Future Reflections, Fall '91
Future Reflections, Fall '91
Future Reflections
Vol. 10, No. 3
Fall, 1991
Barbara Cheadle, Editor
Contents
On Parenting the Visually Impaired Child by Norman Balot
What Blind Children Need by Tim Day
Education of the Blind Four-Year-Old
Blind Kids Love Sports, Too! by Tom Balek
Using Maps-Reprinted from: Handbook for Itinerant and Resource Teachers of
Blind and Visually Impaired Students by Doris M. Willoughby and Sharon L. M.
Duffy
The Work Ethic Applies to Blind Children, Too by Catherine Horn Randall
Functional Curriculum: Just Common Sense by Patty Merryman
Pouring in the Dark by Connie Weadon
Blindness and the Use of Partial Vision by Alfred P. Maneki, Ph.D.
Education of the Blind Mentally Retarded Child by Colleen Roth
Sensory Systems
Kids Corner
*The Fourth Generation on the Move
*Students Place High in Red Cross Competition
*Blind Foreign Exchange Student Visits U.S.A. by Karen Mayry
*My Trip With the Patriots to the Tournament of Roses by Rebbeca Hart
Myths and Realities About Parents
Readers and Braillists by Patricia Munson
Tips for Classroom Teachers by Carol Castellano
Kristin's Caterpillar by Kecia Binko
Distinguished Educator of Blind Children Award for 1992 by Sharon Maneki
1992 Application
Halloween Fun by Darlene Middleton
Sharon Duffy Talks About Cane Travel by Catherine Horn Randall and Sharon
Duffy
The Possibilities of Art Education for the Blind by Kristy Bird
Who's Educating Whom? by Robert Scally
Illinois Parents Organize by Stephen O. Benson
Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
**Special Insert: 1991-1992 Braille Readers Are Leaders Contest Entry
Form**
FROM THE EDITOR: It's a new school year; a time of new opportunities and
fresh challenges. But sometimes this isn't so exciting; sometimes it only
arouses doubts, fears, and more questions in the minds of parents and blind
students.
How can a blind student handle all the map work in social studies? Maybe we
should skip that. What possible interest could a blind kid have in team
sports-like basketball or volleyball she couldn't play anyway? Maybe her time
would be better spent in the library studying. What's the point in getting
information about the student foreign exchange program? Surely a blind student
could never travel and live overseas. How in the world can a blind student get
anything out of an art appreciation class? Surely he shouldn't be required to
take that!
Sometimes it never gets to the question stage. So many times we simply
assume that something cannot be done by a blind person and never think to stop
and investigate or question our assumptions. And we have all been guilty of
making this error at one time or another.
This "Back to School" issue of Future Reflections challenges many
preconceived notions about blind students in school. The articles cover a wide
range of topics; from sports, to art, to Braille and mobility, to socializing,
to field trips, to home chores, to vocations, to a pre-school curriculum, to the
educable mentally retarded blind child, to...well, you get the picture. These
articles challenge us to look critically at our school year expectations for the
special blind student in our life. Are our academic standards too low? Are our
other expectations too narrow? Have we needlessly discouraged (or simply
neglected to encourage) an interest in sports, art, drama, music, home
economics, technical education, school politics, debate, speech, language, the
foreign exchange program, the dance decorating committee, the yearbook
committee, the bird-watchers' club, the parade float committee, the marching
band, first-aid training, etc.?
I hope this issue will open your mind to a whole world of possibilities for
your blind student or child. After all, if one blind student can do it, why not
others? And if blind people can do this, then why not that?
However, possibilities do not become realities without a lot of hard work
on everyone's part parents, teachers, students, and often many others.
Alternative techniques of blindness need to be learned before they can be
applied in school or at home. Furthermore, independence is never possible for
any of us (sighted or blind) without the right kind of help and support from
others.
But above anything else is the importance of attitudes-which is a good
lead-in to the first article in this issue, "On Parenting the Visually Impaired
Child."
ON PARENTING THE
VISUALLY IMPAIRED CHILD
by Norman Balot
Editor's note: The following article is reprinted from the VIPS Parents
Newsletter, a publication of Visually Impaired Preschool Services of Louisville,
Kentucky.
Parenting is a difficult job. It's a tough job. It is not a job that any of
us, under any circumstances, can take lightly. And when the parenting process
involves an infant or a child with a disability, there are certainly going to be
a few more twists and turns in that developmental road which we are going to
have to examine and deal with....
