Future Reflections, Conv '97
Future Reflections, Conv '97
Future Reflections
Volume 16, Number 3
Barbara Cheadle, Editor
Convention Report, 1997
Contents
An Education for a Full Life: Report on Parent Activities at the
1997 NFB Convention 1
by Barbara Cheadle
"What's All the Fuss about Mr. Magoo?" 11
by Julie Hunter
Parents: The True Teachers 13
by Deborah Prost
NOPBC 1997 Annual Meeting 17
State Division Reports: California, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan,
Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Tennessee Valley, Washington,
and West Virginia 19
Sensory Safari: A Hands-On Wildlife Exhibit for Blind Children and
Adults 28
Report on the 1997 NFB Camp 30
by Carla McQuillan
Music Education: Not Just a Frill 32
by Dr. Ralph Bartley and Karen McDonald
New Publication from JOB 38
by Lorraine Rovig
IEP's: Updates, Tips, and Strategies 39
Focus on Infants and Toddlers: Encouraging Independent Mobility 43
Materials Available to Parents of Infants and Toddlers
It Isn't All So Technical 44
by Nancy Coffman
Insights from an Instructional Assistant 47
by Denise Mackenstadt
The Bridge to Braille: Reading and School Success for the Young
Blind Child 50
A New NOPBC Publication
What Contests Can Do: Report on the 1996-1997 Braille Readers are
Leaders Contest 52
1996-1997 Braille Readers are Leaders Winners 54
Braille Helps Girl Become Book Champion 55
by Danny Heitman
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! 57
Letters to the Editor 63
An Education for a Full Life:=20
Report on Parent Activities at the 1997 NFB Convention
by Barbara Cheadle
"If those of us who are blind have appropriate training and
equal opportunity, we can get along as well as anybody else--
earning our own way, having a family, and leading a regular life."
Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, Introduction to The Journey, 1993 (the
fifth Kernel book).
The desire parents have for their children to have full and
happy, or "regular," lives was the driving force behind the
activities organized for families of blind children at the 1997
National Convention of the National Federation of the Blind.=20
Everyone wants a "full life." We may not be sure what it is
that will make our lives fulfilling, but we never stop dreaming or
striving to get it.
But what if a child is born blind or becomes blind early in
life? What is the likelihood of having a "full life" then? Can a
parent do anything to increase a blind child's chances for a
regular life? Although the short answer is a firm, "Yes," parents
need a lot more than that to make it come true. Parents desperately
need both hope and particulars, the big picture and the recurring
details. The 1997 NFB Convention provided healthy doses of both to
about 200 family members of blind children.
The week's activities for families began on Sunday, June 29
with:
* an all-day seminar for parents,=20
* a field trip to a nearby children's museum for the younger
children,
* a Red-Cross Baby-sitting Course for teens, age 13 to 18,
* dance lessons for adolescents and older children,
* an orientation to the hotel for teens, and
* a family hospitality night.
The morning session for the parents seminar was as packed with
exciting, upbeat ideas and information about blindness as the
meeting room was packed with people. A panel of blind children from
ages 7 to 17 was indisputably the emotional highlight of the
morning. Their well-prepared speeches (which were read from Braille
notes) are printed elsewhere in this issue. The reading of these
Braille speeches was the perfect lead-in for James Gashel, the NFB
Director of Governmental Affairs, who came to the podium to speak
about a profound victory for Braille literacy: the inclusion of
Braille literacy provisions in the newly re-authorized Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).=20
The rest of the morning zipped by as the audience heard from
parents, professionals, and a panel of blind adults. Parents
addressed the topics: "Creative Solutions to Impossible Educational
Situations" and "Life is Like a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich."
Educators, such as Dr. Ralph Bartley, Superintendent of the
Kentucky School for the Blind, made outstanding presentations on
the topics, "Instructional Assistants (Aides): Help or Hindrance?"
"Music Education, Not Just A Frill," and "Access to Technology:
When Computer Games Become Serious Business." Another exciting
event of the morning was the recognition of winners in the 1997
Braille Readers are Leaders contest.
In the afternoon parents and educators had the choice of
attending seven different concurrent workshops. Two of the
workshops provided in-depth information about technology and music
education, and two others focused on deaf-blind children and blind
multiply handicapped children. The "Blind and Multiply Handicapped"
workshop featured displays and demonstrations of the equipment and
materials developed by Dr. Lilli Nielsen. One lucky winner went
home with one of her "Little Rooms" donated by Colleen Austin of
Lilliput, L.L.C. Inc. The "Social Skills and Blindness" workshop
was back again this year by popular demand. Friendships and the
social skills required to get and keep them are, as we all know,
among the essentials of a happy life. Literacy is also fundamental
to a productive life in a modern society. The last two workshops,
"The Bridge to Braille: Braille at Home and in the Classroom" and
"How to Organize a Braille Storybook Hour" focused on this vital
skill.
While the adults were engrossed in their activities, the kids
were pursuing their own style of fun and learning. About sixty
children ages 4 to 12, chaperoned by blind and sighted volunteer
members of the National Federation of the Blind, went on a field
trip to a nearby Children's Museum. A television news crew was on
hand to film parts of this adventure for a news story about the NFB
Convention.
Older adolescents, those 13 and up, had the opportunity to
enroll in a Red Cross Baby-sitting Course. Twenty-three teens, more
than half of whom were blind, had eagerly signed up for the course.
Carla McQuillian, who is the blind owner and operator of a
Montessori pre-school program, taught the class in conjunction with
local Red Cross staff. The course did a great deal to build
self-confidence in the fifteen blind teens, and it helped forge
friendships among all the youth who took part. The kids also had
the chance to get both volunteer and paid experience as child-care
providers throughout the week. Twenty of the teens volunteered as
helpers at NFB Camp and many were hired by parents who needed
sitters at different times throughout the convention week.=20
The baby-sitting course was followed by a dance workshop led
by a blind dance teacher, Chyvonne Blanchard. There was no need to
ask the kids if they had a good time--the laughs and squeals heard
above the shuffle of feet and the boisterous music of the Macarana
said it all.
But that wasn't the end of the activities for the day. In the
evening Mildred Rivera, a former camp counselor and a civil rights
attorney by profession, organized an evening of teen activities,
including a treasure hunt designed to help youth learn about the
hotel and get to know other teens in New Orleans for the
convention.
Meanwhile, parents and their younger children enjoyed a
relaxing evening with hot dogs and root beer at the Family
Hospitality night sponsored by the National Organization of Parents
of Blind Children. Carolyn Sasser, president of the Parents of
Blind Children Division of the NFB of Louisiana, was a gracious
hostess to the event. Her daughter, Angela (who is blind) and some
of Angela's friends provided entertainment--singing accompanied by
guitars--for the group.=20
The following morning, Monday, June 30, the NOPBC sponsored
two "Cane Walks" conducted by Pediatric O&M specialist, Joe Cutter;
Arlene Hill, a blind cane travel instructor from the Louisiana
Center for the Blind; and other selected blind volunteers from the
NFB. About 30 children in each group, plus parents and other
observers, were introduced to the fundamentals of cane use.
Escalators, elevators, steps, carpets, tile, big rooms, little
rooms, fountains, quiet nooks, and busy corridors created an
exciting learning environment--one that was further enhanced by the
camaraderie of experienced and inexperienced cane users working out
travel problems together.
Plenty of time was left by the end of the one-hour Cane Walk
for parents and children to register for the NFB Convention, then
hit the exhibit hall to take in all the latest in technology and
aids and appliances for the blind. Those who were interested in
becoming more informed about blindness issues also had the
opportunity to observe the Resolutions Committee debate the 18
resolutions brought before it, or to attend one or more of the 10
seminars and meetings scheduled that afternoon. NOPBC also
sponsored a Youth Room from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. This space gave
teens a place to "hang out" and the opportunity to meet other
teens.
Tuesday afternoon, following the NFB Board of Director's open
meeting, the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
conducted its Annual Business Meeting and program from 1:00 to
5:00. As usual, the keynote speech was given by this year's winner
of the Educator of Blind Children Award. This year's recipient,
Mrs. Deborah Prost, is especially inspirational. A blind teacher of
blind children, she shared her philosophy, experience, and unique
perspective with an appreciative audience. Her speech is also in
this issue.=20
The program included an exciting presentation by Sensory
Safari volunteers Lloyd Dubuisson and Ray Stroup about their new
Trophy Mount Donation Program (see article elsewhere in this issue
about this program). A large part of the meeting was dedicated to
reports from our state organizations of Parents of Blind Children.
These reports, which brimmed with enthusiasm, creativity, and
vitality, are reprinted in this issue.=20
We also had a light side to our meeting when Daniel Lamones,
a blind children's performer, showed up for a "surprise" break. He
soon had us up on our feet to sing, clap, stomp, and Thuupt' (you
had to be there) to some of his delightful tunes. Door prizes
donated by the Maryland Organization of Parents of Blind Children
added to the fun.=20
This year's meeting was also the occasion to announce and plug
two new NOPBC products: a video, "White Canes for Blind Kids,"
produced by member Myra Lesser; and the book The Bridge to Braille,
by NOPBC vice-president Carol Castellano and her daughter's Braille
teacher, Dawn Kosman. Information about how to obtain these great
new products is also printed in this issue. The meeting concluded
with elections. The officers and board members for the coming
1997-1998 year are: President, Barbara Cheadle (Maryland); First
Vice President, Ruby Ryles, (Louisiana); Second Vice President,
Carol Castellano (New Jersey); Treasurer, Julie Hunter (Colorado);
Secretary, Martin Greiser (Montana); and Board Members: Pat Jones
(Tennessee), John Salka (New York), Crystal McClain (Ohio), and
Carolyn Sasser (Louisiana).
Tuesday evening (for those who weren't ready to hit the sack
early) offered 10 meetings, workshops, receptions, and even a play
written by Jerry Whittle and performed by the Louisiana Center for
the Blind Players. Proceeds from the "Growing Up in Tennessee" (the
play was based on the childhood of Kenneth Jernigan) went toward
supporting the Louisiana summer training program for blind
children.
Wednesday morning everything was in place for the opening of
the first general session of the 1997 Annual Convention of the
National Federation of the Blind. With a record-breaking
registration of 3,346, the hall was crammed with just about every
chair the Fire Marshal would allow in the space we had. The
Louisiana affiliate welcomed the delegates with a Dixieland band
which wove among the crowd playing a medley of tunes including
"When the Saints Go Marching In." The band was followed by members
of the Louisiana delegation dressed Mardi Gras style, throwing
beads and urging folks to dance. After the band departed, the
Convention got down to business. Most sobering was the announcement
that Disney had decided to resurrect the old half-blind cartoon
character, Mr. Magoo, in a live-action film. The Convention
overwhelmingly voted to urge Disney to reverse their plans and not
bring back this stumbling, bumbling character which had caused so
many blind and partially blind children to suffer the taunts and
jeers of classmates calling them "stupid Magoo."
That evening, the NOPBC conducted a three hour IEP workshop.
One of the earliest and most popular programs sponsored by the
NOPBC, this year's workshop topped them all. Presenters at the
workshop were: NOPBC parent advocates Lisa Mattioli (Pennsylvania)
and Loretta White (Maryland); Doris Willoughby, author of the
Handbook for Itinerant and Resource Teachers of the Blind and
Visually Impaired; and Ron Gardner, Legal Director with the
Disability Law Center in Salt Lake City, Utah (Ron is also blind
and hearing-impaired). Topics included: "Overview of the IEP
Process," "Office of Civil Rights (OCR) Section 504 Complaints: An
Alternative to Due Process Complaints," "Tips for Parent
Advocates," and "Implications of the Amended and Re-authorized
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)." The parents
who come to this workshop year after year testify that it keeps
getting better and better, and this year was the best yet.
Thursday afternoon, following another top-notch general
session of the NFB Convention, parents had the option of a free
afternoon of organized tours or dropping in on the open-ended "Kids
and Canes" discussion group conducted by Joe Cutter, Pediatric
Orientation and Mobility Specialist from New Jersey. About 35
parents and professionals skipped the tours and came to the
workshop to learn more about encouraging independent movement in
their children and students.
Although this session was the last official activity sponsored
by the NOPBC at the NFB Convention, it was by no means the last
opportunity for parents to learn, network, and have fun. For
example, one of the items on the agenda for that evening was a
showing of the movie, Jurassic Park, by Descriptive Video Services
(DVS). Then, later in the evening, parents and older students could
have fun helping the National Association of Blind Students raise
funds at their annual Monte Carlo Night.
The general session on Friday focused on technology, the blind
in other nations, and library for the blind services. Blind
professionals also gave a fascinating account of their experiences
in such diverse fields as medicine, law, and child care. Friday's
events concluded with the annual banquet, often regarded by many as
the highlight of NFB Conventions. Fine food, good company, rousing
songs, impressive award presentations--including scholarships
awarded to 26 outstanding blind college students--and an
inspirational address by Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, President Emeritus
of the NFB, characterized the 1997 annual banquet of the National
Federation of the Blind.=20
The Convention wrapped up on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. after a
whirlwind day of conducting the final business of the organization-
-debating resolutions, listening to reports, and setting goals for
the coming year.
And that's what happened (well, a sampling of what happened)
at the 1997 NFB Convention. But a summation of events tells us
little of what the event means emotionally to parents and their
blind children. Comments overheard at the convention, the results
of workshop surveys, the steady rise in the number of families who
attend the Convention, and the occassional letter give a glimpse of
what parents think and feel about this experience. It only seems
appropriate, therefore, to end this report with the words of a
parent who attended the convention for the first time this year.
Here is what Cathy Helms of Alabama says about what the 1997 NFB
Convention meant to her family:
July 14, 1997
Dear Ms. Cheadle,
I was so glad to have the opportunity to meet you in person at
this year's National Federation of the Blind Convention in New
Orleans. This was our first convention or opportunity to meet with
a group of parents and [blind] adults that shared the same interest
and attitudes about blindness.
Our oldest son, Jared, who is seven, was born with bilateral
retinoblastoma. Through many treatments and doctor's appointments
the issue of blindness often got ignored or put off till some other
time. I'm glad to be able to share with you that our ability to
attend this year's NFB Convention has made a world of difference in
our family. Jared gained a great enthusiasm for Braille and cane
travel, and he learned a respect for blindness. Not that he hasn't
been learning Braille all along, but when you meet people who
actually are "in your shoes" and they tell you how much Braille has
meant to them--or even more persuasive to Jared, how much they wish
they had the opportunity to learn Braille as a child--it becomes
real and clear.=20
My husband and I also enjoyed the opportunity to ask lots of
questions and listen to advice from the many other parents and
professionals at the . I have no doubt that attending this year's
NFB Convention has had a positive effect on Jared and our family.
Next year I hope to attend again and bring the grandparents, too!
Thank you for your help and for your part in a great
parent/child convention.
Sincerely, Cathy Helms
Around the Block, to the Mall, and Beyond
Editor's Note: At the seminar for parents and educators of blind
children sponsored by the National Organization of Parents of Blind
Children at the 1997 NFB Convention in New Orleans, one of the most
delightful and inspiring presentations was a panel of blind
youngsters talking about their experiences in learning to be
independent. Each presenter prepared and read remarks in Braille.
It was clear that all of these students are growing up
understanding and living by Federation philosophy. The first
speaker was Cody Greiser (age 10), whose father Marty is Secretary
on the NOPBC board. Kyle Neddo (age 7) is the son of Dawn Neddo,
the President of the Michigan parents division. Amanda Jones (age
10) is the granddaughter of Pat Jones, President of the Tennessee
Valley parents division. And Bret Boyer graduated from high school
last January. This is what each student said:
CODY GREISER: Hello, everyone. My name is Cody Greiser. I am ten
years old and live in Polson, Montana. Next year I will be in the
fifth grade. My Dad says I was two-and-a-half when I got my first
cane, but I really don't remember that. My O&M teacher comes once
a month to our school, where he shows me how to follow sidewalks
and go around the block and stuff like that. Mrs. Colburn and I
practice those things when he is not there.
I don't use a cane in my house or my Dad's house or my
Grandma's house or in the classroom, but I do just about everywhere
else. If I don't have my cane with me, I have to be very careful.
Sometimes I get so excited about recess I leave the room without
it. Then I think, "Oh my cane," and go back and get it. If I lay my
cane down on the playground, sometimes kids take it, but I always
get it back.
