy's white cane that
drew her
>> attention.
>> "She got out of the car by herself and just walked along with me
like
>> anyone," Carrie says.
>> Everyone loved Judy, including Jordan. Carrie wanted more time
to talk
>> about the NFB's philosophy and offered to drive Judy home. Judy
>> encouraged
>> her to go to the NFB's annual convention, saying they would
learn more in
>> a
>> week than she could tell her in years.
>> For financial reasons, Carrie was reluctant to attend the
convention. She
>> was a stay-at-home Mom and her husband was a teacher. But, the
NFB of MN
>> sent them, and it changed their lives. Carrie learned about the
slate and
>> stylus - the traditional method for writing Braille, which
Jordan had not
>> been taught. Also, Jordan had been walking all bent over and
the school
>> had
>> never even mentioned using a cane.
>> For third grade, Carrie wanted Jordan to learn to use a white
cane and to
>> write Braille. She again asked that he have Braille books in
class. The
>> TBS
>> didn't want to teach the slate and stylus until forth grade.
Carrie was
>> overwhelmed.
>> "There were so many issues and so much opposition from the
school," she
>> sighs, "You have to ask yourself, 'Which battle do we fight?'"
>> That year, the only time Jordan read Braille was for thirty
minutes at
>> night
>> when his mother insisted. He was still falling behind. Forth
grade was
>> no
>> different. When Jordan was ready for fifth grade, Carrie
demanded that
>> all
>> of his textbooks be in Braille.
>> "The TBS banged her fist on the table and said, 'Whatever. He's
never
>> going
>> to be a Braille reader.'" Carrie says, "She had been telling
Jordan,
>> 'Your
>> parents are the ones who want Braille,'"
>> Jordan's print reading was still faster than Braille. Braille
was harder
>> for him, and Jordan didn't understand that that was because he
didn't use
>> it.
>> With his face down on the page, Jordan could read thirty-five
words a
>> minute. His classmates read eighty-five to ninety or more.
Jordan didn't
>> think of reading as a physical struggle, but he didn't like to
read. That
>> troubled Carrie. Her family loved reading. Jordan was never a
kid to
>> talk
>> back, argue or have tantrums, but he never read for fun, not
even comics.
>> Ironically, the school obtained Braille texts for Jordan in
fifth grade,
>> but
>> the teacher didn't use textbooks, preferring work sheets. They
didn't have
>> work sheets in Braille, so Jordan still wasn't reading Braille
during the
>> day except for his weekly spelling list. If the class was
reading a novel,
>> it wasn't until they were on the last chapter that Jordan
received the
>> Braille version.
>> By that time, Carrie was panicking and convinced that Jordan
needed
>> daylong
>> Braille instruction, and asked for all Braille for sixth grade.
The TBS
>> said that would ruin him and that he would get all d's and
wouldn't be
>> able
>> to keep up.
>> She was told, "You're dooming him. You're going to traumatize
him by
>> going
>> to all Braille and failure will be the result."
>> Gym class was still a disaster. Rather than using audible game
balls,
>> which
>> emit a continuous sound enabling blind kids to catch or hit
them, the
>> class
>> was forced to stop the game to give Jordan the ball. He was
still sitting
>> in
>> the corner most of the time.
>> In sixth grade, the TBS wanted to pull Jordan from reading class
for
>> Braille
>> instruction, to learn to use jaws (a screen reader program that
works with
>> Windows) and the Nemeth Braille Code for mathematics and science
notation.
>> Carrie didn't want him to miss reading because he would miss out
on class
>> discussions on novels. She allowed the TBS to pull him from gym
class,
>> reasoning that it was better for Jordan to miss gym than to miss
reading
>> class. She enrolled him in the YMCA swim teem, which was four
nights a
>> week
>> plus Saturday meets, as well as bowling league and ski club.
>> "At the Y he was really participating."
>> That was the first year Jordan had Braille textbooks. An
amazing thing
>> happened. At the beginning of the year, Jordan's Braille speed
was twenty
>> words a minute, and his print thirty-five. In two months, his
Braille
>> speed was up to forty-five with print still at thirty-five.
