[blindkid] Street crossing

[Bonnie Lucas]

Great thinking and he is so fortunate to have a Mom who has such high
expectations.

-----Original Message-----
From: Chantel Alberhasky [mailto:chantel at alberhaskylaw.com] 
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2012 11:16 AM
To: Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Street crossing

Drake is finishing 2nd grade and this year he had the goal of being able to
 safely  cross a low traffic residential street.   He is able to do it 75%
of the time - he indicates when it is safe and of course his O&M instructor
doesn't let him cross if a car is coming - so we are continuing with this
goal.  Once he accomplished the goal, we will change it to crossing high
traffic residential street.  

My sighted daughter began middle school this year and has to walk two blocks
and cross two high traffic residential streets to get to the bus stop.
 Drake who just finished 2nd grade began expressing concern about how he was
going to find the bus stop and find his house when it came his turn to ride
the bus to middle school.  I assured him that his O&M instructor would teach
him the skills so he could do it.   

Although I told Drake he would ready to independently walk to/from the bus
stop I didn't believe it.  His concerns got me thinking how I would argue
the district must accommodate Drake by having the bus stop in front of our
house.  I would refuse the special education bus because the travel time on
the regular education bus is important social time with his friends so they
would simply have to make our house his bus stop.  

But then it dawned on me I was preparing for the WRONG fight.  Instead of
worrying about the school accommodating him I should be focused on ensuring
my blind child can independently walk to the bus stop.   I realized I need
to make sure his O&M instructor is teaching him the proper techniques so
when the time comes for him to walk to the middle school bus stop he will be
able to do so just as his sighted peers are able and expected to do so.   It
really brought home how important good O&M training is to our kids.

Chantel
 
Chantel L. Alberhasky, Esq
419 Boonville Avenue
Springfield, MO 65806
417.865.4444

The Missouri Bar Disciplinary Counsel requires all Missouri attorneys
tonotify all recipients of e-mail that (1) e-mail communication is not
asecure method of communication, (2) any e-mail that is sent to you or byyou
may be copied and held by various computers it passes through as itgoes from
me to you or vice versa, (3) persons not participating in ourcommunication
may intercept our communications by improperly accessingyour computer or my
computer or even some computer unconnected to eitherof us which the e-mail
passed through. I am communicating to you viae-mail because you have
consented to receive communications via thismedium. If you change your mind
and want future communications to besent in a different fashion, please let
me know AT ONCE.


________________________________
 >> street crossings I needed to do for this route were merely residential
>