Here at VIPS...there are lots of things we can do to help parents of
visually handicapped children, and certainly some things we simply cannot do. We
can teach the "how to's." We can teach you how to do certain things at certain
times and what might be the best thing to do at one particular time. And we can
talk with you about the why's of this or that situation or occurrence. But life
is situational. Life is made up of tens of thousands of different occurrences.
And how to deal with [each situation] simply cannot be taught. Basic to
everything is one's approach, one's judgment, one's attitude in dealing with
these tens of thousands of situations.
And frankly, one's attitude is the key. Perhaps a simile will be of some
value here. Consider for a moment a carpenter who is so skilled he knows how to
operate every tool there is available. This carpenter has every tool which has
ever been invented. So he's got the great skill and he's got all the tools. But
those tools lie in a tool box, and if the carpenter cannot open the tool box,
then he's useless; he can't do anything unless he's got the key to that tool
box. In the same way your attitude is a key. It is a key that will determine the
usefulness of the techniques that you have learned as a parent. And so, while
VIPS is certainly going to help you with the how to's and the why's of dealing
with and raising your child, perhaps the more significant benefit of the program
is the development of a good, positive attitude toward your child.
Let's stop for a moment and let me ask you a question. Suppose I were to
say to you: "I have a very serious affliction. I have been burdened with a
serious problem for most of my life." And I would ask you what [you think] that
problem is. Well, before any of you answer,...I smoke cigarettes. That is my
problem. I've smoked cigarettes for many, many years. To me this is a burden;
it's an affliction; it's something I wish I didn't have. It is quite possible
that many of you might say to yourselves, "I don't understand this blind guy
standing up there telling us that smoking is his most serious problem."
Well, ...I'm saying this to you to make a point. Certainly blindness has
been something of a problem for me for much of my life. It has been, it is at
times now, and it very likely will be a problem for me in the future. But much
of the time it represents no problem to me at all. My life has been a successful
life, a fun life, a productive life. And frankly, it has been a life which I
don't know that I would trade. Now mind you, I'm not saying that I would not
trade it. I'm just saying that I do not know that I would trade it.
If some all-powerful deity were to come to me and say: "Norman, at age
three you will not get spinal meningitis and, as a result, you will not lose
your eyesight. However, your life as a sighted person will have no guarantees,
no assurances. We won't guarantee success, or fun, or productivity. You take
your chances." Well, I don't know that I would want to trade the life I've had
for that. Because as I said, it has been one hell of a lot of fun. It has been
useful. It has been, in my mind, very worthwhile. And so I leave you with my
inability to choose and you may draw your own conclusions. I wish for all of you
that your visually handicapped children have a similar problem in choosing
whether or not they would select another life....
....I've been a lucky guy. I have certainly been blessed with certain
talents, which have helped me along. And of course the fact of my blindness (one
cannot deny this) has acted as a tremendous motivating factor for me. I don't
know where I would have been or what I would have done had I not been visually
handicapped. It has represented a strong incentive, moving me along through the
educational system and of course through my work.
But I cannot deny the great start that was given to me by my parents, and
particularly my Dad. He was an unsophisticated fellow, my Dad was. He was not
confounded by the fact that he had a blind son. He saw to it that he took his
blind son with him wherever he could to show him off. He seemingly had no guilt
in regard to having a blind son. In fact, he showed a tremendous amount of pride
in his blind son.
I found it interesting (as a contrast to all of this) to learn of a recent
study done on AIDS patients. I think some of you may know that the greatest
fears in our society happen to be cancer, blindness and AIDS-in that order.
Well, I learned in chatting with some people recently that there was made
available to some AIDS patients a drug which would significantly prolong their
lives. But, as a side-effect of the drug, the possibility of blindness was
increased significantly. Just about all the patients chose not to take the drug.
And that astonished me. It should astonish you. It simply amazes me that one
would choose not to take a drug which would prolong life despite the possibility
of loss of sight.
Hopefully, all of you in this room will not fall victim to the fear of
blindness. It is the beginning of that good, positive attitude that you're going
to develop. Because, frankly, if you do not develop that attitude, if you fear
blindness (and you don't operate in a vacuum), you're going to pass that fear
on, and that fear to some extent will become part of the life and the thinking
system of your child.
Let's talk about some of the things we get involved with that tend to
reinforce this fear of blindness. Let's start off with the blindfold game. All
too often people want you to learn what it's like to be blind by putting on a
blindfold. They say that by putting on that blindfold you'll understand how it
feels to eat and walk and [experience] a variety of activities that one does
daily as a blind person.