When I get in the car, I put my cane crosswise on the floor or
between the seat and door. Once, when I went to my Dad's, I forgot
my cane and had to use a collapsible one he had. I didn't like it
because when it collapses, it feels like you're going to step into
a hole. I have been to lots of conventions, and I like Detroit the
best because everything wasn't carpeted, and they had lots of
escalators. Escalators are really neat, but I hate the moving
sidewalks in airports because the end comes when you are not ready.
I like going up in the mountains where I can climb on steep
hillsides and throw rocks off cliffs. I like the way they bounce
all the way to the bottom. I have been skiing but really don't like
it because you can't use your cane. Somebody should invent a ski
cane.=20
When I walk down the railroad tracks with my Dad back to the
slew and the river, I throw rocks on both sides to see what's over
there. No matter where I go, I sometimes run into things. If I hit
something really, really hard, the first thing I do is check to see
if I'm bleeding. I've had bruises, bumps, and stitches, but that's
the way it goes because I don't want to sit around. Thanks for
listening.=20
KYLE NEDDO: My name is Kyle Neddo, and I got my first cane when I
was three years old. I like to use my cane because I can take my
time looking at things and go where I want to go. Sometimes people
at school say I take too long. They want to drag me along, but they
don't know that I can do it myself. Some of my friends at goalball
don't use a cane, and they have their mom or someone guiding them
around. I feel good being independent using my cane.=20
My cane helps me play games where we chase each other, keeping
the ball away. I can play just like sighted kids when I use my
cane. My friends think that I have a special power. Really, I just
learned to use my ears and my cane together from my friend Allen
Harris.=20
[Editor's note: Allen Harris is blind also and is the state
president of the NFB affiliate in Michigan.]
AMANDA JONES: Hello. My name is Amanda Jones. I would like to tell
you about a time when I was selling things for school. I was
walking down the street with my cane, and a dog started barking at
my sister April and me. We were scared of the dogs, so we started
running back up the hill. Another thing happened to me when I was
selling candy for the girls' choir. My neighbor Jimmy let me in,
and my grandma started looking for us. When she finally found us,
we didn't want to go home. Last year I was almost late for the bus.
I had to fly up the hill. I almost fell on my nose. I beat my
sister for once. April was running behind me, and her backpack was
on one shoulder.
The last thing I wanted to talk about was when I tried out for
track and cross country. I have tried out for both of them each
year ever since fourth grade. What I want to tell you about is when
I ran the 100-meter run. I did better last year than I did in
fourth grade. I made twenty-two seconds last year and forty-two
seconds the year before. I also tried out for the 200-meter run. My
sister and I made the same score, which was sixty-seven seconds.
Other things I tried out for were shot put, running jump, and the
400-meter run, all of which I am not good at. Right now I am
learning to go around in my school because I will have to change
classes every day. I am in the band, playing the clarinet.
Have a nice day. I will be going to the Baby-sitting Course,
now.
BRET BOYER: Good morning, everybody. I'm here today to talk about
my independent travel experiences. So let's start with my first
independent journey. I was three years old and was determined to
mail a letter. I decided that I would go to the mailbox that I
thought was at the corner of the block. I set out to find it. Keep
in mind that this was before I had ever heard of a cane--I was
introduced to a cane when I was five. Anyway, I continued to walk
down the block, looking for the mailbox, which I did not find. As
all little kids do, I lost concentration and found myself stumbling
around and crying in driveways and yards. Finally a lady found me
and brought me home. To this day I've never found that mailbox.
A few years later I was introduced to the cane but would only
use it when my mobility teacher came. My first real experience of
independence was in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the National
Convention in 1992. I had my NFB cane, and I went cruisin' around
that hotel. I didn't go to general sessions much. I remember the
feeling that I could go anywhere and do anything. I explored every
room in that hotel. If I found stairs, I went with them. If I found
a door, I went inside. But I don't think the room service employees
liked it much when I found myself in the room service kitchen
elevator.
Like I said, that was one of my turning points. From then on
I would use my cane in school and going to classes. But at that
point I lived in a small town in New Jersey. I was independent, but
not fully. I would still use a sighted guide whenever I could. I
never really ventured out on my own.
I went to the conventions after North Carolina, and in Detroit
I met a student who was at the Colorado Center for the Blind (CCB).
He told me about a program that the CCB offers high school students
in the summer time. I went through the program, which gave me my
independence, I believe--learning how to clean, shop, cook, and
travel almost anywhere in Denver, Colorado, on my own. I liked
Colorado so much I decided to move there. I finished high school
and graduated in January of this year. Then I became a full-time
student at the Colorado Center, which I am still today. This has
given me the complete independence that I have earned. Learning how
to take care of an apartment, manage it, and just do everything on
your own is a great experience.
Before I go, I want to share one more travel experience with
you. During the summer program of 1996, I worked for the American
Red Cross the last four weeks of the program. One day after work I
was so tired that I caught my bus and fell asleep. I was supposed
to catch another bus and join the other students to go home. But,
as I said, I fell asleep. I woke up, and I was on the bus that
everyone else from CCB had caught home. It turned out that the one
bus I had taken from work was the bus I needed to take to go home.
Pretty amazing! I would like to thank everybody, and I hope
everyone has a great convention.
"What's All the Fuss about Mr. Magoo?"
by Julie Hunter
Reprinted from POBC News and Views, the newsletter of the Colorado
Parents of Blind Children.
From=20the Editor: By far one of the most painful tasks of a parent
of a blind child is that of trying to help the child cope with
others--especially other children's--attitudes about their
blindness. There isn't a blind child--including and sometimes
especially those with partial vision--who hasn't experienced some
level of teasing about their eyes and vision. Sometimes it is
relatively mild, arising out of ignorance and thoughtlessness. But
it can too often turn into painfully cruel teasing and taunting.
But whether thoughtless, or deliberately cruel, the potential for
damage to a child's developing self-esteem is very real, and it's
a rare parent indeed who doesn't agonize with and for the child
when--not if, but when--such incidents occur.=20
Every parent who has gone through this, therefore, should be
concerned about the following report on Disney's plan to revive an
old partially blind cartoon character, Mr. Magoo. Here's what Julie
Hunter, the parent of a blind daughter and a leader in the National
Organization of Parents of Blind Children has to say about the
damage this can do:
Have you seen the headlines? "Advocates For the Blind Blast
Mr. Magoo Push", reads an article printed recently in the Wall
Street Journal. Yes, the National Federation of the Blind is
protesting the Christmas season release of a Disney movie
resurrecting the character of Mr. Magoo. Many of you will remember
the cartoon character conceived by Disney animators in the 1950's.
Mr. Magoo was a nasty, stubborn old man whose personality was based
loosely upon that of W. C. Fields. However, the humor in the
cartoon episodes was primarily derived from situations involving
Mr. Magoo's extreme myopia. For instance, in one cartoon feature,
"Ragtime Beat", Mr. Magoo mistakes a bear for his nephew, Waldo,
and tells the bear to "Get yourself a new coat. You're
disgraceful!" In typical fashion, Mr. Magoo makes ridiculous
assumptions based on what little he sees as he fumbles through
life.
Walt Disney Studios recently finished filming the non-animated
Mr. Magoo movie starring Leslie Nielsen, and the National
Federation of the Blind is up in arms. There is concern that the
general public will see Mr. Magoo's buffoonery as the norm for
severely nearsighted people. Will the stupid antics of this old
sour-puss translate into laughter on the playground when a child
with low vision bumps into something? Will negative assumptions be
made about a blind person's competence in traveling? Some say that
sensitivities are running too high and that we all need to be able
to laugh at ourselves. Indeed, it is likely that most blind and
visually impaired people have one or more stories to tell about
mix-ups or misunderstandings that have happened to them due to
their blindness about which they have later laughed. In fact, I
would venture to say that many of us, blind or sighted have at
least started to say "Excuse me" to an inanimate object bumped from
behind. But, we maintain our dignity and self-respect by choosing
when, where, and to whom we reveal our foibles. Laughing at
ourselves is healthy, but creating jokes from a stereotype can be
hurtful. In the early days of television, radio, and movies
prejudices against racial, ethnic and other minority groups was
common. The "drunken Indian," the "thieving Mexican," and the "lazy
black man" appeared in cartoons and films for decades until those
groups made it clear through political clout and consumer influence
that the blatant stereotyping had to stop. Now the blind and their
supporters must do the same.=20
Mr. Magoo is a severely visually impaired man who reveals no
blindness adaptive skills. He is not representative of the blind
population. Although on one level the audience understands that he
is a caricature, on a deeper level Mr. Magoo's antics may foster
doubts about a blind person's ability to function independently,
and that is no laughing matter.=20
Parents: The True Teachers
by Deborah Prost
Editor'Note: The following presentation was made on Tuesday, July
1, 1997, at the Annual Meeting of the National Organization of
Parents of Blind Children. Mrs. Deborah Prost, this year's winner
of the Distinguished Educator of Blind Children Award, is a blind
woman who has taught blind children for 17 years. The quality of
the speech reprinted below is ample demonstration of why she was
selected this year's award winner. Here is what Mrs. Prost has to
say about teaching blind children:
It is a real honor for me to have received the 1997
Distinguished Educator of Blind Children Award because I know that
the National Federation of the Blind wants the best for blind
children, and therefore has high standards and expectations for
their teachers. I will continue doing all I can to meet these
standards and expectations for the good of my students. I thank the
Federation again for the award. I also thank God for the ability to
find creative ways to teach my students the skills of blindness and
for the love He gives me for each student as a unique individual.
First, I want to let each of you know how important your role
is as a parent in your child's life. You have a special ability to
help your child become independent and successful that no one else
possesses. You know your child better than anyone. There are areas
in which you can teach your child far more effectively than I, or
any teacher. I would like to discuss some of these, as well as ways
in which we as parents and teachers must work together so that
blind children can really succeed in life rather than just "get
by."
Let me describe the ways in which my parents and my
grandmother were the key positive influences for me as a child.
These will illustrate areas where you can be the main influence in
your child's life. As parents, you don't need any degrees or
professional skills. You just need common sense and the qualities
of real interest in, involvement with, and, most of all, love for
your child.
When I was a child, my mother and grandmother stressed the
importance of good grooming and a neat personal appearance. They
expected no less from me in these areas than they would have if I
had been sighted. If I looked unkempt or anything was amiss with my
grooming or dress, they would let me know. Sometimes I would resent
this, but now I'm thankful that they expected the best from me.
They made shopping for clothes fun. They let me know what kinds of
clothes were in style, what colors looked good on me, and what
clothes and accessories went well together. It was not assumed
that, because I was blind, I would be uninterested in color and
style. They did not tell me to buy all white blouses or solid
colors because it would be easier to match outfits. Instead, they
both came up with ways for me to identify and match clothing. For
example, my mother bought tags, each of which had a string on the
end. I would (and still do) write a description of a particular
outfit on one of the tags, tie it to a hanger, and use that hanger
for the particular skirt and blouse, pants and top, or dress. My
grandmother would sew buttons or tags that I had Brailled inside
blouses or sweaters that were alike except for color. My mother and
grandmother would always tell me all of the colors in a particular
outfit, and I would (and still do) find features of each outfit
that are easily identified by touch. I remember what color that
outfit is and identify it by its particular tactile features.
As a child, my parents didn't allow me to develop habits that
would set me apart from my sighted friends. For example, I would
put my fingers in my eyes. My parents didn't let me get by with
this just because I was blind. When I would do this, my mother
would quietly knock on a table or other surface nearby as a signal
to me. When I started rocking back and forth, she told me that this
was not normal, did not look good, and that other children didn't
do it. I immediately stopped. This approach may sound cruel to some
people, but to me, love must sometimes be tough. You are helping
your child more by being honest with him or her. I really
appreciated my parents' approach to such habits when I was in
graduate school and attended a get-together with some friends on a
Saturday night. We were discussing mainstreaming, and a blind man
who was there said, "Blind people are no different from anybody
else, and blind children should be mainstreamed." Since I was
standing beside him, I knew that he was rocking back and forth
during that whole conversation.
My parents allowed me to simply be a kid. Our family would go
to the beach every summer where my grandparents had a cottage. My
parents taught me the basics of swimming, and arranged for me to
have lessons. I loved swimming in the ocean, and a friend and I
would have contests to see who could float the longest and who
could go out deeper into the ocean.
I participated in all family activities, including chores. It
is important that you as parents teach your blind child to do
household chores just as you would teach your sighted child.
My parents didn't let me get away with inappropriate behavior,
but disciplined me when necessary just as they did my brothers. For
example, I once was quite upset when my mother forbade me to use
the telephone for several days, and ordered me to call one of her
friends and apologize for making a crank call to her house at four
o'clock in the morning. It just didn't seem fair that my friend who
was making crank calls with me could still use the telephone and
didn't have to call anyone and apologize.
Good grooming and personal appearance, lack of inappropriate
habits, and full participation in every aspect of family life are
areas in which you, as a parent, are your child's real teacher.
They are just as important as the skills your child gains in
school.
In order for your child to learn the alternative techniques
for successful living as a blind person, you also have an important
role. You must work with teachers and, if necessary, the school
administration to ensure that your child receives this instruction.
These techniques include Braille, cane travel, keyboarding, and use
of appropriate computer technology.
As a parent, you are a full-fledged participant by law in your
child's Individualized Education Program (IEP). This means that you
have ultimate control of the skills your child will or will not be
taught. In order to take this control, you must know what skills
will ultimately help your child throughout life, not just during
the school years. When deciding whether or not your child needs
specific alternative techniques of blindness, you must consider
three important factors:
First, you must think about what skills will promote long-term
independence for your child. For example, your child may be able to
read print now, but have a deteriorating eye condition. Your child
may be able to read print for very short periods of time, and then
his or her eyes may tire. In both of these situations, the child
will benefit from instruction in Braille. It is better for the
child with deteriorating vision to learn Braille so that no matter
what happens, he or she will be able to read. Some teachers of the
visually impaired disagree with this approach, saying that it is
better to wait until the child is totally blind and to concentrate
now on use of residual vision as much as possible. I feel that
there is a problem with this view. It would be more traumatic for
the child to not be able to read at all for a while after becoming
totally blind. There would be times of discouragement and
frustration that could be avoided by learning Braille first. After
becoming totally blind, the person who had previously learned
Braille, even as a secondary reading medium, would make an easier
adjustment from reading print to reading Braille, without going
through a time of not being able to read anything. The child who
can read print for short time periods may be able to do quite well
in the early grades with regular and/or large print, but will have
difficulty when required to complete long reading assignments in
late elementary, middle, and high school. The child in this
scenario who learns Braille will have the choice to use Braille or
print, depending on task requirements. Braille could be used for
reading novels and notes for oral book reports, while print could
be used for reading labels and mail.
The second important factor is practicality. The child who can
read print for short time periods could benefit from a closed
circuit TV. However, this aid is not portable. Will the child have
one at home and one at school? What happens to the child in middle
or high school who is required to travel throughout the school
building to change classes each day? It seems that Braille is an
important part of the solution to this problem.
The third factor you must consider is that the skills your
child learns must enable him or her to function most efficiently
and to meet the same standards as other children of the same age
and in the same grade. Your child must have all the tools necessary
to work on an equal level with sighted peers. A child who writes
all work in print by hand, uses print and low vision aids alone for
reading, takes twice as long to complete work as sighted students,
and does not enjoy reading for pleasure because reading is tiring--
this child is definitely not working on an equal level with sighted
classmates. A child who can get around independently only during
the day or only with a certain type of lighting is not functioning
on an equal level with sighted peers.
In summary, you as a parent have the most important role in
your child's life. You can play a major part in laying the
groundwork for him or her to become a contributing member of
society. Ideally, the teacher of blind children will work with you
in laying this groundwork by teaching the alternative techniques of
blindness.=20
You have the ultimate authority in terms of what instruction
your child receives. In order to take this authority, you must make
sure that this instruction promotes long-term independence, is
practical, and enables your child to compete on terms of equality
with sighted peers.=20
You must also be knowledgeable about the IEP process, and
always be an active participant in your child's IEP. To obtain the
knowledge you need, you have an excellent resource in the National
Federation of the Blind.=20
We can all work together in this organization to help blind
children obtain the skills necessary for real success in life.
