[blindkid] talking to a child about blindness

[Heather]

It is freaken helarious to watch a group of blind kids play hide annd seak. 
You can hide in obvious, but obscure places quite successfully.  For 
instance, my friend candice was sitting up on our kitchen counter with her 
feet drawn up.  I was looking under the  table, in closets, etc and there 
she was five feet away, but hidden.  It is really fun, but it obviously does 
not work if sighted kids are playing.  I would hide by laying across the top 
back of the coutch or standing still on the piano and it would take them 
forever to find me.  Once I got the hang of the system I had two different 
hiding and seaking stratagies when playing with blind and sighted kids.  It 
is really fun and eye opening if you think about it.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Deborah Kent Stein" <dkent5817 at worldnet.att.net>
To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)" 
<blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 5:55 PM
Subject: Re: [blindkid] talking to a child about blindness


>
>
> Playing hide and seek with sighted kids taught me a lot about sight when I 
> was growing up.  I remember being shocked when I discovered that sighted 
> kids could see under doors; if I wanted to hide in a room by closing the 
> door I had to get up on a piece of furniture and keep my feet off the 
> floor. I also found that kids could find me when I hid behind a door 
> because they could see through the gap by the hinges.  And I found out 
> that bathroom windows are tinted so no one can see in.  Hide and seek is 
> just one example of the myriad ways blind kids pick up working knowledge 
> about vision.  The opportunities are endless, especially if kids feel 
> comfortable asking questions.
>
> Debbie
>
> ----- 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: Thursday, March 11, 2010 4:13 PM
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] talking to a child about blindness
>
>
>>I don't know if you've ever heard Gary Wunder's story about how he found 
>>out about clear and solid--it's a good one.
>>
>> I suppose you could get scientific about it and explain about light and 
>> the fact that sighted people are pretty light-dependent :-).  She'll 
>> learn all about that in physics class.  But for more immediate 
>> information, I have a feeling it is just one of those things that blind 
>> people memorize--most glass is clear, allowing sighted people to see 
>> through it. Some curtains are see-through, as are some shower curtains. 
>> Walls are generally not.  Doors can be, if they have glass sections. 
>> Mirrors are not.  You get the idea.
>>
>> While we're on the subject, our kids need to learn that sighted people 
>> cannot see around corners.
>>
>> Carol
>>
>> At 03:46 PM 3/11/2010, you wrote:
>>>I like that. I will give it a try. That makes me think back and
>>>remember how I used to tell her when she was very young and would tend
>>>to drag her cane around how she didn't need the cane to tell her where
>>>she had been, but rather where she was going...
>>>
>>>Any suggestions on the whole clear solids issue? She seems to take is
>>>as a given now, but I do wish I could explain it better...
>>>
>>>Richard
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>On Mar 11, 2010, at 12:19 PM, Carol Castellano wrote:
>>>
>>>>We've explained why sighted people can see out in front and to the
>>>>sides by comparing the way eyesight works to the way a cane works-- 
>>>>out in front and side to side.  We say that eyesight is like a much
>>>>longer cane!
>>>>Carol
>>>>
>>>>Carol Castellano, President
>>>>National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
>>>>973-377-0976
>>>>carol_castellano at verizon.net
>>>>www.nfb.org/nopbc
>>>
>>>_______________________________________________
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>>
>> Carol Castellano, President
>> National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
>> 973-377-0976
>> carol_castellano at verizon.net
>> www.nfb.org/nopbc
>>
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