Jordan
>> suddenly
>> began to prefer reading Braille.
>> The victory was short-lived. Jordan's Braille reading speed
plateaued at
>> forty-five. In 7th grade, Carrie asked for them to work on his
fluency.
>> She
>> was told that Braille readers don't read more than sixty words a
minute.
>> This is only true, Carrie realized later, when they get
haphazard
>> instruction. Instead of working on fluency, they were surfing
the
>> internet
>> and using a digital Braille note taker called Braille note, both
of which
>> the teacher was teaching herself at the same time.
>> Also, Jordan was reading Braille with only one hand and he was a
terrible
>> "scrubber" going back and forth over words he had just read
before
>> proceeding to the next word. Carrie wasn't sure if this was due
to poor
>> instruction or a reading problem. She begged for a reading
specialist,
>> but
>> was told that Jordan didn't need one.
>> Most of Jordan's reading was done on the Braille note, a digital
device
>> with
>> an eighteen cell "refreshable Braille" pad. It's the Braille
equivalent
>> of
>> reading one line at a time; each cell is one letter or symbol.
This meant
>> he
>> wasn't reading long sentences. Even with that, Jordan had no
leisure
>> reading time because he needed more time for school work. Even
with a
>> sighted reader, there was little time for leisure reading.
>> Again she was faced with a dilemma. Do you drop expectations
for homework
>> to give him leisure reading? They cut Jordan's homework, so he
didn't get
>> the curriculum he was capable of, but had some time for leisure
reading.
>> Carrie was still worried about the quality of his Braille
instruction. He
>> worked with the TBS one hour every other day, but the TBS
focused mainly
>> on
>> the computer.
>> The Hard Lessons of Middle School
>> In the summer before Jordan entered seventh grade, Carrie took a
job at
>> the
>> NFB training center, Blind Inc., in Minneapolis, and enrolled
Jordan in
>> Buddy camp.
>> http://www.blindinc.org/
>> She learned about non-visual techniques for doing all sorts of
everyday
>> activities. She talked to Jordan's seventh grade teachers
about
>> non-visual
>> techniques for science, suggesting that the teachers speak with
the people
>> at Blind Inc. Her suggestions were rebuffed.
>> That year, he would have Home Economics and Industrial Arts.
Sewing was
>> first. Their solution was for Jordan to get fabric and thread
in highly
>> contrasting colors. Carrie, however, knew blind sewers didn't
use that.
>> The
>> TBS finally agreed to talk to Blind Inc and then said the school
would buy
>> the adapted sewing equipment, which included a sturdy needle
threader and
>> a
>> magnetic strip for keeping seams straight while using a sewing
machine.
>> Though they hadn't addressed adaptations for Industrial Arts,
Carrie was
>> confident that they were finally on the same page. She listened
with
>> delight to Jordan's stories about how well he was doing with his
sewing
>> project, a pair of shorts. Jordan received an A. His Mom was
impressed.
>> "I got a D," she remembers.
>> When Jordan brought the shorts home, however, the truth of what
had really
>> been going on came out. Upon inspection, Carrie noticed seam
marker lines
>> and realized they had made him do the project visually. Jordan
never
>> received the magnetic guide that the school promised they would
buy or the
>> sturdy needle threader. He began to cry and explained that they
had tried
>> using duct tape, but he couldn't feel it. So, the teacher had
drawn lines
>> with a magic marker. In order to see it, Jordan had to tilt his
head and
>> press his forehead against the sewing machine. He had threaded
a needle
>> one
>> time using the commercially available foil needle threader, but
it took so
>> long that the teacher ended up doing it.
>> "I was in complete shock because he had been saying that it was
going
>> great," she recalls.
>> Carrie was too angry with the TBS to call. But, things were
getting more
>> dangerous. No accommodations had yet been made for Jordan's
upcoming
>> Industrial Arts class, and he would be expected to use power
tools
>> including
>> a ban saw and radial arm saw.
