[blindkid] School cane O/M Issues

[Doreen]

Lauren
I am just as new to this as you. I am the other mom being denied O&M. At 
the NFB convention in Detroit, Torrie and I did a "cane walk" -- it was 
a 1-on-1 session with a certified O&M instructor. I got the lesson 
because as you know, most times the parents don't get the lessons and we 
are our kids' first teachers. We used what I thought was a side-to-side 
technique. And it is "timed" if you will with your walking -- I seem to 
remember your right leg is walking and cane is in front of left leg. For 
now with Torrie only being 5, O&M said not to worry about the stepping, 
just get her used to using the cane with side-to-side (or maybe it was 
called the 2-touch method). We used it in and around the hotel and used 
the same side-to-side when we went outside. We were totally blindfolded 
so we could not "cheat" to see. Throughout the walk, we were asked to 
listen and feel for ques to tell us where we are, what was around us, 
etc. It was an awesome time! That at least gave me some info on what to 
teach Torrie.

Any other parents, please correct me -- my old gray matter is pretty 
gray at this point!

I don't even know what Torrie is going to be taught -- probably 
something to totally confuse her. She has the side-to-side "down" -- she 
can do it but definitely needs more instruction and a lot more practice.

I am following your threads with all eyes and ears! Our turn is coming 
up shortly.
Thanks for all the help thru all these emails!
Doreen


L W wrote:
> Thanks all for the advice.  You guys rock. Today I got a phone call from the O/M instructor.  Basically she didn’t want Joli using the cane because Joli wasn’t using it “properly” and it was “more of a hindrance than a help.”  She didn’t want her using it because she was using a touch technique (tap, step, tap, step) and the O/M teacher wants her to use the diagonal (dragging?) technique & the Staff shepherd style carrying position.  The O/M was concerned because Joli doesn’t know how to store her cane or how to hold it while sitting. The O/M instructor said that the touch technique that Joli was shown at the NFB was only supposed to be used outdoors.  I told her that it might be true but I had never heard that before.  The O/M instructor wants me to get somebody from the NFB to put in writing that the touch technique Joli was shown there is suitable for indoor use in a familiar environment like a small elementary school.  I
>  don’t know who to ask for this, and I don’t think it should be necessary. The O/M did not want Joli using her cane till after she had learned the diagonal technique.  I am not familiar with this technique.  Is it a good technique?  Right now, after some discussion, she said she would allow Joli to use the touch technique until she learns the diagonal technique for indoor use.  At one point she said that for now Joli could carry her cane but shouldn’t use it indoors.  So I am wondering if I should resist this diagonal technique and insist that she learn the technique she was shown at the NFB or is the diagonal style useful indoors?  She also said Joli would be using her cane more in middle & high school.  And that right now she wants her to learn to use her vision to learn to trust her body so that she becomes more aware of her environment.  The O/M teacher said that she herself when blindfolded could detect how close she was to wall by
>  paying attention to sounds and because of awareness training. Not sure I see the point of that.
> I am so looking forward to the upcoming Maryland convention.  I hope Joli can do some cane training there.
> Thanks for any advice.  
> Lauren Wibbe
>
>
>       
> _______________________________________________
> blindkid mailing list
> blindkid at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for blindkid:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindkid_nfbnet.org/doreenproverbs3%40bellsouth.net
>   
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com 
> Version: 8.5.423 / Virus Database: 270.14.24/2449 - Release Date: 10/20/09 18:42:00
>
>