NOPBC 1997 Annual Meeting
NOPBC Officers and Board
President: Barbara Cheadle (Maryland)
First Vice President: Ruby Ryles (Louisiana)
Second Vice President: Carol Castellano (New Jersey)
Secretary: Martin Greiser (Montana)
Treasurer: Julie Hunter (Colorado)
Board Positions: John Salka (New York)
Pat Jones (Tennessee)
Carolyn Sasser (Louisiana)
Crystal McClain (Ohio)
It's so tempting to try and find a different title for the
NOPBC Annual Meeting. "Annual Meeting" sounds so stuffy and dull,
and that simply doesn't fit the exciting, fast-paced,
information-packed, fun-filled, and emotion-charged reality of
NOPBC meetings.=20
Sure, sure, you think. Informative, maybe, but exciting?
Fast-paced? Fun!? That's right--the 1997 Annual Meeting was all
that, and here's the report to prove it!
Let's begin with fast-paced. In a little over four hours we
packed in:
* a key-note presentation by Deborah Prost, the 1997 Teacher of
Blind Children Award winner (see page 13);=20
* guest speakers from Safari International regarding their hands-on
wildlife Sensory Safari program (see page 28);=20
* a presentation about our new NOPBC publication, The Bridge to
Braille;=20
* a viewing of the new NFB video, "White Canes for Blind Kids";
* reports from about 30 NOPBC committees, networks, and state
parents divisions (see state reports in this issue);
* a report on the 1996-1997 Braille Readers are Leaders Contest
(see page 54);
* greetings and a report from the newly organized Canadian parents
organization;
* a report on the year's activities--the Parent's Seminar in
Washington D.C., the Southeast Parent Leadership Conference at the
Rocky Bottom Camp of the Blind in South Carolina, and the trips
made by President Cheadle to revitalize old, and organize new,
parent chapters; and, of course,=20
* a business meeting complete with elections.
Although we had a tight agenda, we found time to draw for
numerous door prizes (such as children's books and baby quilts
donated by the Maryland Parents of Blind Children) throughout the
afternoon. The membership was also treated to a surprise "bootie
break" led by Daniel Lemons of "Blind Ambition." This children's
musician and entertainer (who also happens to be blind) soon had us
standing up, singing, stomping, clapping, and making some other
most peculiar noises. After a lively 10 minutes of song and
laughter, we returned to the business of the day refreshed and a
little less numb you-know-where.
The meeting concluded with a report from the nominating
committee and elections. The nominating committee members were:
Chairman, Marty Greiser (Montana), Loretta White (Maryland), and
Myra Lesser (Pennsylvania). Those elected to the NOPBC board for
one-year terms were: John Salka (New York), Pat Jones (Tennessee),
Carolyn Sasser (Louisiana), and Crystal McClain (Ohio).
Appreciation was expressed for the hard work and creative
leadership of the two members going off the board this year: Joe
Larson (Nebraska) and Barbara Freeman (Washington).=20
It would be hard to pick one highlight of the meeting. All of
the presentations were excellent, and all provided wonderful
information. But if I had to choose, I think I would choose the
state parent division reports. It was truely exciting to hear about
the many creative projects and programs implemented by our state
level parent chapters. About half of those reports are reprinted in
this article, and others will appear in later issues. Please read
them. The reports demonstrate how much can be accomplished when
parents of blind children join in partnership with the organized
blind--the National Federation of the Blind--to bring about equal
opportunity and integration for blind children throughout the
nation.=20
Here are the division reports from California, Colorado,
Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Tennessee,
Washington, and West Virgina:
California Parents of Blind Children=20
Report by Shirley Baillif, President
California is a large state. This is both a blessing and a
curse. We have the potential for a large membership but the many
miles separating us make getting together for meetings and/or
seminars quite difficult. Our annual meeting is held during our NFB
of California state convention, which is held alternately between
northern and southern California to help accommodate the members.
Consequently, most of our contacts are through networking. As
president, I have some exciting and productive experiences through
this media--such as reassuring heartbroken discouraged parents and
helping to set the groundwork for successful IEP meetings.
In addition to our annual meeting we had two other successful
events this year. Our vice-president, Donna Sexton, conducted a
seminar for young girls in Northern California. The girls were
given instructions and tips concerning make-up, skin care, and
exercise. The highlight, however, was the rap session that
followed. The outstanding concern was learning to shop when first
leaving home (for college or a job) and not having mother along to
help.
In southern California, we held our annual Halloween Party.
This started three or four years ago with our local parents of
blind children (POBC) support group. It has now extended to include
children and adults of my family and that of our neighbors as well
as POBC families and friends. This has been a great learning
experience for both the blind and the sighted.
I want to thank our vice-president, Donna Sexton, who took
over late last summer, when ill health besieged yours truly. But
with renewed health comes renewed spirits, and we are making plans
for a better tomorrow.
Colorado Parents of Blind Children
Report by Julie Hunter, President
Our annual meeting and elections were held November 9, 1996.
The following officers were elected:
Julie Hunter, President
Retta Masloff, Vice President
Audrey Smith, Secretary
Bob Hunter, Treasurer
Raul Gallegos, Board Member
Caressa Gallegos, Board Member
Community outreach is, I believe, very important. To achieve
this goal this past year, we sent parent representatives to:
--an AER (the professional organization for teachers and
rehabilitation counselors of the blind) meeting on vision
stimulation,
--a low vision/literacy conference,
--and a community resource program sponsored by the Colorado School
for the Deaf and the Blind.=20
We also put together and mailed out numerous information
packets to families of blind children around the state, encouraged
new parents over the phone, and used other networking techniques
and referrals to assist Colorado parents of blind children.
Fund raising this year went quite well. We sold entertainment
coupon books, held a mail solicitation, and organized a garage
sale. Our efforts resulted in a profit which enabled us to assist
one family to come to the NFB National Convention this year.
Regarding our other programs, our Cane Exchange Program
continues to be strong. We had four participants in the
Braille-By-Mail Program. This is a Braille correspondence course
which I teach to members who want to learn Braille [Julie is a
certified Braille Transcriber]. Our newsletter, News and Views
covers all of our activities and is growing in popularity. It is
published approximately four times a year.
The Colorado Center for the Blind and the Colorado Parents of
Blind Children joined efforts in establishing a summer day camp
program for youth between 8 and 12 years old. Our grant writing has
been successful, and the first day camp will be conducted later
this summer. We also have a new parent focus group which has a good
program and a new brochure which we designed and produced.
Maryland Parents of Blind Children
Report by Christine Highlander=20
In the last year, educational advocacy has been a priority for
the Maryland Organization of Parents of Blind Children. In addition
to working individually with families from one end of the state to
the other, the Federation was instrumental in getting the Maryland
State Department of Education to begin Brailling the Maryland State
Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP), thereby allowing Braille
users to participate. This is very exciting because the MSPAP is
all about accountability for the education of children in Maryland.
Finally, we are on the way to getting school districts to accept
responsibility for the education of our blind children.
Our Cane Bank continues to thrive. We placed canes with
children at more than half of our activities. Our Braille Storybook
Hour which is held at the Maryland State Library for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped is now in its fourth year. It has been a
very successful activity in bringing together blind children and
their families with blind adult and teen role models. It has also
resulted in more than fifty new books being added to the children's
collection at the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.
In May, the Parent Division hosted a Braille Readers are
Leaders Awards Celebration to honor the Maryland participants in
the nationwide National Federation of the Blind contest. The
children received awards from both the NFB and the Friends of the
Library for the Blind.
Last August we extended our activities to include a week-long
day camp for children in grades 1-5. This was done in partnership
with Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM). The program,
which utilized blind counselors, provided extended time periods for
blind children to be taught by, and to socialize with, blind role
models and blind peers. We will have camp again this summer, and by
request from the teens, we will add a four-day youth retreat at a
KOA campground for blind teens.
The Parents Division has also been involved in a service
learning program for regular middle and high school sighted
students. A program to Braille and adapt card and board games has
been in operation for two years. Blind adults teach the students to
Braille the games with a slate and stylus, and provide training in
the awareness of blindness issues. This program meets state board
of education criteria for the required high school credit in
service learning.
At our NFB state convention we held a workshop on physical
education and recreation, and a Halloween costume party for the
kids. We also sponsored a number of other social activities for
blind children and their families throughout the year. These have
included a Christmas party, a family picnic, and a
specially-designed trip to the National Aquarium in Baltimore.
Our fund raising hasn't been as good as some years, but we
still raised enough through our annual baked goods auction, a quilt
raffle (handmade by one of our parents, Danielle Becker), and grant
writing to support all of our projects plus help pay some of the
transportation cost for parents and blind teens to come to New
Orleans this year for the NFB National Convention.
Michigan Parents of Blind Children
Report by Dawn Neddo, President
The POBC of Michigan has been extremely busy. We just finished
another successful school year of tutoring. Our tutoring program
runs from October through June and meets twice a month. Our adult
blind NFB members tutor our children on subjects such as Braille,
Nemeth math, cane travel, Braille music code, social skills, and
goalball. We end each season with a fun family picnic where
everyone's favorite game is a water balloon fight. We all have a
great time, and we've grown into an NFB family.
We hold our parents support group meetings during the tutoring
sessions. This has worked out well. We have speakers, videos, or
just conversations sharing concerns and helping each other with our
IEP's.
During the summer months we sponsor a family day camp. Our
dates this year will be August 11 through 15, 1997. We have day
trips planned for a water park/wave pool, a zoo visit, a tour of a
sports arena, a nature trail walk, and a hands-on tour of a post
office. In this program blind children and their families come
together with blind adult role models from the NFB. The activities
also give the children an opportunity to use the blindness skills
they've learned throughout the year.=20
In October we are planning a parents seminar in conjunction
with our NFB state convention.
A special project that we are hoping will be successful this
year is our "Blind Children's Right to Read Act" (Braille Literacy
Bill). This September we parents will be at our state capitol
advocating for our children's right to read.
Our fund-raising efforts were so successful this year that we
were able to fund all the programs above plus provide a bus to
bring parents and other NFB members to the National Convention here
in New Orleans.=20
Minnesota Parents of Bind Children
Report by Barbara Schultz, President
The major thrust for our activities this year came out of the
responses we received to a questionnaire we developed and sent out
to our mailing list. (I have extra copies in case the format would
be helpful to anyone.) The information received was valuable in
determining needs and will continue to help us focus our energy
where parents want it.
We sent our Braille Readers Are Leaders contest forms to
anyone who expressed an interest and promoted it in our new
Parents' column in the NFB of Minnesota newsletter. We had three
Minnesota participants last year and are hoping to hear there were
more this year. We have requested and received gift certificates to
send to all who participated in the contest.
We held our first fund raiser in May at a local Barnes and
Noble bookstore. We set up a display of NFB literature and
Braille/print children's books in the store. We also gave away
Braille alphabet cards and had blind children there Brailling
people's names for them on their Braillers. The store gave us a
percentage of its sales for the two hours that we were in the
store. The success of this, beyond the funds raised, we hope is in
increased awareness of the importance of Braille and the abilities
of our blind children.
We have the beginnings of a mentoring program, pairing blind
children with blind adults. This is a slowly developing program
which we hope will grow into positive support and relationships for
all participants.
We coordinated with the Shriners on an audio described
performance of the Shrine Circus. A total of 45 people attended,
including 15 blind children, 2 blind adults, and their families.
Everyone enjoyed the experience.
We have several things in process for the coming year
including a Minnesota Resource Guide for parents of blind children,
a play group for preschool blind children, and a public service
announcement for Radio Talking Book.
Although we are excited about these programs, I feel our most
important function is the individual contact with parents,
answering questions, supporting each other, and sharing resources.
The time I spend one-to-one with another parent is always the time
when I learn the most and find I am able to share the most of what
I have learned. The growth of our organization here in Minnesota
has been frustratingly slow at times, but the support I can give to
and receive from other parents is what makes our organization
worthwhile.
Missouri Parents of Blind Children=20
Report by T.J. Dixon, President
On April 12, 1997, the Missouri chapter of the POBC was
officially reorganized at the state convention of the Missouri
National Federation of the Blind. The following officers were
elected: President, T. J. Dixon; Vice President, Crystal Attaway;
Treasurer, Lawrence Luck; Secretary, Susan Trotter; and Board
Member, Brian Attaway. A Charter of Affiliation was presented by
Gary Wunder, President, NFB of Missouri and Julie Hunter,
Treasurer, National Organization of Parents of Blind Children. Thus
far the response to the organization has been outstanding. We
already have between 30 and 40 members.
My wife, Kathy Watts Dixon, is organizing and chairing our new
white cane exchange program. Kathy is the former President of the
Arkansas POBC and a former member of the National NOPBC Board. We
have already raised funds to help get the project started.
Speaking of fund raising, we have one in the works! The town
where I live (Liberty) has an annual Fall Festival. I have
permission to organize an arm wrestling tournament, proceeds to go
to the Missouri POBC, at the festival this year. I am a
professional arm wrestler, and you would be amazed at how
supportive arm wrestlers can be for a good cause.
On August 30, 1997, we will have our first meeting and family
activity at the Bass Pro Museum in Springfield. Bass Pro has live
fish in aquariums and thousands of different species of stuffed
fish and animals. The museum has agreed to give us a meeting room
and a guided tour of the museum, allowing the children to touch
many different animals and displays. All of this will be free of
charge. We are not sure about lunch yet. They have been so nice I
hate to ask them if I can drop a fishing line into one of the
aquariums.
We are also working on getting school districts to change
policies that have been harmful to blind kids. Melissa McCann is a
14 year old who currently lives in Boliver. Melissa, totally blind
from birth, grew up and lived in Springfield, Missouri, for the
first 12 years of her life. When Melissa was old enough to start
school, Danny and Candy decided they wanted their daughter to go to
public school rather than the school for the blind. But when
Melissa started school her parents were very disappointed to hear
from the professionals that Melissa was incapable of learning to
read or write and would have to be in a class with mentally
handicapped children. Danny and Candy McCann were always concerned
about this, considering how intelligent their little girl seemed at
home. When Melissa was 12 they moved her to the small town of
Boliver. Melissa's special education teacher in Boliver agreed with
the McCann's about Melissa's learning capabilities. So this teacher
taught herself to read and write Braille so she could begin to
teach Melissa, at the age of 12, how to read and write. (The
teacher is what is called a "generalist"--she has no special
training or certification in visual impairment.) Within 1-1/2 years
of reading instruction Melissa is now reading grade 2 Braille well
enough to not only compete in the NFB's 1997 Braille Readers are
Leaders contest, but also to finish fourth in her category.=20
We cannot sue the Springfield school district for money,
however, we can make them change their policy. This is extremely
important since this school district is now telling the Vice
President of our Missouri POBC, who has a 3 year old blind
daughter, the same story they told the McCann's when their daughter
was that age. We--the Missouri Parents of Blind Children--will stay
on top of this situation. Now is the time to turn our dreams for
our children into actions.
Nebraska Parents of Blind Children
Report by Lyndon Willms
Hello. My name is Lyndon Willms and I am a member of the
Nebraska Parents of Blind Children (NPBC). I would like to take
this opportunity to help you become familiar with the Nebraska
Parents of Blind Children organization (NPBC).
The NPBC is a branch of the National Organization of Parents
of Blind Children, which is a division of the National Federation
of the Blind. We are also a division of the National Federation of
the Blind of Nebraska. The purpose of our group is:
* To create a climate of opportunity for blind children in home and
society.
* To provide information and support to parents of blind children.
* To facilitate the sharing of experience and concerns among
parents of blind children.
* To develop and expand resources available to parents and their
children.=20
The NPBC was formed in August 1994 with these purposes as our
guide. We currently have more than 20 members in our organization.
Our Officers' and Board Members' time and skills are donated on a
voluntary basis. We are currently working on our fourth annual golf
tournament as our major fund raiser for the year.=20
In NPBC we use our funds in several different ways. We have
created a lend/lease program for equipment in which a family or
school district can request a certain piece of equipment from our
group on a loan basis. Did you know that a Braille 'n Speak, a
piece of equipment that is almost essential for junior high and
high school age blind students, costs more than $1,400? A Braille
writer, an item that a child needs by first grade, costs $750. Each
year the NPBC gives at least five technology grants worth up to
$500 each to blind and visually impaired students. We also donate
$250 per year to the National Federation of the Blind of Nebraska
for a college scholarship for a blind or visually impaired student.