>> Then, there was the snow tubing trip. Despite medical evidence
to the
>> contrary, the TBS had convinced the classroom teacher that
Jordan wasn't
>> really blind, so it hadn't even entered their minds that they
had a blind
>> student. In addition, Jordan's OM teacher had been encouraging
him to
>> trust
>> his vision. He came home with two black eyes.
>> Carrie asked Jordan what he thought his vision was good enough
for, and he
>> said crossing the street. They soon had an experience that
showed Carrie
>> that, even though he didn't realize it, Jordan was relying on
his hearing
>> to
>> cross streets not his vision. They were returning from the zoo
and
>> crossing
>> at a congested corner. Carrie thought it was safe and started
crossing
>> between two parked cars. Jordan yelled to stop. She realized
that he had
>> been crossing by sound and did some experiments to prove it to
him.
>> When Carrie called the Industrial Arts teacher, he was actually
glad to
>> hear
>> from her. He was concerned about how Jordan would handle
dangerous
>> equipment. He said that all the TBS had said was to get the
course work
>> to
>> her so she could Braille it. Carrie invited him to visit Blind
Inc. He
>> spent hours with their wood working teacher and got excited
about the
>> possibilities.
>> NFB training centers use "sleep shades" so that students are
able to
>> resist
>> using their faulty vision and develop reliable non-visual
skills. The
>> Blind
>> Inc. instructor suggested painting the shop glasses black so
Jordan
>> wouldn't
>> be tempted to lean into the machines to see. But when the IA
teacher in
>> his
>> enthusiasm mentioned it to the TBS, she called Carrie, saying
that using
>> sleep shades would endanger the other students. Although she
had no
>> personal industrial arts skills, the TBS wanted to assess
Jordan's vision
>> on
>> each piece of equipment.
>> "Jordan likes to use his vision," she told Carrie, who finally
>> comprehended
>> the depth of sighted bias that this whole team had had. Every
decision
>> was
>> based on it. It was so ingrained in their thinking that they
were more
>> comfortable allowing a legally blind kid to try to see what he
was doing
>> with a power saw than to permit him to use techniques that are
designed to
>> allow a person to safely use power tools without sight. They
even
>> believed
>> that the other students in the class would be safer.
>> The TBS insisted that using sleep shades was too dangerous and
was an
>> insurance issue. Carrie countered by pointing out the danger
that the
>> district had put Jordan in with the snow tubing trip and his
sewing
>> experience. She told them she would pull him from class if they
didn't go
>> along with the non-visual techniques.
>> They realized that Carrie had grounds for a law suit and had
many
>> meetings. Jordan is half African American so they through a
diversity
>> specialist onto the team. They agreed to conduct an experiment.
The team
>> would tour Blind Inc. as well as another training facility that
didn't
>> insist upon using sleep shades.
>> This took weeks and class was going on, so they agreed that
Jordan would
>> participate except for using power tools. The Blind Inc.
woodworking
>> instructor volunteered to do the project with Jordan.
>> At the end of seventh grade, the team agreed that Blind Inc.
had the
>> superior and safer technique using sleep shades and Jordan would
use them
>> at
>> the higher level IA course the following year.
>> Finally, Some Competent Braille Instruction
>> Between seventh and eighth grade, Jordan attended "Circle of
Life," a
>> science camp held at the Jernigan Institute at the NFB's
national
>> headquarters in Baltimore. The NFB of Minnesota was having its
convention
>> in
>> the fall, and they asked him to speak about it. Jordan wrote a
speech and
>> read it at the convention.
>> "It was painfully slow," Carrie remembers, "Everyone was shocked
at his
>> poor
>> reading skill."
>> She had been asking for help from others but they didn't know
how bad it
>> was
>> until then. Carrie brainstormed with people in the NFB. She
learned
>> about
>> the two-handed method of reading Braille, in which the left hand
reads the
>> first half of the line and then jumps to the next line while the
right
>> hand
>> finishes. Carrie realized that Jordan had never known what
fluency felt
>> like. She remembered that her older kids had followed along
reading print
>> while listening to tape and tried that with Jordan and Braille.
