Exposed to Hope: Stories from Families Who Have Adopted a Child with a Visual Impairment from China

Exposed to Hope: Stories from Families Who Have Adopted a Child with a Visual Impairment from China

Future Reflections Fall 2014 REVIEW
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Exposed to Hope: Stories from Families Who Have Adopted a Child with a Visual Impairment from China
Compiled and Edited by Chloe Banks
Reviewed by Paula Ann Sprecher
From the Editor: Paula Sprecher is a teacher of the visually impaired (TVI) in Chicago. She and her husband Alan are the adoptive parents of two blind daughters from overseas, Rupa from India and Aihua from China.
Exposed to Hope: Stories from Families Who Have Adopted a Child with a Visual Impairment from China
Compiled by Chloe Banks
Available as a downloadable ebook from Bethel China at <www.bethelchina.org/exposed-to-hope-stories-from-families-who-have-adop…;
Have you ever considered adoption? Through the act of adoption, a child is given a chance to become part of a forever family, to be loved and to reciprocate love, to experience life to its fullest, and to live out hopes and aspirations for a bright future. In essence, the child is transformed from a dreamer into a doer.
When a child is adopted, he/she is given a second chance at life. No, you will not give this child life, but you will provide a life worth living and one of healing, one of freedom, one of hope, one of choices, and one of learning to trust. If you are interested in the subject of adoption, this book is a must read for you!
Exposed to Hope is a compilation of vignettes written by parents who have adopted one or more blind or visually impaired children from China. In China, blindness is considered an intimidating special need. Many potential parents who consider adopting a child with a special need disregard such children in search of a child with a disability that can be corrected, such as a heart murmur or cleft palate. They may seek a child with a disability that they anticipate will be easier for them to cope with psychologically, one that will be acceptable to the extended family and to society itself. An overall theme running from story to story in this book is that learning to rear a child with a visual impairment is not an overwhelming, insurmountable task—it just takes some forethought, patience, imagination, and, at times, a sense of humor.
Taking precedence over the child's visual disability are more immediate concerns, such as attachment issues and language learning. The book strives to promote a greater understanding of why adoption is relevant and to encourage more families to consider adopting children with visual impairments from other countries.
Through the vignettes in Exposed to Hope, the reader will find answers to a number of questions that may be looming in the back of his or her mind. What kind of family chooses to adopt a visually impaired child from another country? How does adopting a blind child change the life of a family? What resources are available to support a blind child and his/her family? What techniques can best facilitate the acquisition of English?
Each story in the book is unique because the thirteen families are heterogeneous. The adoptive families include sighted couples as well as couples with visual impairments, families who already have biological or adopted children, and families with no children at all prior to adoption. There are families who have adopted children with other disabilities or health conditions in addition to visual impairments, families who have recently adopted or who have adopted a while back, families who have adopted children ranging in age from infancy through the teens, and families who have chosen children with a variety of eye conditions.
Historically, adoption from China was perceived primarily as a way to find families for healthy baby girls who were abandoned as a result of China's one-child policy, due to China's preference for male children. Over time, however, circumstances have changed. Now the majority of Chinese children available for adoption are boys, children over the age of three, and children with special needs. Currently, there are about three times more boys than girls waiting in Chinese orphanages.
In reading this book, it was interesting to discover that one in five people in China has a visual impairment. The services of eye doctors are abundantly available in urban areas for families who have financial resources. On the other hand, few services are available to support families who have a child with a visual impairment if they are poor or live far away from urban areas. Parents in rural areas are concerned that they will not be able to pay for medical treatments or special education, and they fear that their blind children will not be able to live normal lives. When a family feels helpless and under-resourced, abandonment is likely to take place.
Over 15 percent of the children on China's Waiting Children's List have some form of visual impairment. It is highly likely that these children will remain on the Waiting Children's List for years. When they turn fourteen, they are no longer eligible for adoption. Children who are visually impaired and have little adult interaction may never learn to speak, crawl, or walk; no one takes the time to encourage them or to figure out ways they can be taught. Without appropriate care, intervention, or education, these children live on the streets or are kept hidden from view in institutions.
In China it is rare to see an adult with a visual impairment who lives a successful, independent, fulfilling life. This lack of positive role models leads families to abandon their babies who are blind. In contrast, families who have financial means are able to provide a wide array of specialized medical, educational, and leisure-time services for their offspring, similar to those we may take for granted here in the US. However, this is not the case for most families in China.
At the end of Exposed to Hope there are appendices that contain links to websites, articles, blogs, and forums about both blindness and adoption. These resources are intended for those who are interested in reading more about visual impairment or the process of adopting from China. In addition, the families who share their stories offer helpful advice regarding the adoption process, such as where to begin when bringing a special needs child home, where to acquire services, and much more. An overriding theme of hope is conveyed throughout this down-to-earth, heartwarming book.

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