In addition, a camp scholarship of $250 is also awarded to
school-age children who wish to attend any camp.
This coming year we anticipate working more closely with
organizations such as the Lions Clubs and the Optimist Clubs to
raise funds to help blind and visually impaired children acquire
the necessary technology to enable them to become productive and
successful in today's society.
Tennessee Valley Parents of Blind Children
Report by Pat Jones, President
This has been a busy year for the Tennessee Valley Parents of
Blind Children. We participated in a parent panel in Knoxville
sponsored by the Tennessee Outreach Project for Children and Youth
Experiencing Dual Sensory Impairments in the fall. We brought with
us many modified items for people to see. We were congratulated by
area teachers that attended because they learned so much from us
parents. A gentleman from the school for the deaf also complimented
us on our presentation.=20
My husband, Jerry, and I are Advisory Board Members for
Tennessee Outreach Project, and we participated in a panel to try
to come up with ideas on how to identify more children in areas
that have no services. We have some counties in Tennessee where we
have no children registered.
We participated in a Health Fair for area teachers who were
taking an extended education science course at UTC last summer. We
set up a table with literature and science projects that our twins
(who are both blind) had completed. One project was a
representation of a human body of tactile organs, the other was a
hanging solar system with styrofoam balls wrapped with yarn in a
blanket stitch. Debbie Robinson, who is blind and a member of our
parents group, and myself were available to answer questions.
We've also made presentations at AARP meetings and the Lions
Clubs. The main speakers there have been the twins because we feel
they can convey more about blindness than we could ever get across.
They (the twins) have been such a positive force in our area in
teaching the public that the blind CAN DO. I've had parents who,
when I talk to them the first time, tell me that they had seen the
twins on TV or heard about them from someone else, and they feel
more confident about the possibilities for their own blind children
because they've seen or heard about what our twins are doing.
One activity we had for the summer was an outing at a local
veterinarian's home. It was really GREAT. Our hostess invited us
into her home where she had a standing harp and spinning wheel.
Everyone could spin, or play, or just look. We brought a pot luck
dinner and ate under the trees in her yard. Before we finished
eating a large pony arrived for riding. All the kids took their
turn on the back of the pony. One of the children was just shaking
with delight. It was a real treat because we got to look at the
horse trailer, too. After the pony ride, we all went back inside to
learn how to play the harmonica. The music teacher presented
everyone who wanted to play with their own harmonica and had them
all playing within an hour. Next, our hostess brought out their
Nubian goats and llamas for hands-on looking. Later we were joined
in the yard that evening by her Great Pyrenees dog, Mary, a collie,
and a nice quiet-type pet--a turtle.
We had a salad luncheon for our parents in the fall. At that
luncheon we had a mother of a blind, Downs Syndrome child speak.
In the spring we had a couple of workshops in our home to
Braille children's playing cards. We used slates and styluses and
Braille writers. The work went quickly, and everyone had a great
time.
At our NFB state convention we set up display tables full of
adapted items and had an area with blind adults available to answer
any questions a parent might have. We had the video "It's OK To Be
Blind" running in another area.
We held a Read-a-thon in April to raise money for the trip to
the convention. We took the Read-a-thon to our local
Books-a-Million store and read to children who were in the store.
Most had never seen Braille, let alone a child reading Braille. Our
garage sale in May was a great success and if anyone ever needs
someone to make signs, our Vice President, Judy Williams, is a real
pro. Part of the funds we raised went toward helping nine parents
from our group come to the NFB National Convention here in New
Orleans.
Washington Parents of Blind Children
Report by Barbara Weller, President
Since last convention we have kept very busy. We had our
annual picnic which was open to blind members of the NFB as well as
families of blind children. That is always a great success. In
October we had the NFB of Washington state convention meeting,
which many families attended.
For the first time we had a fund raiser last fall. We sold
Christmas wreaths and greenery. We were very successful and were
able to help several families make it here to the NFB Convention in
New Orleans. We now plan to make this an annual fund raiser in the
hopes of raising more funds, bringing more families to convention,
and funding other activities for families as well.
The first weekend of June we had our Spring Conference and
Annual Meeting. We were fortunate enough to have Greg Trapp as our
speaker. Mr. Trapp is a blind attorney who works for a disability
law center in New Mexico. He spoke to us on estate planning and
access to technology. His presentation was very interesting and
informative. It was enjoyed by members both new and old.
Plans are now underway for a picnic this summer and other
events to be announced.
West Virginia Parents of Blind Children
Report by Keri Stockton, President
We had an excellent program at our Spring Annual Meeting (held
in conjunction with the NFB of West Virginia State Convention).
This year parents, teachers, and interested Federationists enjoyed
hearing Mr. Don Capps speak. Mr. Capps is President of the NFB of
South Carolina and a long-time national leader within the NFB. We
also watched our video "That the Blind May Read," and received warm
greetings from Mr. Ed McDonald, President, NFB of West Virginia.=20
Mrs. Loretta White, President of the Maryland Parents of Blind
Children, gave a presentation entitled "Strategies for Teaching
Braille and Other Academic Skills for Blind Children."=20
We had an overwhelmingly positive response to our conference,
and we continue to hear from people who attended. Several teachers
have contacted us for materials for their students and students'
families on the need for Braille and cane travel. As I was
preparing to leave to come here to the National , I received a call
from a parent who has been in contact with me on other subjects
concerning her young daughter. Loretta's speech was so captivating
and inspiring that she decided that she needed information about
cane travel. She now knows how important this training is to her
daughter to attain independence. It will be my great pleasure to
fill that request.
At our annual meeting we discussed potential projects and fund
raising ideas. We will be placing print/Braille books in selected
libraries across the state, so that blind children could learn to
use and enjoy the public libraries of West Virginia as do their
sighted peers. The first library has already received five books,
and I challenge other NFB Parents groups in other states to begin
working to make neighboring public libraries truly accessible.
We have decided to present a Braille book of their choice to
each new entrant to the upcoming 1997-1998 Braille Readers are
Leaders contest and to each child who improves his or her score
from last year. We felt this would be an incentive to each student
to do his or her best. As the last order of business we held our
elections. The following are our officers for the 1997-1998 year:
President, Keri Stockton
Vice President, Renee Bailey
Secretary/Treasurer, Tim Cecil Morris
Sensory Safari: A Hands-On Wildlife Exhibit=20
for Blind Children and Adults
From=20the Editor: In just a few short years (six to be exact)
Sensory Safari has become a much-anticipated part of the
preliminary activities at the Annual Conventions of the National
Federation of the Blind. An exhibit of "touchable" mounted wildlife
from all over the world, this event attracts children and adults of
all ages. But it isn't just the opportunity to touch otherwise
untouchable animals--such as tigers, bears, and cobras--that makes
this such a unique experience. The volunteer guides are superb.
These members and friends of Safari International (the sponsoring
organization) make this the intriguing, fun, and educational
experience that it is. Courteous and knowledgeable, they adjust the
amount of information and assistance they provide to the desires of
each individual. Whether you want to zip through on your own
without much information or assistance, or whether you want to
linger and ask lots of questions, you can do it "your way" thanks
to these excellent volunteers.
At this year's NFB Convention the National Organization of
Parents of Blind Children invited Safari Club International
officials to give a presentation about the traveling Sensory
Safari, and about a new program initiated by the club to bring
permanent Sensory Safari collections to locations around the
country. The information distributed by Mr. Lloyd Dubuisson and Mr.
Ray Stroup was enthusiastically received by the representatives of
some 25 parent divisions from all over the country. As a result of
this meeting, several of the parent divisions have begun
discussions with Safari Club International about how to bring
Sensory Safari exhibits to their states.
The following article describes the opening of the first
permanent Sensory Safari at the Louisiana School for the Visually
Impaired:
=20
Sight impaired gain `vision' of wildlife:=20
Permanent Sensory Safari dedicated at=20
Louisiana School for the Visually impaired.
by Ray Stroup SCI Education Coordinator
Reprinted from Safari Times, December, 1996.
More than 30 students of the Louisiana School for the Visually
Impaired eagerly awaited the opening ceremony for their very own
Sensory Safari on November 12.
The Sensory Safari exhibits are permanently located at the
school and will provide the children with a hands-on safari of
taxidermy wild game animals taken in Africa, North America, and
Asia.
The display is arranged to allow the blind and visually
impaired to explore the animals by touching the size, texture, and
shape of large animals and hides. The Sensory Safari will be open
to the public by appointment during school hours. To better serve
the students, all items are described in large print, and Braille
directories are available in the school's safari room.
Earlier this year, SCI Central Louisiana hosted a Sensory
Safari as part of the 24th annual state convention of the National
Federation of the Blind of Louisiana. When Lloyd Dubuisson, board
member of SCI Central Louisiana, attended the function, numerous
people approached him to discuss the possible opportunities for
Sensory Safaris in their own communities.
Dr. Richard N. Day, superintendent of the Louisiana School for
the Visually Impaired, called Sensory Safari "... an exciting and
dramatic enhancement of our educational and recreational
resources."
Leading up to the ribbon-cutting ceremony were several
speakers who welcomed the first permanent SCI-sponsored Sensory
Safari in a facility for the visually impaired. Speakers included
Dr. Day; SCI Central Louisiana President Michael Lindsey, SCI Past
President John J. Jackson III; Betty Schroeder, education curator
at the Greater Baton Rouge Zoo; and B. J. Militello of the Greater
Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce.
All of the Sensory Safari's mounted animals were donated by
local SCI chapter members, the SCI International Wildlife Museum,
and the SCI Trophy Mount Donation Project.
Dubuisson's experience with several Sensory Safari exhibits
has led him to motivate others to become involved in the program.
He is editing a videotape of the ceremony and including footage
filmed by local television station Channel 9 and his assistant,
Cathy Dawson. Dubuisson will show the video at SCl's Silver
Anniversary Convention.
For more information about Sensory Safari exhibits, contact:
Ray Stroup, Education Coordinator, Education Department, SCI, 4800
West Gates Pass Road, Tucson, Arizona 85745, telephone (520)
620-1220, extension 223; or Jerry Nielsen, Director of Development,
SCI at the same address and telephone number, extension 276.
Report on the 1997 NFB CAMP
by Carla McQuillan
Editor's Note: Carla McQuillan is the owner and operator of
Children's Choice Montessori School and Child Care Center in
Springfield, Oregon. She is also blind and holds the office of
President of the National Federation of the Blind of Oregon. In
addition to her employment and volunteer work with the NFB of
Oregon, she donates an incredible amount of time every year as the
volunteer Director of NFB Camp, a day care program for children
whose parents attend the NFB National Convention. Her talents,
energy, and commitment are appreciated by the many families who
benefit from this program. Here is her report about the 1997 NFB
Camp:
Water fights, trips to the mall, a visit to the Children's
Museum, and a ferry ride on the Mississippi were just some of the
many activities that kept over 100 blind and sighted kids busy and
happy during the 1997 NFB Convention. Called "NFB Camp" this
convention day-camp service provided by the National Organization
of Parents of Blind Children allows parents to take part in the NFB
Convention knowing that their children are happy and enjoying the
convention, too.=20
Other activities during the week included: tours of the
hotel's glass elevators, excursions to the French Quarter,
descriptive video movies, a musical presentation by Daniel Lamond
of "Blind Ambition" (a blind performer), outdoor water play, walks
through the mall, crafts, and indoor games.=20
For the first time this year the NOPBC organized a Red Cross
Baby-sitting Course which took place at the beginning of the
convention. A total of twenty-two teens, half or more of whom were
blind, registered for the course. The course was co-taught by local
Red Cross volunteers from New Orleans, and by myself (Carla
McQuillan--I am also a Red Cross certified instructor). All but two
or three of the teens completed the course satisfactorily and
received Red Cross certificates. Throughout the week seventeen of
these teens (many of them blind) volunteered as interns to assist
with NFB Camp. Paired with experienced adult counselors at the NFB
Camp, the teens gained valuable training and experience which
should later help them get paying jobs back home. The younger kids
in the Camp also benefit from this arrangement. They saw, perhaps
for the first time, blind teens in a responsible role. It was true
"role-modeling" in action!
Many volunteers also helped make the Camp a success, but
special thanks go to Corrine Vieville (a blind teacher from
California) who planned and provided materials for a week's worth
of craft projects for the entire camp.=20
I look forward to again planning and directing next year's NFB
Camp. For those of you interested in planning ahead, here are some
dates and preliminary plans for NFB Camp for the 1998 NFB :
Saturday, July 4: For parents: an all-day NOPBC sponsored Parents
Seminar. For children: NFB Camp will provide a full day of fun
activities centered around learning to appreciate blindness
techniques, such as cane travel and Braille. All children, sighted
and blind, between the ages of 4 and 12 are welcome. Activities
will include cane decorating, making pictures with a Braille slate
and stylus, and more. All activities will take place in the
hotel=FEno field trips on this day. Child care will be provided for
children under age four.
For youth: A Red Cross Baby-sitting Course and other training
and/or social activities.
Monday, July 6: For Parents: Annual Meeting of the National
Organization of Parents of Blind Children. For Children: NFB Camp
will sponsor a field trip to a Dallas dude ranch for the day.
Be sure to check the next issue of Future Reflections and
upcoming Braille Monitors for more details on the events planned
for the 1998 NFB Convention!
Music Education: Not Just a Frill
Dr. Ralph Bartley and Karen McDonald
Editor's Note: The following two items are edited versions of
speeches given at the June 29, 1997, Seminar for Parents of Blind
Children in New Orleans. Dr. Ralph Bartley, Superintendent of the
Kentucky School for the Blind, is well-known and respected by
members of the Federation and the National Organization of Parents
of Blind Children. He is a former winner of the annual Educator of
Blind Children Award, and an early supporter of Braille literacy
legislation. Karen McDonald, wife of Ed McDonald, President of the
NFB of West Virginia and former National Board Member, is becoming
known in her own right as a talented musician and advocate for
music education for blind children.
Dr. Ralph Bartley:=20
About a year ago we at the Kentucky School for the Blind began
a process of examining the future direction of the Kentucky School
for the Blind. One of the issues we decided to take a look at was
the role of music education at the school.
Music has historically played an important role in the lives
of blind and visually impaired students. From its inception to the
present, the Kentucky School for the Blind has a long tradition of
music instruction for its students. But in today's education
climate every program must be examined and evaluated and plans for
the future shape and direction of these programs must be
formulated.
We put a group of folks together and said "What we want you to
do is look at the music program at the Kentucky School for the
Blind. Tell us what it has been, what it is now, and what it needs
to be for the future. Because if we don't do something it may not
continue to exist at all. We do not have a model music program
right now. If we are going to have a music program for blind and
visually impaired students, we want it to be a model for others."
Then we told the music sub-committee, "Get the hard data. We don't
want to make a decision on emotions or history--give us the hard
facts. We think we should strive for a great music program. Tell us
if that's true and why." That was the job and challenge we posed to
the music subcommittee of the curriculum committee.=20
What we found was that research documents the validity of the
title of this panel presentation: "Music Education: Not Just a
Frill." In recent years a significant amount of research has been
devoted to the development of the brain and the effects of that
development on subsequent learning ability of young children. It's
now recognized that the listening to, and studying of, music
enhances the ability of children to learn in other areas. This
study was done at the University of California at Irvine.
Preschoolers who were given piano and singing lessons dramatically
improved in spatial reasoning as compared to children who were
given no musical experience. The study concludes that music excites
inherent brain patterns and enhances their uses in complex
reasoning tasks.
As Peter Jennings stated when reporting on this study on ABC
news "If you want a child to do better at math, not to mention all
their other studies, they need more music."=20
We began with that data. Next we wanted to know if the music
program at the school for the blind in the past meant anything. Was
it important? For this data we surveyed the Kentucky School for the
Blind alumni. Next, we surveyed our parents and staff in an effort
to receive input about the importance of music to blind children
today. We distributed almost six hundred surveys and received one
hundred ninety-seven responses. That's almost a third or 33
percent. I wish I would have had that good a return when I did my
Ph.D. dissertation. Seventy point sixty-five percent (70.65%) said
that music was very important in the education of KSB students and
another 26.63 percent indicated that it was an important part of
the curriculum. So 96 percent to 97 percent of those surveyed said,
in one way or another, that music was important. Only 3 percent
said music instruction was average or unimportant. The overwhelming
response from parents, students, staff, and alumni confirmed the
importance of music education. We also asked the respondents about
the quality of music instruction. Sixty point ninety six percent
(60.96%) rated their instruction as excellent while another 30.82
percent rated their experience as good. So again an extremely high
percent--91 percent--reported positive feelings about their music
instruction at KSB.
