[blindkid] Wii Device Teaches Visually Impaired to WalkwithCanes
Richard Holloway
rholloway at gopbc.org
Tue Jun 8 04:13:52 UTC 2010
Kim, I agree. I hadn't even thought of that aspect of this matter.
All of the kids in my daughter's first grade class were exposed to
braille last year, but I think they learned a lot less about cane
travel. A couple of children even learned to read and write enough
braille to exchange notes with Kendra. It has been a great learning
experience for the kids and a wonderful way for them to bond and
interact with my daughter too.
It seems like the cane thing is taboo though. People generally aren't
"supposed" to walk around with white canes when they aren't blind and
generally, sighted kids are told not to handle our kids canes. The
reasons are logical-- canes aren't toys and they need to be where they
were left so the cane's proper users can get them when they need them
and from where they were left-- I get it. But how interesting that
this may offer a way for a sighted child to experience at least a
touch of what cane use involves-- even if that is only enough to make
a cane traveler become more included in a conversation, especially
when the topic is something the blind child will most likely have the
advantage on as far as understanding and experience!
Richard
On Jun 7, 2010, at 5:08 PM, Kim Cunningham wrote:
> Well said Holly! As parents, we all understand that each child is
> motivated by different methods. I like the social aspect of this
> game. While other kids are talking about playing Guitar Hero and
> other Wii games, this would give our kids the opportunity to be
> included in the conversation. Like it or not, video gaming is very
> popular and I want my child to have the same experiences as their
> sighted peers. It's important for our kids to feel accepted. I think
> the sighted kids would think this program would be really cool!
> Kim
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