>> Jordan was getting into advanced classes but his mother believed
he needed
>> intense Braille over the summer between 8th and 9th grade.
>> "He doesn't need it," the TBS told Carrie, "He's getting
straight A's."
>> Carrie pointed out that it was taking Jordan 4 hours to do what
others do
>> in
>> an hour.
>> "Things got nasty," she recalls, "The Director of Special Ed
said my
>> concerns were 'insulting to the staff.'"
>> She started writing everyone including the school board and
>> superintendent.
>> Only one board member called acknowledging that she had been
treated
>> horribly, but insisted that they couldn't provide intense
Braille
>> training.
>> Minnesota State Services for the Blind, however, sent Jordan to
the adult
>> training program at Blind Inc.
>> When he started, Jordan's Braille speed was forty-five to fifty
words a
>> minute. For the next six weeks, the staff taught him the
two-handed
>> technique and told him he could read more than 60 words a
minute. Jordan
>> was motivated. He was doing two hours of leisure reading daily;
his speed
>> was up to seventy-five.
>> For ninth grade, Carrie told the new TBS that they only wanted
materials
>> from the school; any instruction would be at Blind Inc. Between
ninth and
>> tenth grade, Jordan went to the Louisiana Center for the Blind,
another
>> NFB
>> facility:
>> http://www.lcb-ruston.com/
>> "He really needed to get away from his parents and gain more
>> independence,"
>> she explains.
>> Jordan started reading everywhere. In tenth grade, his speed
was in the
>> eighties for leisure reading. For his honors courses it was in
the
>> sixties.
>> Carrie says that Jordan's high school principal and teachers
have been
>> wonderful. They have high expectations, and the new Special Ed
Director
>> understands where they've come from. Carrie wanted a
cheerleader and
>> coach,
>> someone to motivate Jordan and encourage him and work on
fundamentals.
>> Every year since second grade, she had been asking for a reading
>> specialist.
>> She asked again in eleventh grade, and the Special Ed Director
agreed.
>> Carrie requested that the reading specialist sit with her back
to Jordan
>> and
>> listen to him read, not knowing if he was reading print or
Braille. The
>> reading specialist determined that Jordan's print reading was
full of
>> errors
>> and hesitancy and his Braille was much better with no deficit.
She said
>> it
>> was about practice and encouragement. She gave them ideas she
used for
>> print readers.
>> "By that time," Carrie says with a laugh, "Nobody wanted to work
with me,
>> though they all loved Jordan."
>> But, the new Braille teacher did want to work with Carrie.
Carrie didn't
>> know why she should trust this new teacher. The new teacher
agreed to tell
>> Carrie exactly what they would be working on.
>> "She's been teaching him three times a week for two years. If
books came
>> in
>> plastic, he'd be reading in the shower!"
>> Now, as a senior, Jordan reads Braille at More than one hundred
words a
>> minute. For leisure reading, he's up to 125.
>> Jordan will attend the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
campus next
>> fall. He is interested in constitution law, human rights and
political
>> science. He says that, if he makes it to the Supreme Court,
he's going to
>> re institute wigs.
>> "He'll be OK," his mother says with tears of relief in her
voice, "125 is
>> OK. He can still increase it and he can survive in college and
he enjoys
>> reading and chooses to do it. If he had gotten Braille all
along, maybe
>> he'd be at 200 words a minute. Every time he reads, I thank god
I hung
>> onto
>> that. His print reading speed never improved. He wouldn't have
made it
>> without Braille."
>> Read Donna's articles on
>> Suite 101:
>> http://suite101.com/donna-w-hill
>> Connect with Donna on
>> Twitter:
>> www.twitter.com/dewhill
>> LinkedIn:
>> www.linkedin.com/in/dwh99
>> FaceBook:
>> www.facebook.com/donna.w.hill
>> Hear clips from "The Last Straw" at:
>> cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill
>> Apple I-Tunes
>>
phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=2
59244374
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