Well, what are you going to feel when you put on that blindfold? You're
going to be frightened. You're not going to be able to see. It's going to scare
the hell out of you. And you're very likely going to walk into things. You're
going to put your arms out and wave them about. You're going to sit down at a
table and try to cut food and throw stuff all over the table. You may even have
some difficulty finding your mouth with your spoon or fork. I'm here to tell you
that this is a silly game. That's not the way I feel, and your putting on a
blindfold is not going to make you feel anything like me. When you put on a
blindfold you're going to be dependent. You're going to feel frightened. You're
going to feel incompetent. And that is not the way I feel, and it is certainly
not the way you're going to want your child to feel. Putting on a blindfold
teaches you a lot of negative things, and those negative things are very likely
to be passed on to your children. You cannot walk in my shoes and you shouldn't
try. That's not the way to learn how blind people will function and how to best
help your children to function properly.
What is your job? Well, in a nutshell, you're going to promote exploration
in your child. You are going to develop self-confidence in that child. You're
going to do what you can to build a good, strong ego. You're going to promote
success. And, you're going to promote pride. Exploration, self-confidence,
strong ego, success, and good, old-fashioned pride; these are the things you're
going to promote in your child. And frankly, you're not going to do it by
putting on a blindfold.
So how are you going to do this? How are you going to deal with all the
variables? All we can do is give you some of the guidelines that may be helpful
to you, but it all really rests on your judgment. So let me take just a moment
to examine a few of the situations that have occurred in my life, and hopefully
they can be extended to a few of the situations that you may be dealing with.
How about unwarranted praise? The first time I walked into a duplicate
bridge tournament here in Louisville, the bridge director announced that there
was a blind person playing that afternoon and the only real difference connected
with everyone else's play would be that they would have to call their cards as
they played them. Well, they all thought this was really wonderful. Somebody
even said, "Oh, isn't that wonderful," at which point I received a very fine
round of applause. I felt compelled to stand up and say that while this was very
nice, the applause would be a whole lot more valid if they gave it to me after
the tournament. And that did get a chuckle, and I think people then realized
they had done something rather strange. They had given me unwarranted praise.
It's unnecessary. It's bad practice. It's the kind of thing that you do not want
to do with your youngsters: praise them for something they have accomplished.
You've got to accomplish something, you've got to do something, before you
deserve praise.
The desire to overprotect your child is going to be an important
consideration in your youngster's development. I can certainly think of some
incidents in my wrestling career (and I was a fairly competent wrestler in
college) that may have some pertinence to the point I'm trying to make. At the
beginning of every wrestling bout the combatants come to the middle of the mat,
shake hands, and move to their respective corners. On too many occasions the
referee would try very hard to get me to agree to start in a position which
involved contact with my opponent. It was something he felt was helping me,
something he felt was right. It was something I refused to do on every occasion
and, thank heavens, I always got my wishes in this regard. I felt that by
starting in a different fashion from all other sighted wrestlers, I would be
given an unfair advantage. And that is not the way I expected to win. If I was
going to win, I was going to win because of my ability. It's the kind of thing
you're going to have to think about in dealing with your child.
The real problem is trying to achieve the right balance between
overprotection and rejection. I think every child, blind or sighted, must go
through the usual bumps and knocks and falls and getting into difficult
situations that are so very helpful in learning how to survive. Your child is
entitled to those experiences which, in many ways, represent the beginnings of
his or her learning how to contend with life. On the other hand, one has to be
very careful not to carry this too far so as to wind up with a state of
rejection....
There is also the matter of taking blindness lightly. Can blindness be a
funny thing on occasion? Can you tell a joke about a blind person? Can you laugh
at jokes about blind people? Certainly we all laugh at jokes about other
minority groups. Can blindness be treated lightly? It's a difficult thing to do
perhaps. I've been privy to situations on skiing expeditions where blind people
have been lying flat on their faces in the snow, and on canoeing trips where
blind people turn their canoes over and are floundering around in the water,
simply laughing at themselves, with people around them laughing at them. There
are certainly situations in which...blind people can laugh at themselves, and in
which others can laugh at blind people. I think that's healthy. I think when you
reach a point when you can, in certain situations, take blindness lightly, you
are healthier for it. And I think when you reach that point, it's a factor that
you can pass on to your kids. I think it's a factor that will make their lives a
whole lot healthier and a whole lot more wholesome.
