[blindkid] Identify yourself please

Carol Castellano blindchildren at verizon.net
Fri Nov 21 23:23:58 UTC 2008


Wow, Serena used to do that, too--not say hello, when she was 
young.  She would also not say excuse me when she bumped into 
somebody or whacked them accidentally with her cane.  Took a while 
for her to see why that was simply NOT going to work!  I think she 
began to see things more maturely in 6th grade or so, when she began 
also to see the value of friends.
Carol

At 02:15 PM 11/21/2008, you wrote:
>I think what my son does is not polite, but I haven't focused too 
>much on it yet...
>
>If I'm speaking to someone and he happens to be standing next to me, 
>mid-conversation, he will interrupt me and say aloud, "Who's 
>that?"  My typical response is, "Matthew, you're being rude and 
>disrespectful.  When I'm finished talking, I'll speak with, but I 
>prefer that you not interupt me."
>
>Matthew also has the bad habit of not saying hi to kids in the 
>hallway.  When someone is walking by and they say hi to him, he 
>simply ignores them.  I've tried to explain in a scenario like that, 
>it's perfectly acceptable to say hi without necessarily knowing who 
>it is.  Obviously the child knows him, so most likely, Matthew knows them too.
>
>If I'm in a store with Matthew and I happen to see one of his 
>friends, I'll tell Matthew that "Jake" is "straight ahead", so 
>Matthew knows in advance who it is, and then it helps him to not 
>feel as awkward.
>
>It sounds like all the kids go through similar experiences...
>
>
>Mindy Lipsey
>Mediaedge:cia
>410-530-5555
>9207 Harvest Rush Road
>Owings Mills, MD  21117
>
>
>
>--- On Fri, 11/21/08, Carol Castellano <blindchildren at verizon.net> wrote:
>
>From: Carol Castellano <blindchildren at verizon.net>
>Subject: Re: [blindkid] Identify yourself please
>To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)" 
><blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>Date: Friday, November 21, 2008, 2:07 PM
>
>I would say Serena was around Jordan's age when she finally decided
>to find out who she was talking to!  She now automatically smiles and
>says pleasantly, "Who's that?"  People get that that mean they
>should
>identify themselves.
>Carol
>
>At 09:45 AM 11/21/2008, you wrote:
> >Hi All, Especially to our blind colleagues and friends.
> >
> >
> >
> >I have one thing with Jordan that has improved but still is an
>"issue". I
> >think it bugs me way more than him, and likely that is why it is still an
> >"issue".
> >
> >
> >
> >Jordan often does not ask people to identify themselves. It is one thing,
> >and understandable to me, when he is in the very crowded school hallways
>and
> >some voice calls out, "hey Jordan!" in a passing greeting and he
>simply
> >calls back hey-but has no idea who that hey came from and to not yell out
>in
> >a crowd "hey who are you?",
> >
> >
> >
> >  But there are many times.
> >
> >At the state fair, in a store, even at a lunch room table!, where he THINKS
> >he is talking to one person and discovers mid-conversation that is not who
> >he is talking with (and never says anything or finds in the end who it
>was),
> >or we walk away from the teen working the register or who has come up in
> >Best Buy and said "hello" and I ask "Who was that?" and
>he says I have no
> >idea.  I know that sometimes because he is one of 3,000 at school-and
> >because he has the one and only thing, a lot more people know who he is
>than
> >vice versa and sometimes he really doesn't know who they are, but not
> >uncommonly it is evident the kid who is greeting him, he should know, but
>he
> >doesn't ask. I know that sometimes he thinks it is rude, if the other
>kid
> >thinks Jordan should know who they are.the same way if I forget
>someone's
> >name and I should definitely know it, and I am thinking how can I ask
> >without offending?...But many times he is just too "shy" about
>it. I have
> >seen on the student list before threads where lots of kids are somewhat
> >uncomfortable with this one. Any strategies that you blind folks have come
> >up with to gain the confidence or decide when to do it? Is it just a
> >personality thing, because I know many blind folks who are not shy about it
> >and simply say, "Who are you?"
> >
> >
> >
> >Should I just let this one go now as a mom-especially since he is now a
> >senior in high school?
> >
> >
> >
> >Carrie Gilmer, President
> >
> >National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
> >
> >A Division of the National Federation of the Blind
> >
> >NFB National Center: 410-659-9314
> >
> >Home Phone: 763-784-8590
> >
> >carrie.gilmer at gmail.com
> >
> >www.nfb.org/nopbc
> >
> >
> >
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> dren%40verizon.net
>
>
>
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