Not satisfied with raw statistics alone, we went on to prepare
a list of students and alumni who reported that music had played a
significant role in their lives. One hundred and thirty-five
individuals appear on this particular list. We also did an informal
survey of our current students. We asked them if they were
interested in music and, if so, to tell us what areas in music they
would like to pursue. Without exception, all the students surveyed
said they were interested in music and listed a wide variety of
instruments--from drums to piano--which they wanted to learn how to
play.
In conclusion, we discovered that at the Kentucky School for
the Blind there are two important areas in which music and Braille
music are particularly important. These are the areas of personal
growth and academic growth. The data we collected and the results
of the research from our own survey supports this. The members of
the KSB Music subcommittee believe that the study of music enhances
the personal growth of every student who participates. Discipline,
responsibility, goal-setting, the sense of accomplishment upon
reaching a goal, and the self-confidence required for performance
are but a few of the qualities which are taught in the process of
learning music.=20
In regard to the area of academic improvement, we noted that
Individual Education Plans (IEP) goals for our blind students often
addressed the student's need for one-on-one help. It's generally
accepted that the child who is blind can benefit from small group
or individual instruction, which is the way that most music is
taught. Teaching instrumental music is a hand-over-hand process
that fits in very well with the educational process which provides
the greatest benefit and progress for many blind students.
Kentucky is in the midst of educational reform. Music
education for all students in the state, not just the blind, is an
important part of that educational reform. The KSB Music
subcommittee reported that the study of music can play a
substantial role in the ability of the Kentucky School for the
Blind to meet the goals of that educational reform. Music, it
concluded, has a connection with literature, history, geography,
and a variety of other subjects. In short, it is an important part
of the total curriculum.
The Music subcommittee made a number of recommendations as a
result of its study. One of them was to identify teachers on the
KSB staff who could teach Braille music. Another recommendation was
that we find a way to make sure that students had access to Braille
music. This highlights not just the importance of music
instruction, but the need for blind students to be able to read
music.
Perhaps the most important result of our study is that we have
now initiated a music program for all blind students in the area.
This includes students enrolled in the public schools and very
young children in the Visually Impaired Preschool Services program.
We went to these programs and asked them if they had families and
students who would come, and the answer was "Yes." So, hopefully in
about a month we're actually going to start a program of music for
any blind student whether they are enrolled in the Kentucky School
for the Blind or not.=20
Finally let me acknowledge all of the fine work of the staff
of the Kentucky School for the Blind. Because of their hard work a
fine Music Education will continue to be as much a part of the
school's programs in the future as it has been in the past.
Karen McDonald:=20
Think back and recall your school days. Were you involved in
your school band or choral group? Did you take piano lessons and
play in a recital?
"Yes," you might say, "But I was never a very good musician.
That's just something I did for fun. I never intended to make a
career out of playing the saxophone."
Well, not every kid who plays high school football goes on to
be a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. Yet no one would
disagree that for many students athletics are important ingredients
in a well-rounded high school education.
By the same token, not every student who plays in the band or
sings in a choral group goes on to be Ray Charles or Ronnie Milsap.
Yet music is an equally vital part of a well-rounded education.
Music education is valuable in many ways: Performing music
helps one develop a greater understanding and appreciation of many
different styles of music. Playing in a band or singing in a choir
teaches the value of teamwork. Practicing for performance deadlines
helps a student develop a sense of responsibility for setting goals
and working to achieve them. What's more, playing music can be just
plain fun!
These things are true for virtually all students, whether
blind or sighted. However, in the case of a blind student--
especially one attending public school--music may take on
additional value. For example, performing in a chorus or band
alongside sighted students may give a blind student a sense of
belonging and may contribute to that student's acceptance and
respect by his or her sighted peers.
If we agree that music is such a vital part of a complete
education, then it should go without saying that no blind child
should be denied the right to full participation in any and all
music education activities a school has to offer. Let me take a
moment to say a few words about my personal experience with music
education. I received my entire elementary and secondary education
at a residential school. Therefore I have no direct personal
experience with music education in a public school setting.
At the West Virginia School for the Blind, music was an
important part of nearly every student's education. Many of us
started piano lessons in first or second grade, and that
automatically meant learning to read Braille music. By fifth or
sixth grade, some of us began learning to play an instrument in
preparation for joining the band. This also required a knowledge of
Braille music. By seventh grade, virtually every student joined the
chorus.
For those of you who may not know, Braille music is a system
of music notation that uses Braille characters to represent the
notes, expression symbols, and other information contained in a
music score. Unlike print music, Braille music notation does not
use the conventional staff. Rather, the notes and symbols follow
one another--character by character and line by line--just like
literary Braille. Unlike sighted musicians who can play as they
"sight read," blind musicians must read the Braille music score and
memorize it measure by measure in order to be able to play it.
However, contrary to what you may have heard elsewhere, Braille
music is not some sort of esoteric code that requires a genius to
interpret.
Let me be quick to add that it is certainly possible and not
unreasonable for a blind student with some innate musical talent
and the desire and commitment to succeed to attend college and
major in some aspect of music. However, it is my experience as a
music major with a degree in piano that a blind person could not
complete such a program without the ability to read Braille music,
just as a sighted person could not earn such a degree without the
ability to read music in print.
But let's get back to the topic at hand: music education for
blind children in today's public schools. As we all know, in recent
years the education of blind children has shifted dramatically from
residential to public schools. We also know that all too often
blind students attending public schools find it necessary to fight
for the right to equal opportunity and equal treatment in all
academic areas, including music classes. As I said earlier, every
blind child should have the same opportunity as his or her sighted
peers to participate in whatever music education activities a
school may offer.
Yet regardless of what the law may say and regardless of what
we may know to be right or appropriate, parents will probably need
to take positive steps to ensure that such opportunities are not
denied. Perhaps the first step is to become as vocal about
insisting on good music education as you have been in demanding
adequate instruction in reading and writing Braille. But the
problem, as we know, is that many so-called "vision" teachers lack
proficiency in literary Braille. Therefore it's not very likely
that many of them will be able to offer much help to a blind
student who wishes to learn Braille music. Therefore, the next step
might be to seek out blind persons in the community who happen to
know something about Braille music and who may be willing to help
a blind student learn it. I, for example, recently began working
with a blind student in my community who wants to improve her
knowledge of Braille music for piano. (This student happens to be
enrolled at the school for the blind where=FEdeplorable as it may
be=FEthe piano teacher is not adequately trained to teach Braille
music.) Of course, one good way to locate such blind mentors in
your community would be to contact your local Federation chapter or
state affiliate. Also, our NFB Music Division is in the early
stages of developing a mentoring program through which blind
persons who know Braille music can be matched with other blind
individuals who wish to learn it.
There are several other resources that may be helpful in
addressing concerns related to music education for blind children--
especially the matter of Braille music. For example, the Hadley
School for the Blind offers both introductory and advanced
correspondence courses in Braille music notation. These courses are
available without charge to blind students who are already
proficient in Grade Two literary Braille.
The American Printing House for the Blind sells some Braille
music scores and lesson books for blind persons who already know
the Braille music code.
The Music Section of the National Library Service for the
Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library of Congress is
probably the most comprehensive source for Braille music
information and materials, including a variety of teaching
materials.
If a student already knows Braille music but needs to obtain
the score for a particular piece, there are Braille transcription
services which produce Braille music scores that are not otherwise
available. An annual publication called "Individual Braille
Transcription Services" is available from National Braille Press.
This publication includes a listing of those services which
transcribe Braille music.
A relatively new computer software company called Dancing Dots
has developed a program known as GOODFEEL. The purpose of this
program is to convert material from MIDI files or from the LIME
notation program into the Braille music code. If this GOODFEEL
program is as good as it is reported to be, it should help increase
the amount of material available in Braille music as well as
decrease the time required to produce it.
Much of what I have said here today has focused on Braille
music. I recognize, however, that there probably are blind students
attending public schools who know nothing about Braille music but
who are participating with some success in various music education
classes=FEplaying in bands and singing in choruses. Perhaps these
students are learning their music from tape-recordings, from
working directly with the teacher, or even from other students.
Nevertheless, such methods, in my opinion, have their limitations.
My argument in support of Braille music is essentially the same
argument that the National Federation of the Blind has made for a
decade or more in support of literary Braille. We in the Federation
maintain that reading Braille confers the same benefits on the
blind that reading print brings to the sighted. Similarly, I would
argue that blind musicians would want and need to learn to read
Braille music for the same reasons that sighted persons learn to
read print music.
It may be possible for a student to get an education using
face-to-face readers, tape-recorded books, and oral exams. But none
of these methods provide the same flexibility and advantages that
come with the ability to read and write Braille. Likewise, a blind
student may be able to take music classes and get by with using
tape recorders or other such methods for memorizing music. Yet none
of these is equal to reading the actual music score.
We've all heard statements in recent years which have
relegated the arts--including music--to the status of "frills"
rather than staples in our education system. When budgets are
reduced, all too often it is programs in the arts that get cut
first. However, this very attitude has caused a lot of people to
rally in support of the arts and arts education.
Similarly, when it comes to the education of blind children,
we must not relegate music to "frill" status. We, as parents of and
advocates for blind children, must recognize the importance of
music as part of the total education picture, and we must insist
that blind children receive the same quality of music instruction
and services from the schools that they receive in all other
aspects of their education.
RESOURCES
Here is a list of Braille music resources cited in the
preceding article:
* Hadley School for the Blind, 700 Elm Street, Winnetka, IL 60093
800-323-4238.
* American Printing House for the Blind, PO Box 6085, Louisville,
KY 40206-0085, 800-233-1839.
* Music Section, National Library Service for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped (NLS), Library of Congress, Washington, DC
20542, 800-424-8567.
* National Braille Press, 88 St. Stephen Street, Boston, MA 02115,
800-548-7323.
* Dancing Dots (producer of the GOODFEEL translation program), 130
Hampden Road, Third Floor, Upper Darby, PA 19082-3110, (610)
352-7607.
For more information about the NFB Music Division and its
Music Mentors Program please contact Karen McDonald at 330 Hilltop
Avenue, Keyser, West Virginia 26726, telephone: 304-788-0129
New Publication From JOB
By Lorraine Rovig, Director
Job Opportunities for the Blind (JOB)
Job Opportunities for the Blind (JOB) is a free, national
program offered by the National Federation of the Blind in
partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor. Transition programs
love to steer their students toward the free subscription for the
only recorded job magazine in the U.S. and JOB's other recorded
publications. Contact JOB for a "JOB Sample Pack" if you are
unfamiliar with this program.
JOB's 1997 National Job Seminar is now available free on two
cassettes (2-track). Wonderful lively presentations include
"Techniques for Blind Teachers" by Mary Willows and Melissa
Williamson, "How to Find, Train, Use, and Fire Readers and
Drivers," "Hiring Decisions: Tips to Young Job Hunters," by Dr.
Ralph E. Bartley, Superintendent of the Kentucky School for the
Blind, and "Blind Workers in Medical Fields," along with several
more intriguing presentations on this 3-hour set of tapes. JOB
would like your request on letterhead if you are a professional;
others may call or write for a copy of the "1997 National JOB
Seminar." By the way, the table of contents is posted on
www.nfb.org under the heading "Services."
What can you do if you do not go on to college or if you do
not want a professional job? Check our "Jobs Blind People are Doing
with a High School Education or Less" (2-track, two cassettes/set).
This is a compilation of excerpts from past issues of the JOB
Recorded Bulletin and past National JOB Seminars. Some of the jobs
mentioned are: laundry worker, carpenter, factory worker, and
model. Again, professionals, please make your request on letterhead
to: JOB/NFB, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD 21230, or e-mail
to: [[email protected]]. Others may call JOB from 12:30 to 5
p.m. EST on 800-638-7518.
IEP's: Updates, Tips, and Strategies
Editor's Note: Many readers and members of our parent divisions
have asked me to beef up the information we share about IEP's and
the IEP process. Some have asked me if we could do "model" IEP's
for certain age groups. Others have asked me to discuss handling
difficult IEP situations. And yet others wanted more details about
how to write IEP goals for important, but unusual (to the schools,
anyway) skills such as self-advocacy. This seemed like a reasonable
request, so here is the first run of what I hope will become a
regular feature in Future Reflections:
IEP Goals and Objectives for Self-Advocacy
by Doris M. Willoughby
Introduction: Mrs. Willoughby has many years of experience in
writing and implementing IEP's as a teacher of blind and visually
impaired children. She is also the renowned co-author of the
Handbook for Itinerant and Resource Teachers of Blind and Visually
Impaired Students, published and distributed by the National
Federation of the Blind. The following goals and objectives are
samples of those she has used for years with her blind students.
Please note that when "teacher" is used without any other
designation, it refers to the specialized teacher of the blind and
visually impaired.
Preschool through Primary Grades
Goal: The student will begin to explain his/her needs and methods,
and begin to obtain his/her own materials.
Objective: Given materials and equipment readily accessible to the
student (e.g. Braille paper), the student will have them ready when
needed 85% of the time as recorded by a checklist.
Objective: In a situation which the student does not know how to
handle (e.g., not finding a needed book despite a reasonable
effort), he/she will ask for help in an appropriate manner 85% of
the time as measured by teacher observation.
Objective: With assistance from a familiar person, the student will
help to explain his/her methods upon request, to the satisfaction
of the teacher.
Objective: Given a situation (real or contrived) in which someone
is offering help which is clearly unnecessary, the student will
state that he/she is able to do the task without help 85% of the
time as measured by teacher observation.
Fourth through Ninth Grades
Goal: The student will take increasing responsibility for
explaining his/her methods, obtaining materials, and making
arrangements.
Objective: Given a familiar type of task or situation, the student
will select appropriate methods and materials and explain them as
necessary 85% of the time as measured by teacher observation.
Objective: Given a new type of situation with which he/she has no
prior experience, the student will ask for help if needed,
assertively suggest ideas, and decide how to handle the situation
in the future 85% of the time as measured by teacher and parent
observation.
Objective: Given the periodic IEP reviews and conferences, the
student will assertively participate in an age-appropriate manner
85% of the time as measured by teacher and parent observation.
Objective: With assistance by a knowledgeable adult, and given an
interested group of six or more people, the student will explain
methods used by blind persons in a satisfactory manner as observed
by the assisting adult.
Tenth through Twelfth Grades
Goal: The student will take responsibility for his/her own
arrangements and materials, seeking out advice and help as
necessary.
Objective: Using the appropriate forms provided by the itinerant
teacher, the student will obtain information about books and
materials needed for each semester/school year and place orders for
the items and/or orders for transcription or recording, if needed,
with 85% accuracy and timeliness as recorded by the teacher.
Objective: Given a person asking about the student's sight, the
student will give an appropriate answer (or decline to answer, if
that is appropriate) 85% of the time as measured by teacher and
parent observation.
Objective: Given a task or situation with which he/she has no prior
experience, the student will obtain information and decide how to
proceed with satisfactory results 85% of the time as measured by
teacher and parent observation.
Objective: Given a description of a problem of public
misconceptions about blindness, the student will discuss it in a
mature way and suggest ways to minimize the problem 85% of the time
as measured by teacher and parent observation.
Objective: When a teacher or a class subject is new to the student,
he/she will discuss methods with the classroom teacher before class
starts in a satisfactory manner as observed by his/her teacher.
IEP Updates:
The U.S. Department of Education has issued proposed rules
(regulations) for the implementation of the IDEA Amendments of 1997
and are now seeking public comments on these proposed rules. IDEA,
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, is the law which
establishes and regulates the IEP process. The rules governing the
new amendments to the law will have an impact on how well the IEP
process will work. It is important, then, that we--parents and
teachers--examine the new rules carefully and send in comments. The
entire text of the notice--consisting of a preamble, the proposed
rules themselves (34 CFR parts 300, 301, and 303), and an appendix
to part 300=FEcan be found electronically at the following world wide
web address [www.nfb.org] under the "Laws and Regulations" heading.
