[blindkid] Australia and life context skills

Sat Feb 20 17:50:30 UTC 2010

Dear Heather,
As you and I were also addressing larger educational issues that are 
often affected by teacher bias, and are topics that many parents of 
blind children need to think through and have views on, I don't think 
that the moderators would mind a couple of final posts. I am actually 
Australian myself, currently living in America, so I'm very aware of 
the snow that can fall in parts of Australia. However, in my post I 
said that if a child lived in, northern, Australia. The far north of 
Australia is above the tropic of Capricorn and doesn't ever get snow. 
A dusting may have fallen at times in Queensland, where I'm from, but 
this doesn't help validate an assertion that knowing how to button an 
over-coat might be a higher priority than good spelling. This is 
because none of the stores in Northern Australia would have an 
over-coat in stock, because they're never needed up in the tropics. 
Even through some freak of nature should a dusting of snow fall and 
stick long enough to be identified as snow, a child wouldn't be able 
to use his carefully learned over-coat buttoning skills. So, the 
contextual framework of his life would still determine his skill 
learning priorities, not very occasional weather events.

As for the 911 example, i had meant to change my first draft  by 
inserting, "parts of Africa" to give the post diversity. In my rush I 
forgot to do it. Thank you so much for pointing out that of course, a 
modern country like Australia,  has an emergency response service. 
Having clarified those points I would still encourage you to consider 
the concept of life context as a determining factor. I would also like 
to encourage parents to give less weight their young child's 
preferences when making choices about what skills they insist their 
child learn. In numerous posts on the topic of tools that a child 
needs, parents said something like "if my child likes it," or, "if my 
child really likes it." This is rarely a criterion used by parents of 
sighted children when deciding which life skills their child needs to 
learn. Usually, if parents of sighted children decide that a 
particular skill or set of skills is important - such as learning a 
musical instrument or learning basic cooking - then the children are 
expected to do it, whether they particularly like it or not. I would 
encourage parents of blind children to take the same approach.

Warmest regards,

Heather Field

------ Original Message ----- 
From: "Heather" <craney07 at rochester.rr.com>
To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)" 
<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, February 19, 2010 4:53 PM
Subject: [blindkid] didn't want to clutter up the list,Re: Australia

    I saw the messages from the moderators.  I am dropping it.  I have 
so
many more things worth stressing over in my life.  But I did address 
two
blatently wrong statements, in a post with a different subject.  Have
friends from Austrillia and they would kill me if they found out that 
I was
lax about some ignorant statement like that.  How would you feel if 
someone
stated that the whole United States had a climate like Virmont, or 
that we
have no, insert name of service, that is vital and that we do infact 
have.
Ok, sorry for emailing you off-list, but I didn't want to piss off any
moderators, but I don't know if thisn list has rules about not 
emailing
people off-list.  I hope not, or I am screwed.  I am used to more laid 
back
lists.  Sorry again.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Albert J Rizzi" <albert at myblindspot.org>
To: "'NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)'"
<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, February 19, 2010 3:06 PM
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Australia

> Heather, let it go. We are all in agreement that the slate and 
> stylus is a
> good thing for students to learn and use. As they grow as 
> individuals it
> is
> they who will determine what options they choose for their life and 
> what
> they don't as parents and educators we must offer all options in 
> spite of
> what we as adults have come to prefer. It is all about empowering 
> our
> children to greatness and not trying to be right or convince any one
> person
> about why we prefer to use what we use, just know options in life 
> are what
> make life wonderful. That is and was the nature of the inquiry I 
> heard and
> supported in this dialogue. Peace.
>
> 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."
>
>
> Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org 
> [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Heather
> Sent: Friday, February 19, 2010 1:28 PM
> To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)
> Subject: [blindkid] Australia
>
>    Emergency code for Austrilia, 000, for New Zealand, 111
>
> In Australia, snow can fall in the mountains of Victoria, Australian
> Capital
> Territory, New South Wales and Tasmania. There is a regular snow 
> season in
> several areas which have seasonal ski tourism industries. Sometimes 
> snow
> has
> even been reported in the mountains of South Australia, Western 
> Australia
> and Queensland though this is very rare.
>
> Snow at sea level has been recorded on mainland Australia but has 
> happened
> more times in Tasmania, some of the snow at sea level has fallen in 
> the
> off
> season like summer. Snow has fallen nearly everywhere in Tasmania, 
> though
> it
> is rare to fall in the north coast at sea level.
>
> The occasional cold snap, caused by cold air drifting north from
> Antarctica,
> can cause significant snowfall in rural areas, as well as major 
> cities
> such
> as Hobart, Melbourne's outer mountain suburbs, Canberra and Sydney. 
> Such
> occasions are rare, but have occurred in 1951, 1986 and 2005.
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