[blindkid] Which Direction Should I Go?

Lucy Sirianni lucysirianni at earthlink.net
Mon Jan 19 22:37:39 UTC 2015


Hi, and welcome to the list!

I first want to echo wholeheartedly everything Arielle has said 
below.  There seems to be a perception among many so-called 
"blindness professionals", including some ophthalmologists, that 
non-visual techniques are harder, less efficient, and generally 
less desirable than visual approaches and that they should be 
seen as a last resort.  As someone who has been totally blind 
since birth and who happily uses non-visual approaches every day, 
I can assure you that this isn't at all the case, and I applaud 
you for realizing that your son may in fact benefit from 
non-visual techniques and choosing to act accordingly.  As 
Arielle says, having access to these techniques won't hurt him, 
and it sounds like they very well may help!

I also wanted to invite you to be in touch with me directly if 
you'd ever like to be in contact with other homeschooling 
families with blind members.  I was homeschooled/unschooled, 
along with my three sighted siblings, from kindergarten through 
high school graduation, and I'm happy to answer any questions 
from that perspective.  There are several groups for parents 
currently homeschooling blind children that may be of use to you 
as well.

Again, welcome to the group, and very best of luck as you 
continue to seek out the approach that works best for your son!

Lucy

 ----- Original Message -----
From: Arielle Silverman via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org
To: Haley Dare <haley.dare at yahoo.com>, "Blind Kid Mailing 
List,(for parents of blind children)" <blindkid at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 13:55:31 -0800
Subject: Re: [blindkid] Which Direction Should I Go?

Hi Dare, and welcome.  I am a 30-year-old woman who's been 
totally
blind since birth.  While I am not a doctor or a parent, I have a 
few
thoughts on this.  The most important is that there is absolutely
nothing wrong with being functionally blind or using nonvisual
techniques to do things.  I would also say that if your son has 
tried
visual techniques and they don't work well for him, regardless of 
any
medical opinion, it can only help him to try a new, nonvisual way 
to
do those things.  I'd definitely suggest switching from an ID 
cane to a
white cane that's fitted for him and also having him learn 
Braille.
Again, these things might help him and they definitely will not 
hurt
him.  If your son's vision tests as 20/400, then he should 
qualify for
an IEP where you can request he receive Braille instruction.  If 
you
are homeschooling, there are some other parents on this list, I
believe, who have gone that route.  You should also check out
www.nfb.org/nopbc
and
www.blindchildren.org
or the NOPBC group on Facebook to get some excellent resources on 
cane
usage and to connect with other parents.  Good luck and welcome!

Best,
Arielle Silverman, Board Member, National Federation of the Blind
Greater Seattle Chapter

On 1/19/15, Haley Dare via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:
  Good afternoon,
 I haven't posted to this listserve before, but I am seeking some
 direction...hopefully, someone out there has a child who is 
experiencing the
 same type of problems as my son and can give me some advice.  
Okay, here
 goes...
 My 8 year old has been dx with amblyopia, huge refractive error, 
strabismus,
 accommodative esotropia, and a problematic visual processing 
disorder.  He
 wears very strong glasses with a bifocal/magnifier in the 
bottom.  We don't
 know how well he sees peripherally, but we know that his acuity 
is 20/400 in
 his bad eye, and 20/35 in his good eye with correction.  Our 
ophthalmologist
 says his eyes are structurally healthy and that none of these 
problems cause
 "blindness", but my son's behavior suggests otherwise.
 He walkes into the sides of the wall, misses changes in the 
terrain, panics
 about leaving the house, and won't go out in the dark (or a 
cloudy
 day), falls over toys or items that are right in front of him 
and acts very
 clingy and nervous in large groups of people or in unfamiliar 
environments.
 He can read, but not for any length of time, and the light must 
be bright.
 He struggles with glare (especially on a bright, snowy day), 
print size,
 reading and math in school; I currently k12 him at home.  He 
carries a white
 cane for identification purposes, but I've noticed that his 
posture has
 improved.
 Here's my question...and it probably seems pretty stupid, but 
I'm going to
 ask it anyway.  Is my son blind?  Should I be trying to get 
him some
 nonvisual services (like braille, O&M, etc), maybe under 
sleepshades?  I
 sometimes wonder if I should just "lose" his glasses so he isn't 
so
 overstimulated (crazy thought, I know, but he does seem calmer 
w/o them).
 Right now, he has no professional supports, just me trying to 
teach him a
 few things.  Perhaps permaturely, but I worry about his 
future...he's a guy
 and needs to be able to read, work and take care of himself and 
a family.
 I've been in touch with so many organizations and people that 
have provided
 wonderful advice, but I have yet to come across another parent 
who is living
 with this confusing visual conundrum.  Can anybody out 
there suggest to me
 which direction to go?  Thanks so much.
 hdare
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