The proposed rules to implement IDEA 1997 are on the world wide web
(see address in box at bottom of this page).
The National Organization of Parents of Blind Children and the
National Federation of the Blind have examined the provisions and
proposed rules which impact blind and visually impaired children
and will submit comments which will include several
recommendations. These are:=20
(a) The NOPBC recommends that consistent language be used when
referring to blind or visually impaired children. The law currently
uses the phrases "visual impairment including blindness"--section
300.7(b)--and "blind or visually impaired"--section
300.346(a)(2)(iii) and section 300.22(b)(6). We propose that to
eliminate confusion, and to be consistent with nearly 30 state
Braille literacy laws, that the phrase "blind or visually impaired"
be adopted and that the phrase "visual impairment including
blindness" be eliminated.=20
(b) The NOPBC recommends that a note of explanation be added
to the section regarding the provision of Braille instruction--
section 300.346(a)(2). The note should emphasize that "provide"
means "provide." That is, it is assumed that these children will
receive Braille instruction and that rare exemptions will be
allowed only when appropriate reading and writing assessments,
including an assessment of the child's future needs for instruction
in Braille or the use of Braille, determines that Braille is not
needed. It should be emphasized that when there is disagreement or
while an assessment is being ordered that Braille instruction shall
be the default during the interim. There should also be another
note explaining that Braille instruction cannot be denied because
other reading and writing media (that is, print or tapes) are also
appropriate.=20
(c) NOPBC commends the department for efforts to insure that
the highest standards are used for special education and related
services personnel--section 300.136. However, without an additional
note, this provision could condone practices that have screened out
disabled persons from such professions as Orientation and Mobility.
Until very recently, for example, the Association for the
Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired
(AER) routinely denied O&M certification to blind mobility
instructors. This long-standing AER practice naturally inhibited
university O&M training programs from accepting blind students.
However, there are many highly-qualified, agency-trained blind
mobility instructors who are not AER-certified, and who are
currently employed in both eduation and rehabilitation programs.
NOPBC believes that blind mobility instructors--whether agency--or
university-trained--are excellent role models as well as safe
instructors for blind children. Therefore, NOPBC recommends that
section 300.136 be amended by inserting a new subsection which
would read: "(h) To the extent that such standards may screen out
or tend to screen out individuals with disabilities, the state
shall assure that such standards will not be utilized."
(d) Finally, NOPBC commends the department for recognizing and
defining Orientation and Mobility as a distinctive related-service
for blind or visually impaired students--section 300.22(b)(6). This
distinction is important. The travel or mobility needs of other
disability groups should not be confused with, or merged, with the
unique orientation and mobility needs of the blind. NOPBC does
recommend that part (ii) of the definition of "Orientation and
Mobility" under section 300.22(b)(6) be revised to read: "Teaching
blind and visually impaired students to use the long cane, as
appropriate, as a tool for safely negotiating the environment." The
current wording is unnecessarily lengthy, and implies that a cane
is less important to persons with some vision than those who are
totally blind. This, it seems, is a subjective, individual
determination and has no bearing on the need for, or the provision
of, this service.
Letters in support of these recommendations would be very
helpful.=20
Comments must be received on or before January 20, 1998. You
can mail, fax, or e-mail your comments to the following: Regular
mail: Thomas Irvin, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services, U.S. Department of Education, Room 4607, Mary E. Switzer
Building, 330 C Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20202. Fax: (202)
260-0416. E-mail: [[email protected]] The subject line for your e-mail
must read "Assistance for Education."
Focus on Infants and Toddlers:
Encouraging Independent Mobility
Materials Available to Parents of Infants and Toddlers
White Canes for Blind Kids
VHS video, 12 minutes
National Federation of the Blind
Fee: $15 plus $5 S/H
Order from: National Federation of the Blind
Materials Center
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
The ability to move about and explore their surroundings is
essential to the healthy development of all children, blind and
sighted.=20
This video demonstrates how the use of the white cane enables
blind children, from toddlers through teens, to move about quickly,
safely, and confidently. Parents interviewed in the video describe
the benefits of early cane use for their children.=20
Video footage, taken at a NFB National Convention, shows a
wide range of blind persons of all ages traveling, singly and in
groups, with their canes. These real-life scenes and on-the-spot
interviews with parents and blind adults encourage parents to view
the white cane with a positive attitude. In the modern world, white
canes have become for the blind both a tool for, and a symbol of,
independence.=20
Pathways to Independence, Orientation and Mobility Skills for Your
Infant and Toddler
Publisher: The Lighthouse, Inc.
Fee: $2.50 for a single copy
$2.00 each for 10 or more
Order from: The Lighthouse, Inc.
Attention Publications Department
36-20 Northern Boulevard=20
Long Island, New York 11101
Literature for parents of blind infants and toddlers should be
easy to read, it should focus on practical tips that parents can
put into use immediately, and, most of all, it should be positive
in approach. The bottom line is that when a parent finishes reading
such literature they should feel less like crying and better
prepared, mentally and emotionally, to get on with the business of
being a parent.
The publication, Pathways to Independence, Orientation and
Mobility Skills for Your Infant and Toddler, meets this criteria.
Distributed by The Lighthouse, Inc. for a small fee, the
information is presented in a positive context. It has good
descriptions of action-oriented activities, the photos enhance the
text, and the text contains some good general parenting advice.
The booklet lacks one thing--it does not address cane use among
toddlers beginning to walk. However, since so much of the text
focuses on the pre-walker, this is not a major detraction.=20
Furthermore, the use of the white cane by children--especially
very young children--is admirably addressed in the new video issued
by the National Federation of the Blind, White Canes for Blind
Kids.
Here now is an excerpt from the booklet, Pathways to
Independence, Orientation and Mobility Skills for Your Infant and
Toddler:
=20
Landmarks and Clues
Introduce your baby to his environment in an orderly fashion
to help him understand that there is an order to his world over
which he can gain control. By drawing your child's attention to
important landmarks and clues, you help him organize his
understanding of his environment and encourage outward exploration.
A landmark is any familiar object, sound, odor, temperature,
or factual clue that is easily recognized and is always present in
a permanent location. Distinct features such as sills between
rooms, carpeting, wood floors, paneled versus plaster walls,
built-in cupboards or hallways between rooms can provide
recognizable, permanent and unique landmarks within your home.
A clue may be something heard, touched, smelled or seen that
gives people information about where they are. Environmental clues,
such as the sound of the toilet flushing, traffic noise common to
one side of the house, distinctive temperature changes between
rooms, all provide your baby with information he can use to help
determine where he is, where he wants to go, and how to get there.
Throughout the day, you can reinforce the idea of landmarks
and clues by describing them as your baby encounters them. For
example, "I hear the key in the front door. Daddy's home." Or,
"You're in the hallway. The floor feels cold and hard."
It Isn't All So Technical
by Nancy Coffman
Editor's Note: The following article is reprinted from a recent
issue of News From Blind Nebraskans, the newsletter of the NFB of
Nebraska. Ms. Coffman describes a mixture of low-tech, high-tech,
low-vision, and Braille devices she found interesting as she
browsed through the exhibit hall of the 1997 NFB. Here's what she
has to say:
Our National Convention always has a wide variety of exhibits.
The beauty of the exhibit hall is that there is something for
everybody. One of the things people learn when they stroll through
it is that sometimes the most modern, high-tech device is not the
best solution to a problem, or the best method for performing a
given task.
One of the places that a lot of people start is the NFB Store.
This store is operated by our Materials Center and carries the
simple low-tech stuff that we all need to get along in the world.
We carry the neat writing tools that don't require batteries or a
plug-in. Most of the goodies we carry don't have cords. We carry
those silent watches with hands and no speaker. Those of us who use
low-tech Braille watches feel no shame when we check the time
twenty times in a boring meeting. After all, we know that everyone
else is doing it too. They are probably no more aware of our
obsession with what time it is than we are of their clock-watching.
Other booths around the exhibit hall also had relatively
low-tech items. Ann Morris Enterprises was there this year with a
wide variety of watches, tape recorders, kitchen gadgets, and
convenience items. Independent Living Aids also had a variety of
low-tech, relatively low-cost items.
Whether we like it or not, however, sometimes high-tech stuff
is needed by blind people living in a high-tech world. Our
technology needs only vary slightly from those of our sighted peers
who use and enjoy the gadgets we long to use and enjoy on an equal
basis. The biggest gap between what the technology sighted people
use and that which we use is price. Unfortunately, we need extra
hardware and software to benefit from the computer technology
available to the sighted. Much of the high-tech stuff in the
exhibit area was what we need to add-on to our sighted peers'
computers. I'll start there.
One of the programs that caught my attention this year was
Zoomtext Extra. This program is a large print program with a very
basic speech component built in. The speech uses the sound card
that comes in most computers. The speech is fairly good. It must be
kept in mind that the speech reads what is enlarged. This program
is meant for those who prefer large print and want speech as a
back-up. It is not meant to be a speech screen reader with large
print added. The case is quite the opposite.
Another development that made me happy was from Enabling
Technologies. All of their Braille embossers (printers) are now
able to do 3 sizes of Braille. Jumbo is available for those who
need their letters somewhat bigger, normal size is available, and
a small size, commonly used by the Japanese, is also available.
Graphics is also available. In order to change the size of the
Braille you produce, you simply use a software switch from the
keypad on the machine. No bars to flip over and replace.
An intriguing speech feature I saw was available when using
IBM Web Explorer with the IBM Screen Reader. I am hoping it will
take hold with other screen reading software. The feature changed
the voice so that you could tell what would move to another part of
the World Wide Web, and what was just text for information. JAWS
for Windows is coming out very soon with a software synthesizer
that will use the sound card in your computer effectively. It will
be interesting to see what the price will be on those packages. The
sound they produce is quite good, and we are hoping that they will
be an inexpensive alternative to a premium synthesizer such as a
DECtalk. JAWS for Windows also was demonstrated with refreshable
Braille displays. Window-Eyes by GW Micro, Automatic Screen Access
for Windows by MicroTalk, Window Bridge by SynthaVoice and
Outspoken for Windows were also shown. They all are competitively
priced products with a cadre of loyal users.
In regard to scanning--or Optical Character Recognition--
items, Arkenstone, Telesensory, and Kurzweil Educational Systems
all had products to show. The Omni 1000 by Kurzweil Education
Systems uses a software synthesizer with your computer's sound
card. Demo disks were available so people can give it a try with
any Hewlett-Packard compatible scanner. Telesensory Systems has a
very nice portable unit that does a good job and does not require
a separate computer. All of the systems read with reasonable
accuracy.
The Thermal Pen was a neat gadget. It is a battery-operated or
electric pen that heats at the tip. When used with special paper,
it makes a raised line as you write. This might be especially good
for teaching people to sign their name, print letters, and draw. I
had fun with it. Tactual graphics were a popular feature this year
with two or three companies demonstrating ways to produce them.
Dancing Dots was there for the first year. It is a program for
translating music into Braille. A MIDI file (a form of computer
data file for music performances) is produced and then used to
perform the translation. Dancing Dots can sell the program or take
music that needs to be translated and translate it.
Low vision aides were abundant this year. Several closed
circuit televisions were demonstrated including some portable
units. One of the portable units was of particular interest to me.
The viewing was done through a lens-size screen over each eye. The
print was quite clear, and the camera was hand-held. The screens
were mounted on a frame like a visor which went around the head and
had a strap in the back. The one limitation I found was that I was
unable to get the screens close enough to my eyes to read for
significant amounts of time without strain. For those needing
transportability, this system might be an option. Standard
magnifiers and monoculars were also available.
One of my least popular exhibits was the Talking Signs and the
Marco. These devices allow you to hear signs which have
transmitters on them sending a message to your infrared receiver.
If you are not pointed directly at the sign, you will not get an
accurate signal. I used one at Access Midwest and found them to be
frustrating and of little use.
Finally, the travel aids were, for me, a convention exhibit
bonus. My personal favorite was the Atlas Speaks program by
Arkenstone. It is virtually a talking map. One of the things you
can do is to tell it where you are within a city and where you want
to go. It will then show you the most direct route. It even tells
you how far it is. It tells you if there are "T" intersections and
streets that cross at odd angles. Strider was also shown at some
point although I was not able to attend that demonstration. Strider
allows you to know where you are at any given time by satellite.
Insights from an Instructional Assistant
by Denise Mackenstadt
Editor's Note: One of the most puzzling figures in the educational
landscape of blind children in public schools today is the
instructional aide. Parents and teachers are often uncertain what
the role of these aides should be. Denise Mackenstadt has been
doing this job intelligently and knowledgeably for several years.
Her husband Gary, who is blind, is a long-time leader in the NFB of
Washington, and Denise herself is a leader in the National
Organization of Parents of Blind Children. At the 1997 seminar for
parents of blind children in New Orleans she spoke to the audience
about what should and should not be part of an aide's
responsibilities. This is what she said:
I live about twenty miles northeast of Seattle and am an
instructional assistant, as we are called, in the Northshore School
District. We have about 20,000 students in an area of sixty square
miles. There are approximately twenty blind and visually impaired
students on our caseload. I am assigned to a normally-developing
fourth grade blind boy. He is totally blind and a Braille user.
There are some additional problems that affect his learning, but
they are not directly related to his vision. I spend four hours a
day at the school. I am a member of the school staff, which is an
important part for me to play, because, in order for our student to
become an integral member of the school community, I have to do a
lot of PR, a lot of educating. My presence really helps allay the
fears and anxiety that are frequently seen in a general education
staff. I think that we have been very successful over the last two
and a half years. The fourth grade teacher he will have this fall
has actually requested that he be in the class. I view that as a
real asset and something we can be proud of.
I've been with the National Federation of the Blind since 1970
in a variety of roles, so of course I've brought that experience to
this job. However, my job description does not really require
anything that you would recognize as specific to working with a
blind student. My job description says that I am to follow
directions given by a certified teacher, that I keep accurate
records, that I know how to operate office equipment like the
photocopier and rhisograph, and that I have some knowledge of
technology. The certified teacher that I work for is the teacher of
the blind--the vision teacher. She happened to want me to have this
position even though she was warned not to hire me. She stipulated
in the job announcement that an applicant must have a basic
knowledge of Braille and white cane use. Since I was the only
applicant who had those skills, I was hired.
A year ago Washington passed a Braille literacy bill, due to
the efforts of the National Federation of the Blind. Part of that
bill is unique in that one of the legislators, who was a former
school board member, stipulated that the Braille competency
requirement must also apply to any assistants producing Braille
materials or instructing a student in Braille. So I was required to
take the National Library Service Braille Competency exam, which I
did last year and passed.
This provision of the Washington law reflects the influence
that instructional assistants have on the educational program of
blind students. Frankly I see my student more often than the
certified teacher does. I have more interaction with him. I see him
in areas that are critical to his social development, such as
playground, lunchroom, PE, music--the times he interacts socially
with his peers. I have a tremendous impact on what he does every
day.
The thing I appreciate most is that the classroom teacher, the
vision teacher, and I have agreed that our ultimate goal is to work
me out of a job. Our goal is that this student will become
increasingly independent so that by middle school he will be able
to meet a good number of his own needs or will be able to get the
materials he needs through transcription services, readers, working
with his teachers, etc. That has to become the goal for all of us
who work with these children because, if they are mainstreamed into
a regular school program, they have to acquire those skills. As
parents your goal is to enable your children to handle their own
lives and to determine their own destinies. As educators that must
be our goal also.
I am very cognizant of my own limitations. I am not
certificated. I really try to maintain close working relationships
with all the certificated staff. I eat in the teachers' lounge in
order to talk to other teachers, to hear what's going on, to work
with other teachers on their projects. I work in the lunchroom so
that I really get to know the custodian. As all of us who have
worked in schools know, the people who truly run the school are the
secretary and the custodian. I was gratified to see that I had been
successful in that effort. At my end-of-the-year evaluation my
principal noted that I still work in the lunchroom even though our
student doesn't require my presence. Aides have to mingle with the
staff because we are an itinerant program. Most of the regular
educational staff has no idea of what we do, so part of our job is
to make it very easy for them to accept this blind student as a
regular student in the classroom.
