[blindkid] Leaving classes early

DrV icdx at earthlink.net
Mon Jan 26 00:56:51 UTC 2009 

To clarify: I did mean read the e-text on the braille notetaker, not  
just listen to it or to audiofiles :-)
-------

On Jan 25, 2009, at 15:56, "Brandy with Discovery Toys" <branlw at sbcglobal.net 
 > wrote:

> Hi, It is just as important that blind children read the written  
> word. Much is learned through real reading not listening to the text  
> on a computer. A note taker can help this some but I agree with the  
> graphics comment. Bran
>
>
> "We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called  
> memories. Some take us forward, they're called dreams."
> Jeremy Irons
>
> Brandy Wojcik
> Discovery Toys Group Manager and Educational Consultant
>
> Shop online any time!
> www.playtoachieve.com
> (512) 231-8697
>
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> ----- Original Message ----- From: "DrV" <icdx at earthlink.net>
> To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)" <blindkid at nfbnet.org 
> >
> Sent: Sunday, January 25, 2009 4:05 PM
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] Leaving classes early
>
>
>> I am all for electronic copies of textbooks for kids who want them  
>> (though for diagrams & such I still am a big proponent of having an  
>> embossed copy as well).
>> The problem is that the VI educational establishment is overall  
>> VERY resistant to moving towards e-textbooks.
>> I wish this attitude would change more quickly.
>> Eric V
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Peter Donahue" <pdonahue1 at sbcglobal.net 
>> >
>> To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)"  
>> <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Sunday, January 25, 2009 10:40
>> Subject: Re: [blindkid] Leaving classes early
>>
>>
>>> Hello Carol and listers,
>>>
>>>   Also add electronic copies of her textbooks to that list to  
>>> eliminate
>>> her having to carry bulky hard-copy versions further reducing the  
>>> load.
>>> Little pointers like this can do wonders to make attending school,  
>>> moving
>>> between classes, and eventually landing employment  a whole lot  
>>> easier.
>>>
>>> Peter Donahue
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Carol Castellano" <blindchildren at verizon.net 
>>> >
>>> To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)"
>>> <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Sunday, January 25, 2009 11:50 AM
>>> Subject: Re: [blindkid] Leaving classes early
>>>
>>>
>>> Brave of you to post, Kim :-)!
>>>
>>> Thinking about some of the things you list, I wonder if maybe her
>>> load could be cut down somehow.  For ex., does she have to carry the
>>> binders around?  Maybe she could substitute large-size
>>> folders?  (Serena used them in high school and college.)  Also,  
>>> maybe
>>> a notetaker instead of a laptop?
>>>
>>> Carol
>>>
>>> At 07:09 AM 1/25/2009, you wrote:
>>>> Well....I guess that I may be the only parent on the list serv who
>>>> sees the need for my daughter to leave class 5 minutes early. I
>>>> thought about not posting, but I'm open for critism this morning!
>>>> Don't be too harsh with me....
>>>> My daughter is in the 11th grade and has left her class 5 minutes
>>>> early since 7th grade. She wears a watch and begins packing up her
>>>> laptop, books, etc and heads out at the appropriate time (no
>>>> reminders from the teacher). There are quite a few "sighted" kids
>>>> who are in the hallway at the same time for various reasons due to
>>>> injuries, etc. My daughter carries a very heavy backpack with a
>>>> laptop, books, technology, and binders while using her cane. She is
>>>> rather small and must lean forward for balance. The school is 2
>>>> story and she is constantly up and down stairs. The school is
>>>> dealing with a huge influx in population due to rezoning with  
>>>> around
>>>> 3000 kids. My daughter's sighted friends complain about getting to
>>>> and from classes while carrying one book and a binder. There are
>>>> times when she hasn't left 5 minutes early and gets caught in the
>>>> traffic. She has found that she has a hard time getting to her
>>>> locker as the other kids are blocking her access
>>>> while they get their belongings and they also gather in groups
>>>> outside of classrooms to chat causing the hallways to be blocked.
>>>> At these times, she ends up being frustrated and rushed, sometimes