And now let me finish up by raising two other issues briefly, namely
educational placement and training and career choice. These factors might be a
little off in the future for you, but they're worth considering now.
In the whole service delivery system designed to assist blind people and
their families, there are certainly many, many professionals. Some of them are
excellent, some are pretty terrible. And there are many in that vast no-man's
land somewhere inbetween. It disturbs me that, often as not, in trying to work
out an effective educational placement, one gets the distinct impression that
professionals in the business are trying to sell something to you. Well, let me
simply say this: You must beware of advice which focuses on the negatives of
something else. If a representative of an itinerant system is talking to you
about your child's going to public school and all you're hearing [from them] is
how lousy the school for the blind is; or, on the other hand, a representative
from the school for the blind is telling you how awful the public school system
is, that's something you want to back away from. Because frankly it isn't a
matter of where your child goes, it's a matter of what your child is going to
learn. You want to be sure, for example, that your child is going to learn to
read Braille. Totally blind or partially sighted, I believe that visually
impaired people ought to learn how to read Braille. It is a matter of your
child's being literate. I am well aware of the fact that there are very
excellent pieces of equipment for enlarging print material and excellent
resources for recorded materials. But, in my mind, your child's ability to read
Braille should be a primary consideration in any educational program your child
enters.
You should ensure that your child is going to get some form of orientation
and mobility instruction. You want to be sure there will be learning experiences
connected with the skills of daily living which will supplement what you have
taught your child over the years. And you should expect (as is the case with any
good school program) that your child will be permitted, and in fact encouraged,
to become involved in a full physical education program.
Career planning and the kind of work that your youngster will be doing when
he or she grows up may well be something that is on your mind now, and will
obviously become a reality not too far in the future. Perhaps you can remember
back to that long distant past when you were growing up and thinking about
becoming a doctor, or nurses, or fireman. Well all kids have dreams and visually
handicapped children have such dreams. You'll be working with agency people in
regard to those vocational aspirations that you have for your children or your
children have for themselves. And, once again, you will want to recognize there
will be both some excellent and some pretty poor counselors in the agencies. You
don't want to be pushed into the stereotypic kinds of jobs counselors will, on
occasion, try to move visually handicapped clients into. Mind you, there is
nothing wrong with these jobs into which many blind people have moved
successfully. But, on the other hand, you can be imaginative and so can your
youngster. There are blind people who are scientists and stock brokers. A
variety of jobs are being opened as a result of computer technology. And so you
and your child have as much right to be imaginative in the selection of a career
as any sighted person.
If you cannot find the kind of role models in the agencies (and in fact
even if such role models are there) let me encourage you to contact and learn
about the very active consumer groups of the blind which exist in this country.
There are affiliates of these consumer groups in every state. Not only will you
learn a great deal about advocacy from these organizations, but you' Il meet a
vast array of self-confident people who have gone off and established successful
lives in a variety of occupations.
And so I'll close and leave you with this final wish. I sincerely hope that
someday in the future at least one of your children will be doing what I am
doing right now; making a speech to a group of people like yourselves and
talking about the wonderful, successful, and exciting life that he or she has
had. And I would hope that he or she would attribute a good part of the success
to the fact that you, as parents, provided a good and necessary start in those
oh so important, early growing up years.
WHAT BLIND CHILDREN NEED
by Tim Day
Editor's Note: Tim is 7 years old and attends Roosevelt Elementary School in
Bellingham, Washington, where he will be in the first grade this fall. This
article was submitted in Braille with a print transcription. Tim's mother,
Debbie Day, is an active and enthusiastic member of the National Federation of
the Blind and its Northwest Parents Division. She also co-ordinates the
Blindness and Adoption Network of the national NFB Parents of Blind Children
Division
Blind children don't see. They must use a cane. Canes help a lot. Blind
children must know what things are. Some blind children haven't been to a
rectory. Some blind children haven't been in a taxi. Others haven't been in a
motor home. Go see things with your children.
Blind children read Braille. They must have Braille books. Braille is fun!
I like to read and write Braille. I have an electric Braille writer. It has
one-handed extension keys because I have C.P. and my left hand is not strong. I
have a Braille Speak and Spell and have learned how to spell lots of new words.
I like to get a perfect score.