As a non-certified staff member, there are some experience and
knowledge in instructional skills that I just do not have. I don't
necessarily know the progression in reading instruction or
mathematics instruction. These are areas in which I need to learn
from and work with the classroom teacher and vision teacher. I am
there to adapt the regular education program for our blind student
and to teach the specific blindness skills he needs. In addition I
provide all transcription services. I come to school in the
morning, check with the teacher about what is happening in class,
and look at her plan book. She may tell me that she is going to
give a four-page reading exam that day, it has to be Brailled by
11:00 a.m., and it's now 8:30 a.m. This means that I have to have
the test transcribed into Braille that this student can actually
read by 11:00 a.m. That's the reality of a public school program.
The responsibility for instructing the blind student in the
standard curriculum belongs to the classroom teacher. At times, out
of misunderstanding, the regular classroom teacher will expect me
to instruct the blind student in areas that are not my
responsibility or within my expertise. Avoiding these
misunderstandings can be a difficult task. My goal for the coming
year is to learn how to avoid these confusions of responsibility.
The classroom teacher must be willing to accept the blind student
as just one more student in a class of fourth graders. I must
sometimes go to the instructor and say, "this student is in need of
help on this math problem." Then I walk away to assist elsewhere in
the classroom so that the teacher can spend time with the blind
student.
This past year my office was too accessible to the blind
student. He needs to stay in the classroom more. He performs better
in the classroom because there he wants to be like the other kids
in the class. And, if he is going to be like the other kids, he
will have to meet classroom expectations behaviorally and
instructionally. I'm locking my door this coming year. He's not
going to be able to wander in and out quite as much.
Those are some of my goals for the upcoming school year. This
past year my professional goals were to pass the Braille Competency
Examination and to learn more about computer technology for the
blind in education. My goal for my student was to develop and
improve his self-esteem. I took from the National Federation of the
Blind and from what we've done at our rehabilitation centers in
Louisiana, Minnesota, and Colorado the understanding that I
couldn't accomplish a lot just using a self-esteem curriculum. I
could do all the talking I wanted, but what was really going to
build his self-image was his feeling of competence using his
blindness skills. That, I am very pleased to say, has happened. His
feeling of competence as a Braille reader and as a blind traveler
and his ability to communicate his needs to his sighted peers or
adults has improved his self-esteem as much as--no, more than--any
of the head talks he and I could have had.
The advantage of being married to a blind man has been that,
when my student comes to me saying he can do or not do such and so,
I can say, "Hey, don't talk to me about it." I can say "I know my
husband." Even if I weren't married to a blind person, as an
instructor I would have to know adult blind people for my own
education, for mentoring him, for helping him to understand that
there is an adult future for him to dream of and be a part of. That
is really what our goal has to be as educators. In conclusion I
would say that I have the best job in the world because I am
working with kids, one-on-one.
The Bridge to Braille:=20
Reading and School Success for the Young Blind Child
A New NOPBC Publication
Barbara Cheadle, NOPBC President:
The National Organization of Parents of Blind Children is
pleased to announce the availability of our first NOPBC
publication: The Bridge to Braille: Reading and School Success for
the Young Blind Child.
Co-authored by Carol Castellano and Dawn Kosman with
illustrations by Lynne Cucco, this spiral-bound, easy-to-read,
large-print book fills a much needed gap in literature for parents
and classroom teachers of Braille students.
On another level, it is instructive that this book is
co-authored by a parent of a blind child and by a Braille teacher
of the visually impaired. Although everyone professes to believe in
cooperation between parents and professionals, we are often sadly
short of sound models to follow. The quality of this book is a
testament to the good things that can happen when parents and
teachers respect and value each other's unique perspective and
talents.
Here now, is a description of the book from the NOPBC news
release, and information about how to order it:
The Bridge to Braille: Reading and School Success for the Young
Blind Child
by Carol Castellano and Dawn Kosman
Illustrations by Lynne Cucco
copyright 1997 National Organization of Parents of Blind Children=20
ISBN 1-885218-08-7
Cost: $12
Order from: National Federation of the Blind, Materials Center,
1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230. Make checks and
money orders payable to NFB. VISA, DiscoverCard, and MasterCard are
accepted. Orders by telephone taken after 12:30 p.m. EST. Call
(410) 659-9314.
When her first child was three years old, The Bridge to
Braille co-author Carol Castellano wondered how she would teach her
daughter the alphabet. If her child had been sighted, she would
have begun helping her recognize letters and numbers, but what was
a parent to do when the child was blind? Castellano knew the
importance of early literacy experiences for children, but could
such experiences be translated into a meaningful form for a blind
child?
When her daughter was in kindergarten at the local public
school, new questions came up. How do you form capital letters in
Braille? How do you write 2 + 2? The other children in the class,
all of them sighted, had page after page of colorful work sheets
which provided practice in reading readiness, counting, adding, and
subtracting. Was there a way for a blind child to take part in all
this learning?
Castellano began collecting answers for the questions that
arose as she problem-solved with her daughter's classroom and
Braille teachers. At last, she and Braille teacher Dawn Kosman put
all the information together in a book, The Bridge to Braille:
Reading and School Success for the Young Blind Child. Chapters like
"Setting the Stage for Success," "Adapting Materials," "Doing Math
in Braille," "Independence in the Classroom," and "Using
Technology" show parents and teachers how to guide blind children
from early literacy experiences all the way to full participation
in the classroom. The book de-mystifies the education of blind
children, the authors say, and enables parents and teachers to give
ordinary help with schoolwork to children who happen to be blind.
The Bridge to Braille is published by the National
Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC), an organization
dedicated to creating a climate of opportunity for blind children
at home, in school, and in the community. A division of the
National Federation of the Blind, NOPBC provides information,
resources, and support to parents and teachers of blind children
and fosters contact and partnership with blind adults.=20
For further information contact:
Carol Castellano, 23 Alexander Avenue, Madison, New Jersey
07940, (201) 377-0976 or Barbara Cheadle, President, NOPBC, 1800
Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230. (410) 659-9314. E-mail:
What Contests Can Do: Report on the 1996-1997=20
Braille Readers are Leaders Contest
Each year the National Organization of Parents of Blind
Children (NOPBC) and the National Association to Promote the Use of
Braille (NAPUB) conduct a reading contest for youngsters who read
Braille. Schools and libraries across this nation sponsor such
contests for print readers, but almost no one besides the National
Federation of the Blind urges blind children to read as much and as
widely as they can.
Do our efforts accomplish anything constructive? You bet they
do! And not just for the winners. Here are some brief comments
taken from letters sent to us by parents and teachers of contest
participants:
=20
Crystal McClain, Mother
Macy is in kindergarten, and this is the first time she has
entered this contest. She just started reading in January. Now,
since she is reading, she constantly requests Braille books. In the
past I had both print-Braille books and print books, and I read
both [to her]. Now, Macy only wants the print-Braille books so she
can read, too. Thanks for making reading exciting. Next year I'm
sure Macy will be an avid reader and a challenge to the other
Braille Readers are Leaders contestants.
Edwin Zehner, Father
Thank you for conducting this contest each year. Mingkhwan [my
daughter] has been in the United States just over a year, having
arrived at the age of 8 in January, 1996. When she arrived she was
just finishing the second year of kindergarten at the Bangkok
School for the Blind. She knew very little English and only the 26
alphabet characters of the English code. Your contest has provided
an extra motivation to help her read more. In the past week or two
Mingkhwan has begun going beyond the assigned reading time just
because the book was "fun." We look forward to next year's contest
when perhaps we will be able to add to the list of winners!
Marion Young, Teacher
Thank you for allowing my student to enter this most exciting
contest. The contest helped motivate my student to read more
Braille pages.
Jo Lynn Chesser, Mother
I would like to thank you for the work you do with the NFB and
the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children. I would
also like to express my gratitude for the Braille Readers Are
Leaders contest. I know a lot of work must go into this. Amber has
placed three times and obviously loves to read. When she first
started competing in this, those months were about the only time
she read. Now it's year `round, and the books get better and
better. In fact, she has recently expressed an interest in majoring
in English and becoming a writer. Thanks for all you do.
Individual parents and teachers are not the only ones who find
this contest a useful tool to encourage blind children to read. An
increasing number of residential schools for the blind are actively
promoting the contest among their students, making it a school-wide
project. To reward and further encourage this kind of
participation, the Braille Readers are Leaders Contest initiated an
award two years ago for the residential school or schools which
demonstrated outstanding participation in the contest.=20
No one criteria is used in determining the award winner. The
judges consider numerous factors, such as the percentage of
enrolled students who enter the contest; and, to be sure we are
fair to schools with large non-reading multiply handicapped
students, the percentage of students enrolled in academic programs
who enter the contest. The judges also consider quality factors:
How many of the students improve their performance over the
previous year? How many national winners do they have? What is the
quality and quantity of the materials the students read?
This year's national School for the Blind Outstanding
Participation Award winner is the Kentucky School for the Blind.
Under the guidance of the new superintendent, Dr. Ralph Bartley,
both quality and quantity of participation zoomed up over the
previous contest years. With nineteen participants, four of whom
were named national Most Improved winners, the school had a 29
percent participation rate out of sixty-five enrolled students. KSB
also stood out among others in quality factors as well. The
Kentucky School for the Blind truly deserved the honor and the $200
cash prize that came with this award.
The judges also believed that two other schools deserved
Honorable Mentions for their support of the contest: Washington
State School for the Blind, which had 18 percent participation and
two national winners; and the Arizona State School for the Blind
and Deaf, which boasted three national winners and a 17 percent
participation rate.
1996-1997 <R>Braille Readers are Leaders Winners
Most Improved
* Kathy Garrett, Kentucky. Seventh grade.
* April Garrett, South Carolina. Twelfth grade.
* Jennifer Hyams, Kentucky. Third grade.
* Lonnie Swafford, Kentucky.Tenth grade.
* Virginia Salyer, Kentucky. Sixth grade.
Print to Braille
* First: Clarisa Darcy, Washington. Eleventh grade. 967 pages.
* Second: Brandy Turner, Arizona. Twelfth grade. 854 pages.
* Third: Amy Moore, Washington. Ninth grade. 575 pages.
Kindergarten--First Grade
* First: Paige Hardin, Georgia. 2,160 pages.
* Second: Desiree Oudinot, Pennsylvania. 1,909 pages.
* Third: Angela Marie Lucek, Louisiana. 1,871 pages.
Second--Fourth Grades
* First: T.D. Olsen, New York. 5,019 pages.
* Second: Stuart Weller, Washington. 4,338 pages.
* Third: David Wright, Illinois. 3,576 pages.
Fifth--Eighth Grades
* First: Angela Leigh Hubbard, Virgina. 14,765 pages.
* Second: Amber Jo Chesser, Louisiana. 10,666 pages.
* Third: Maria Gabriela Smith, Alabama. 10,422 pages.
Ninth--Twelfth Grades
* First: James Konechne, South Dakota. 12,073 pages.
* Second: Josh Young, Arizona. 7,863 pages.
* Third: Josh Baker, Arizona. 7,101 pages.
Braille Helps Girl Become Book Champion
by Danny Heitman
Reprinted from the Sunday Advocate, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, July
13, 1997.
Eight years ago, Angela Lucek was born into a family of
readers. When her mother, Vivian, was a little girl, she read every
book in her school library. Walt Lucek, Angela's father, is also a
spirited reader who likes to read books aloud with his children.
So perhaps it was only natural that Angela would come to love
reading herself. But before Angela could follow the family
tradition, she had one major obstacle to overcome. Legally blind,
Angela faced a world where most books were forever closed to her.=20
But that didn't stop Angela.=20
Today, Angela is a tireless enthusiast of Braille books who
has won national and state awards for her achievement. Last year,
Angela won third place in her age division in the national Braille
Readers are Leaders contest. The honor came after Angela read 63
books--that's 1,871 pages of Braille. Angela also won the Louisiana
State Library's grand prize for its summer reading program in her
division, beating out children who were much older.=20
When Angela was born in San Antonio, she spent her first four
months struggling for life in an intensive care unit. She battled
a variety of health problems before doctors allowed her to leave
the hospital, Walt Lucek said.
"Everything's OK now, except for her eyesight," Angela's
father added, "If she has a large print book, she can make things
out if she holds it close, but it's a strain. With the vision
problems, it was either read to her, or let her listen to the tapes
(recorded books). But she was never very interested in tapes.
"When Angela was in the hospital, we didn't know if she was
going to make it," her mother recalled. "Of course, we were very
happy that she lived. But my biggest sorrow was thinking that she
wouldn't read. Reading is a great love of mine. When I was in
elementary school, I decided that I wanted to read every book in
the school library. It took me a couple of years, but I did it."
In encouraging Angela to use books, the Luceks faced two
options: books on tape, or Braille volumes. But books on tape
failed to charm Angela. She "wouldn't sit still for five minutes
with the books on tape," said Vivian Lucek, "Since she's learned
Braille, we can't get enough books for her."
In a study published last year, researchers concluded that
Braille readers stimulate the same part of the brain when they read
that sighted readers use when their eyes scan a text. Other experts
have found that because of the way the brain works, Braille users
retain more of what they read than people who use recorded books.
"There's just no comparison between Braille and recorded
books," said Warren Figueiredo, a resource specialist with the
Braille and Technology Center of the Louisiana School for the
Visually Impaired. "Recorded books may be good for recreational
reading, but for homework, you definitely need Braille. Recorded
books are passive. You sit there and listen--that's all you do."
"In school, you have to be able to find and retrieve things,
and that's almost impossible with recorded books. Also, punctuation
and spelling are virtually invisible in recorded books."
Four years ago, Walt Lucek's employer transferred him from San
Antonio to Louisiana. Lucek, who works for Mazda, was given a
choice of which part of the state he'd call home. Lucek decided on
Baton Rouge, figuring that the state's capital city would have the
best services to help Angela learn.
So far, the Luceks have been happy with their decision. Angela
attends Villa Del Rey Elementary School, where she's gotten
instruction tailored for the visually impaired.
"We've been very fortunate with her teachers," said Walter
Lucek who credits the public school system with advancing Angela's
command of Braille. Vivian Lucek mentioned teachers Beryl Threeton
and Gail Canova as being especially helpful with Angela.
As Angela's reading skills have progressed, the Luceks find
themselves constantly challenged to find Braille books for her.
Figueiredo allowed Angela to borrow many of the books that she used
for her reading contests, Vivian Lucek said.
Because the family also includes 4-year-old Janice and 1 and
a 1/2-year-old Bridget, who are both sighted, the Luceks must often
buy both regular and Braille versions of books. "It costs $37 for
the `Cat in the Hat' in Braille," Vivian Lucek said. The print
version is $10.
Despite the expense, the Luceks have built a formidable
Braille library, including Braille cookbooks that allow Angela to
work in the kitchen. "Last night, I made `Peaches and Cream,'" said
Angela referring to a dessert cake she had prepared with her
mother. Using special equipment, Vivian Lucek also transcribes
direction from cookbooks into Braille recipe cards for Angela.=20
Most of the Luceks' Braille books were purchased through the
mail. Though a crucial source of Braille materials for Angela,
mail-order buying doesn't afford Angela the pleasure of browsing
that other readers enjoy. That convinced Vivian Lucek that the
public library should have a children's Braille collection.
Library officials took Lucek's suggestion to heart. Last
January, staff at the East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, with
help from the state library and several local organizations, opened
a Braille collection for youngsters. Project donors included the
Baton Rouge Downtown Lions, the LSU Delta Gamma sorority, Junior
League of Baton Rouge, and the Greater Baton Rouge chapter of the
National Federation of the Blind.
Since the collection opened "Angela gets so excited when we
talk about going to the library," Vivian Lucek said. Books in the
collection bear their titles in little ridges of Braille near the
spine. To browse, Angela runs her fingers along the shelf, pulling
books and scanning titles until she finds something of interest.
"Whenever she comes to the library, Angela makes a beeline for the
books," said Emily McCoy, who oversees the Braille collection as
head of children's services. "Her first time here, she just grinned
and read the title of every single book on the shelf. She had this
look of really intense concentration on her face. She's very
goal-oriented. She always goes straight for the books."
"One of my happiest moments as a mother was the first time
Angela read to me in Braille," Vivian Lucek said.
