[blindkid] Technology and Little Kid

Albert J Rizzi albert at myblindspot.org
Thu Feb 18 22:20:32 UTC 2010


I find this appalling. I also find it hard to accept that some mobility
instructors   do not introduce the cane to toddlers. These tools as well as
technologies need to be offered, introduced  and used by our blind youth, I
have heard loudly the importance of having a slate and stylus and feel I can
agree on how important a tool and or technology it is in a child's
maturation. How do we as blind mentors and parents of blind children get
that perspective  to shift in the schools. Like it has been presented here,
what level of learning and academic growth would ever be realized  if our
youth of any abilities were denied writing implements and or the written
language? That is what we are talking about here. Technologies and their
recent advent and importance in the schools are not a replacement for
writing implements  or print.  But to not include them at early stages of
development are not the best idea either. Some prefer the brailer while
others prefer the computer, some prefer the slate and stylus and others a
hand held recorder. To not introduce  all of these to our youth does not
promote choice in learning styles nor does denying any one promote  academic
enrichment. Options for learning are key and must be considered as each
individual will learn at his or her own pace, with his or her preferred
tools, with his or her own mentor or mentors and only if they choose to and
have the desire for success. 

Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
CEO/Founder
My Blind Spot, Inc.
90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
New York, New York  10004
www.myblindspot.org
PH: 917-553-0347
Fax: 212-858-5759
"The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
doing it."


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-----Original Message-----
From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of DrV
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 4:17 PM
To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Technology and Little Kid

Quite a few of the teachers hold the belief that the slate & stylus should 
not be formally introduced and worked on until 3rd or 4th grade (& those are

the one's who are even open to teaching it). They feel it is to technically 
difficult & "confusing". It seems like the new TVI graduates are likewise 
being taught this. One certainly wonders how good & efficient the 
"penmanship" of sighted children & adults would be if pencils, pens, crayons

and markers were not introduced until 3rd or 4th grade...

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Carrie Gilmer" <carrie.gilmer at gmail.com>
To: "'NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)'" 
<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 12:47
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Technology and Little Kid


> Or..put another way, how many sighted children could or would want to draw
> or write if they never so much as touched a pen, pencil, marker, or crayon
> ever-at all--until age 8 or older and they learned to write solely on
> keyboard. And then only did it maybe 10 or 15 minutes at a time.
> Well it is creeping into the sighted world too somewhat; already time in
> classroom spent on cursive writing has dropped dramatically. Kids are 
> often
> are no longer graded on handwriting. And it is showing, the discussion 
> there
> has begun. Does any parent or teacher of a sighted child even consider
> though dropping early writing and waiting to introduce it until 3rd or
> fourth grade, no. Will they ever? I doubt it will be dropped totally in my
> lifetime.
> Carrie
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of David Andrews
> Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2010 12:13 PM
> To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] Technology and Little Kid
>
> Richard:
>
> Thanks for the ideas.  Not to be argumentative but I don't
> necessarily agree with your placement of slate.  Most kids today are
> not good slate and stylus users because it is downplayed by
> professionals, and they get the Braille Writer first.  I started with
> slate first, at six and didn't get a Braille Writer until 2nd or 3rd
> grade, so I am very good with slate.  To do it the other way around
> guarantees that the slate will always be a second class citizen.
>
> Dave
>
> At 11:42 PM 2/17/2010, you wrote:
>>Certainly the slate and stylus (as someone else mentioned) is not a
>>bad idea, but a child in this age range is probably not going to have
>>the fine motor control to master the tool's use easily or likely be
>>ready for the whole mirror image concept.
>>
>>A child of nearly any age can begin using a Perkins Braillewriter-- I
>>know we were using one by at least age three. At the very least a
>>braille novice can "scribble" on a braillewriter, just like my sighted
>>almost-4-year-old scribbles on paper with a crayon all the time.
>>Braillewriting skill with a young child emerges at least somewhat like
>>writing emerges with a sighted child-- not all letters at once and at
>>first, just like penmanship is typically pretty poor-- this after the
>>child has first just pressed the keys at random-- indeed "scribbling"
>>just like sighted kids. Getting the feel of the tools to use is an
>>important first step. It is hard for small hands to properly press and
>>form braille mechanically with a Perkins, but you are building hand
>>and finger strength and forming braille concepts all along the way.
>>Many schools can provide a second braillewriter for the student to use
>>at home for free once the child is in school.
>>
>>I think that often the way to go is to immerse the child within all
>>the options that can be gotten as the child appears ready to take to
>>them-- at least that was our theory when our daughter was born, and in
>>fact, it continues to be the same way to this day, then we focus on
>>what she seems ready to take to-- she'll ultimately use most all of
>>these things. There is also an entire range of tactile graphics
>>solutions and manipulatives. You can produce these with pipe cleaners,
>>and a bottle of glue, or you can use a multi-thousand dollar
>>thermoform; quite a range of options exists.
>>
>>Now at age 7, Kendra uses a BrailleNote and PAC Mate daily but still
>>uses a Perkins often, as well as an abacus for her math, JAWS on her
>>computer and so forth. She also works well with refreshable braille
>>and that can be a really handy option. The next big challenge I see
>>for her is needing to learn a qwerty keyboard, so there can be a lot
>>of technology in use by an early age.
>>
>>It is also really important to expose the child to braille as much as
>>possible. A sighted child sees print everywhere. Make certain this
>>child runs across braille often. Now in first grade and a proficient
>>braille reader, our first grade daughter still runs across the braille
>>stickers on things all over the house-- refrigerator, dishwasher,
>>table, drawer, oven, door, bed-- you name it. This will cause the
>>child to ask questions-- just like a sighted child-- "what is this"
>>and later "what do these letters say?-- what do they mean?" Also, use
>>twin vision books-- sighted kids look at letters while parents read
>>most every time. Blind kids can do the same-- that's why it is best
>>when adding braille to a print book to always put the braille below
>>the print-- a sighted reader can still read while small hands are
>>exploring the braille.
>>
>>Screen readers can be used at that age as well as a victor reader.
>>Things like Mt Battens are expensive but potentially useful, but be
>>careful that an electronic (and expensive) solution like a Mt. Batten
>>or a PAC Mate is not learned at the expense of being able to use a
>>mechanical braillewriter as that need will almost certainly come up
>>all of this child's life, at least from time to time.
>>
>>I'd like to rework this link, and our site is about to get a facelift
>>overall too but here are some technology ideas that you might direct
>>her towards. Let her see a range of options and then she can decide
>>which way she wants to proceed.
>>
>>http://www.gopbc.org/gopbc_technology.htm
>>
>>
>>Richard
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>On Feb 17, 2010, at 10:01 PM, David Andrews wrote:
>>
>>>I got asked a question, the other day, and since most of my
>>>experience is with blind adults -- I didn't know quite what to say.
>>>A woman said she had a four year old totally blind daughter, and she
>>>wanted her to keep up with her peers in technology, so what
>>>assistive technology/technology is there  -- should she start using
>>>with her child?
>>>
>>>Dave
>
>
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