>>>> arriving just seconds before the bell. Then she is rushed about
>>>> getting her laptop set up and loaded for the begining of class
>>>> (Some of the programs and textbooks take a while to load). There is
>>>> no time to visit with friends when this happens.  When she leaves 5
>>>> minutes early, she goes to her locker and arrives at class early
>>>> enough to still talk with her friends and have her technology ready
>>>> to start. During this time she is also able to talk with her
>>>> teacher and get clarification about what is needed for the day and
>>>> will prepare for it with the appropriate technology. I believe that
>>>> my daughter should act and be treated equally as a blind person,
>>>> but what about taking into consideration all the "extras" that our
>>>> kids must handle as a blind person. Do we
>>>> expect our children to go above and beyond what we expect for
>>>> their peers? Most all of our kids attend the same class schedule as
>>>> the other kids, but must also have O&M lessons, TBS services,
>>>> braille instruction, etc. There are only so many hours in a day to
>>>> get something accomplished and if leaving class 5 minutes early
>>>> helps to alleviate some stress, then I'm OK with it, as is my  
>>>> daughter.
>>>> Just my two cents.
>>>> Kim Cunningham
>>>>
>>>> --- On Sat, 1/24/09, Barbara.Mathews at sce.com <Barbara.Mathews at sce.com 
>>>> >
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> From: Barbara.Mathews at sce.com <Barbara.Mathews at sce.com>
>>>> Subject: Re: [blindkid] Leaving classes early
>>>> To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind  
>>>> children)"
>>>> <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Date: Saturday, January 24, 2009, 4:26 PM
>>>>
>>>> My advice is to just say "No thank you.". My daughter attended a  
>>>> large
>>>> middle school.  She is totally blind and her orientation skill  
>>>> isn't that
>>>> great, but she got herself from class to class just fine. We did
>>>> include in her
>>>> IEP an accommodation that she would not be penalized for being  
>>>> tardy
>>>> to a class
>>>> if it was due to orientation problems, but this was intended  
>>>> primarily for
>>>> the
>>>> beginning of the year when she was still learning the routes or  
>>>> if there
>>>> was a
>>>> change in schedule or something that meant she wouldn't follow  
>>>> the usual
>>>> route.  We wanted to make sure she would handle those situations
>>>> independently
>>>> without undue stress about being late.  We also told the teachers  
>>>> that the
>>>> accommodation didn't apply if she was goofing off between classes.
>>>>
>>>> I asked her about this 5 minutes early idea, and she thought it was
>>>> silly.  She
>>>> also said you would miss less if you got to class a little late  
>>>> because it
>>>> usually takes a while for class to settle down.
>>>>
>>>> I also wonder who would tell your son it's time to leave 5  
>>>> minutes before
>>>> the bell rings.  Kyra's teachers wouldn't have interrupted what  
>>>> they
>>>> were doing for that.  If some other adult would come into the  
>>>> room for that
>>>> reason, how embarrassing for a middle school kid! For an otherwise
>>>> typical blind
>>>> kid, not a good idea.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "Andy & Sally Thomas" [andysally at comcast.net]
>>>> Sent: 01/24/2009 07:38 AM CST
>>>> To: <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Subject: [blindkid] Leaving classes early
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> My son's O&M instructor has told him that next year in junior  
>>>> high he
>>>> will be dismissed from classes 5 minutes early in order to get a
>>>> head start into
>>>> the halls to make it to his next class. I'm wondering if most of  
>>>> the blind
>>>> kids out there get this "accommodation."  I personally think it  
>>>> is an
>>>> opportunity to miss some afterthought the teacher has and to be
>>>> singled out and
>>>> isolated in the classroom. Walking to classes with friends is one  
>>>> of the
>>>> few
>>>> times kids have for private conversations.  Would you share your
>>>> experiences
>>>> with this?
>>>>
>>>> Sally Thomas
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>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
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>
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