"It's really more of a nuisance than a handicap," Walt Lucek
said of his daughter's blindness. "She can learn just as much as
anybody else."=20
To share Angela's reading and supervise her homework, Walt and
Vivian Lucek have learned Braille, too, though not as well as
Angela. "We haven't been able to keep up with her," said Walt
Lucek. "This summer, we're taking a correspondence class in Braille
from Hadley School for the Blind."=20
The Luceks are also trying to start a special arm of the local
chapter of the National Federation of the Blind for parents of
blind children.=20
In the meantime, when she's not reading, Angela has decided on
another goal to keep her busy.
"I want to be a writer," Angela said.
Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
New Toy Line: Miss Ochie
Linda Zani Thomas of New Jersey, which some readers may
recognize as the author of several articles on blind multiply
handicapped children, wrote and asked us to print the following
information:
A friend of mine created a toy line that is not only
appropriate for all children, but is especially good for children
with visual impairments. Will you please run a paragraph (below) in
your publications?
Attention Parents! Did you know there's a new toy that's a
wholesome role model that literally and figuratively embraces all
children, including those with visual impairments?
Introducing...Miss Ochie and her Circle of Friends. This
friendly plush octopus stuffed animal has Braille messages on her
many arms. She teaches kids that there's a place where differences
don't matter; where cooperation, caring, and sharing are part of
every day. That place is the Circle of Friends, featured in the
accompanying book Julie's Beach Adventure: The Friendship Circle.
Miss Ochie and the book are available for $24.95 plus $4.95
shipping and handling by writing to: Miss Ochie and Book Offer, 766
Knox Court, Yardley, PA 19067. Personal checks and money orders
accepted. For more information, call 800-289-0009.
Award-Winning Video=20
Myra Lesser, a former member of the National Organization of
Parents of Blind Children Board and a leader in the Pennsylvania
parents organization, has voluntarily filmed, edited, narrated,
and/or co-written two videos for the National Organization of
Parents of Blind Children, and is in the middle of working on a
third video. The videos--"It's OK to be Blind" and "White Canes for
Blind Kids"--are wonderful educational tools, and the NOPBC deeply
appreciates the time Myra devoted to these projects. But we are not
the only ones who appreciate Myra's talents. Myra sent us the
following information about a video documentary she did
independently on her son, Alex:=20
A clip from my video, "What's It Like To Be A Kid Who's
Blind," was included as part of the awards entry by the Access
Tucson TV Station to the Alliance for Community Media--Hometown
Awards. This entry won first place for Overall Excellence in
Programming for an Access Center. The same clip from my video is
also included in the video brochure, "Access Tucson, Where Tucson's
on TV."
My video is also recommended by Kids on the Block, the
Pittsburgh Children's Museum, and NOPBC, as well as by many
parents, and educators throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Math Aids
The following information is reprinted from In Touch, the
newsletter of the New Jersey Parents of Blind Children:
Many easy-to-use math-teaching aids are available in toy
stores, educational supplies stores, and catalogues. Some of these
items can be used by blind children as they are, without
adaptations, and others can be easily adapted with self-stick
textures and self-stick Braille. The items below are available from
Summit Learning. Call 800-777-8817 to get a catalogue.
Unifix Cubes are a wonderful math teaching aid. These
stackable cubes stay put when interlocked. This allows the child to
examine and count them. Many blind children who had difficulty
before, learn math concepts with ease when the concept is
demonstrated in their own hands. Unifix Cubes can be used to teach
the basics--one-to-one correspondence, counting, tens and ones,
etc.--and more advanced math concepts, too. The cubes are
color-coded and can easily be coded for tactual use with snips of
Wikki Stiks and self-stick textures such as felt, cork, and velcro.
Multilinks are interlocking, snap-together cubes and triangles
which children can use to learn and explore math concepts. They are
also fun to use as a building set because the triangles have
connectors on many sides; interesting shapes and angles can be
created.
Fraction Stax and Rainbow Fraction Tiles are two fraction sets
which contain pieces that can be held in the hands. Fraction Stax
have pieces that stack up over spindles and Fraction Tiles form
bars across a holding tray. Both can be adapted with self-stick
Braille. Fraction illustrations in math books show fractions
expressed in various shapes: pie shapes, bars, parts of objects,
etc. It is important that blind students have the opportunity to
see fractions expressed in many different ways, too.
Learning Pillows
Jane K. Kronheim sent us the following information about her
internationally known "Learning Pillows":
Each pillow is approximately 8 1/2" by 11". The pillows are
made of felt and feature raised bumps, lines, shapes, strong visual
and tactual images, and objects. They are colorful and provide
strong contrast. Excellent for eye-hand coordination, tactual and
visual discrimination, memory, pre-reading including pre-Braille
skill development, buttoning, zipping, etc. There is so much you
can learn with a Learning Pillow! Each pillow has a written
story/text inserted inside the packaging.
Here is a description of one of the ten pillows available:
Bumpedy Bumps is a pre-Braille experience to help your child or
student learn about the world of bumps. Bumps are designed in a
variety of places in order to encourage tactual exploration. The
prices for learning pillows range from $20 to $40 plus shipping
costs. For further information contact: Jane K. Kronheim, P. O. Box
345, Greenfield, NH 03047. Telephone/fax: (603) 827-3859. E-mail:
Adam Emerson Honored=20
Adam Emerson is the son of long-time leaders in the Parents of
Blind Children Division of the NFB of Michigan. Sunny, Adam's
mother, was also a national leader in the NOPBC. She organized and
developed our Homeschooling and Blindness Network when she began
homeschooling Adam several years ago. Adam, who is legally blind
due to albinism, has become an active member of the NFB in his own
right as a young adult. We were, therefore, tremendously pleased to
receive the following announcement regarding Adam's selection as a
Calvin College Scholarship recipient. Congratulations, Adam! Here
is the announcement:
Below you will find the name of a Calvin student from your
circulation area with his or her address, high school, and parents
as well as the scholarship(s) earned this year to Calvin, a
Christian, liberal arts college with a 1997-98 enrollment of
approximately 4,100. One of the largest christian colleges in the
nation, Calvin regularly is honored by U.S. News & World Report as
one of the best colleges or universities in the midwest.
Calvin College Recipient, Adam C. Emerson, Mr. & Mrs. Charles
and Sunny=20
Emerson Sterling Heights, Michigan High School: Home School
Scholarships: Calvin Presidential Scholarship--$5,500.00
A Spelling Dictionary for Beginning Writers
By Gregory Hurray, this wonderful little reference book for
young readers and writers (elementary grades) has been Brailled by
the National Braille Press, Inc. Only one volume, each spelling
word entry is written first in grade 1, then in grade 2. When a
word has no contractions, it is written only once. In addition to
the spelling entries, which are words commonly used by young
children just beginning to write, there is a Mini-Thesaurus for
eight basic words used in a child's vocabulary: Then; Big; Small or
Little; Good, Nice, or Great; Went or Ran; Asked; Answered; and
Said. There is also a section elaborating on 12 different Theme
Words--Words by Subject: such as The Calendar, Geography, Colors,
Body Parts, and so forth.
The National Braille Press, Inc. is selling both the print and
Braille editions for the same price: $7.00. Order from: The
National Braille Press, Inc., 88 St. Stephen Street, Boston, MA
02115. Phone number: (617) 266-6160.
Unlock the Treasures=20
We have been asked to print the following announcement from
the American Printing House for the Blind:
Unlock the treasures that make learning concepts fun! Help is
on the way with Tactile Treasures: Math and Language Concepts for
Young Children with Visual Impairments, a new informal assessment
and training tool for preschool, kindergarten, and early elementary
children designed by the American Printing House for the Blind. It
helps students gain an understanding of basic concepts and
vocabulary that are prerequisites for reading and math.
Over 90 concepts related to shape, size, comparison, amount,
position, and page orientation are presented and reinforced with
the use of this kit which includes 79 thermoformed sheets and a
teacher's guidebook with fun scripts and stories that bring the
tactile images to life. Objects encountered on the tactile pages
are numerous; from pretzel, button, and rings, to zippers,
scissors, and shells. This adds interest, encourages exploration,
and broadens vocabulary for young children. The entire kit includes
3 binders and both a print and Braille Guidebook. Tactile
Treasures: 1-08842-00...$120.00. To order or for more information
call 800-223-1839.=20
Website: http://www.aph.org
Blazie Engineering Catalog
We have been asked to print the following announcement:
Blazie Engineering, manufacturers and distributors of
technology-based products for blind and visually impaired people,
announces publication of their 1998 catalog.
The new catalog features more than 70 items. Included are
Blazie Engineering products, printers and Braille embossers, screen
reading software for both Windows and DOS, speech synthesizers,
Braille graphics software, Braille translation software, computer
accessories, and more. In addition to Blazie Engineering's own
products, manufacturers represented include Duxbury, Raised Dot
Computing, Henter-Joyce, Franklin, Digital, G.W. Micro,
Syntha-Voice, and others.
Blazie Engineering's catalog contains product warranty and
service information, as well as details about special seminar and
product training. The 64-page catalog is available at no cost in
large print, Braille, on audiocassette and by accessing blazie.com
on the World Wide Web. For more information, contact Blazie
Engineering, 105 East Jarrettsville Road, Forest Hill, MD 21050, or
call (410) 893-9333.
=20
Beautiful Kids Modeling Agency
The following information comes from an article published in
Photo District News, an international publication. Anyone
interested in getting more information about how a child might
become a model or how to hire models from this agency may contact
Ginnie Cummo, President, Beautiful Kids, Inc., P.O. Box 506,
Ironia, NJ 07845, phone: (973) 927-7759.
Beautiful Kids, Inc. is a modeling agency that represents
differently abled children for all types of print advertising.
Ginnie Cummo, who started the agency in October 1994, has 300
models, ranging in age from 16 months to 14 years..."My husband is
an advertising executive with Toys 'R' Us and they've used disabled
children in their advertising but they always had difficulty
finding them." Cummo started out in advertising and knows the
modeling business because her children and now her grandson have
modeled.
"I've had quite a few children working so far," notes Cummo,
whose clients include Scholastic Books; Parent Guide magazine; Toy
Works, a division of Kay Bee Toys; and several rehabilitation
catalogues. Beautiful Kids models earn the standard $75 an hour.
"With 49 million disabled people in this country," says Cummo, "I
think clients are beginning to understand that not only is it good
for business to see them represented, it's also good for people to
see that they're represented."--Susan E. Davis
Leadership Training for Blind Youth:
The following information is reprinted from a recent issue of
the Braille Monitor, the monthly publication of the National
Federation of the Blind:=20
Do you know a future leader in the blindness community--a
young man or woman, blind or visually impaired, who has the
intelligence, energy, and determination to make a difference in the
lives of visually impaired persons in your country? The
International Program at Overbrook School for the Blind in
Philadelphia is open to candidates from throughout the world who
demonstrate these leadership qualities and who are interested in
participating in a one-year academic and training program.
Now in its twelfth year, the Program announces the start of
the admissions process for the 1998-99 academic year. You are
invited to nominate candidates who meet the qualifications required
for admission and who would benefit from taking part in the
program. To qualify, a participant must 1) be blind or partially
sighted, 2) be between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one at the
start of the program, 3) be in good academic standing, 4) have a
basic knowledge of English, 5) be interested in adaptive computer
technology for the blind, and 6) demonstrate independence and
leadership skills.
The Admissions Committee reviews all nominations and invites
appropriate candidates to complete a full application.
The International Program is designed to develop leadership
capabilities of young blind and partially sighted individuals from
around the world, to provide them with the skills they will need to
succeed in higher education and the work place, and to help improve
the situation of other blind and visually impaired persons in their
countries.
Courses in adaptive computer technology, English as a second
language, and leadership development form the core of the
curriculum, while emphasis is also placed on learning in an
intercultural environment. Educational field trips, music programs,
and sports activities are also offered.
For information and admissions materials, contact Lawrence F.
Campbell, Admissions Committee, International Program, Overbrook
School for the Blind, 6333 Malvern Avenue, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania 19151-2597, United States, (215) 878-8700, fax (215)
878-8886, e-mail: [[email protected]].
Letters to the Editor
Editor's Note: Articles by blind kids are, understandably, a big
hit with our readers. The following letter came in response to an
article by Cortney Osolinski, a delightful youngster whose mother
is very active in the parents organization of the National
Federation of the Blind in New Jersey. By the way, for those who
are curious, I did send this letter on to Cortney's mom so she
could contact this wonderfully enthusiastic teacher.
January 23, 1997
Dear Staff,
I work with blind and visually impaired people in the state of
Maine. I recently came across a wonderful article by one of your
subscribers ("Almost One Hundred and One Ways to Decorate Your
Cane" by Cortney Osolinski Summer, 1996 Future Reflections). I
would just like to say that this young woman is an inspiration to
all of us. I intend to share this article with students and parents
alike, many times-over. I'm in awe of her creativity and positive
outlook--it is definitely to be admired.
The second part of my request is a little bit more difficult.
I am wondering if there is any way you could share my name and
address with her (I certainly recognize for safety sake you could
not give me her address). I would love to correspond with this
young woman in an attempt to capture from her how she came to be so
creative and positive. Likewise, if she were willing, I have
several students on my caseload whom would love to pen-pal with
her. I would greatly appreciate it if you could at least share my
letter with her in some fashion. With that attitude and creativity,
she will go far in life!=20
Sincerely,
Kathy Clarrage
Portland, Maine
Editor's Note: This letter was sent directly to Carol Castellano,
a frequent contributor to Future Reflections. Carol heads up our
NFB parent organization in New Jersey and is also Second Vice
President of the National Organization of Parents of Blind
Children.
April 8, 1997
Dear Carol:
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Your article, "The Blind
Child in the Regular Elementary Classroom," is a must read article
for all those interacting with Michael. Armed with a dozen copies,
I first placed a copy of your article in his permanent file! Child
Study Team members, the principal, occupational therapist,
commission teacher, special teachers, and his classroom teacher all
received a copy.
Your hands-on approach gives specific suggestions on how to
enrich not only the classroom experience but daily interactions as
well. The article is sequential and detailed. You outline many
solutions to the daily frustrations we as parents face when new
teachers work with our child. It is my hope that, each individual
reading this article truly understands their significant role in
aiding my child's independence.
Carol, the hours of love and thought that you have put into
this work will not go unnoticed. As a caring parent of a visually
impaired child, I thank you once more. You are a very special
parent, and Serena is lucky to have you!
Sincerely Yours,
Tiny Randazzo
Neshanic, New Jersey
Editor's Note: This letter came in response to the article
"Deaf-Blind and Determined" in the Winter/Spring, 1997 edition of
Future Reflections. Readers may contact the organization to which
Professor Hardy-Braz refers by writing or calling: National Family
Association for Deaf-Blind (NFADB), 111 Middle Neck Road, Sands
Point, NY 11050; 800-255-0411, extension 275.
Dear Ms. Cheadle.
I recently read your Winter/Spring 1997 edition of Future
Reflections wherein an article mentions that there is no national
organization for parents of individuals who are both deaf and
blind. Please be aware and make your readers aware that indeed
there is such an organization. It is called the National Family
Association for Deaf-Blind. I've enclosed more information on that
organization for you and your readers. I have found this
organization to be extremely helpful and friendly towards parents
and family members and highly recommend it. Raising a child who is
both deaf and blind can be a challenge but no one has to do it
alone. There are many deaf and blind individuals in society who are
willing to help.
Sincerely Yours,
Steven T. Hardy-Braz, Psy.S., NCSP
School Psychologist
Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf
Editor's Note: Most letters we receive mix business with
compliments. Since the business part (address or name change, etc.)
is both private and of no interest to readers, the following
letters have been appropriately edited.
August 14, 1997
To whom it may concern:
My son, Andrew, will be 3 years old in December and it has
been a joy watching him grow and develop. Everything I've been
getting from the Kernel books, the Braille Monitor, Future
Reflections, the Kenneth Jernigan lending library, etc. has helped
[us] to keep a positive attitude for Andrew's future. Aside from
Andrew's vision impairment he also has cerebral palsy, and he just
got a wheelchair last week!
Sincerely
Mrs. Cathy Behof
February 5, 1996
Dear Mrs. Cheadle,
Thank you for your excellent magazine. I look forward to it
for personal use as well as a resource for the Illinois Parents of
the Visually Impaired.
Yours truly,
Eileen Martin, Newsletter Editor
Illinois Parents of the Visually Impaired
An affiliate of the National Association for Parents of the
Visually Impaired (NAPVI)
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