EDUCATION OF THE BLIND FOUR-YEAR-OLD
Editor's Note: Four years ago Robin Reynolds wrote one little letter which
forever changed the direction of her daughter's education. Emily, Mrs. Reynold's
daughter, was seven-months-old when she was diagnosed as blind. In the months
that followed, Mrs. Reynolds dug up every bit of information she could find
about blindness. Somewhere in her search she came across the name and address of
the National Federation of the Blind. Emily was ten-months-old when Mom read her
first issue of Future Reflections.
Today, Emily is working on wearing out her second cane (she got her first one
when she was two), and is eager to learn to read Braille (she enters a local
Headstart program this fall.) Mrs. Reynolds is active in her local chapter of
the National Federation of the Blind, as well as her NFB state division for
parents of blind children. She attended her first National Convention of the
National Federation of the Blind this past July in New Orleans, and was almost
overwhelmed with everything that she learned.
One of the many people she met at convention was Doris Willoughby, co-author of
Handbook for Itinerant and Resource Teachers of Visually Impaired Students. The
following letter from Mrs. Willoughby to Mrs. Reynolds is a consequence of that
meeting.
August 16, 1991
Dear Mrs. Reynolds:
I am pleased to offer, as you requested, suggestions about appropriate
special services for a young blind student. As you know, I am a certified
teacher of visually impaired children and presently work in an itinerant
position here in central Iowa.
You asked me about recommendations for a child who is four years old and
will attend kindergarten in 1992-93 and whose vision is low enough that it would
be unwise to make inkprint the main mode of reading. Overall ability is within
the normal or superior range.
Tactile discrimination work (Braille reading readiness) is important and
appropriate even before age four. Examples include tasks such as:
* Comparing textures
* Following along a line of Braille symbols
* Finding two or more symbols that are alike
* Telling whether two symbols are alike or different
This kind of work should continue in conjunction with more advanced
lessons.
In this last year before kindergarten the child should also be learning to
read and write the Braille alphabet, the Braille numerals, and a few Braille
words. The Patterns Braille series from the American Printing House for the
Blind is one good curriculum. The "Readiness" level of this series teaches the
alphabet and 23 easy words. Along with such work there should be a great deal of
the varied practice that is important for all children at this level. For
example:
* Matching letter cards with objects according to beginning sounds.
* Sorting letters: all the b's into the b box, etc.
* Matching a capital letter with the same letter in lower case.
* Composing an "experience story" and rereading it aloud with the teacher.
* Matching a number with the appropriate quantity of objects.
* Reading a number and performing an action (such as clapping) the given number
of times.
* Reading a few words and short simple sentences.
Some of this kind of practice can be in conjunction with the regular
lessons for the whole class. For example, suppose that the class will discuss
the letter f, look at some words that start with f and select pictures which
demonstrate f Then they will print several f's. The blind child could be given
cards with the letter and with words that start with the particular letter; she
could hear the names of the pictures and touch at least one actual object such
as a feather. She could then write several Braille f's (probably on the Perkins
Braillewriter).
From an early age, the child should be integrated for many activities in a
group where most of the students do not have disabilities.
At the same time, she should also have individual work to meet her special
needs. A certified teacher of blind children should teach new skills, take the
main responsibility for specialized instruction, and show other adults how to
conduct additional practice. Braille skills should be worked on every day. I
would expect that the time devoted by the specialized teacher of blind children
would increase at this stage (or at least remain the same, if time was already
generous the previous year).
A child of this age should also be using a long white cane. As with
Braille, cane skills should be used everyday. A teacher with a background in
cane travel should take the main responsibility, but others should also guide
the child in continual use of the cane in school and daily life.
For a child with some sight it is important that "sleepshades" be worn to
cover the eyes during lessons in Braille and cane travel.
Please let me know if I can be of further help.
Sincerely,
Doris M. Willoughby
BLIND KIDS LOVE SPORTS, TOO!
by Tom Balek
The whole world has gone crazy. Sports crazy, that is.
Fans pack stadiums by the tens of thousands to watch millionaires hit,
catch, throw, tackle, shoot, drive, and run. The airwaves are crammed with games
of all sorts and even the commercials during non-sports programs feature
athlete-superstars hyping everything from beer to bouquets.
From the time they are tiny, kids are encouraged (sometimes pushed) to
become involved in sports. Most boys and girls are active in at least one sport,
and for some the pursuit of athletic excellence is the most important aspect of
their daily lives.
Some parents feel this emphasis on sports, especially the exaggerated
competitiveness so common in kids' sports today, is out of control. Others view
sports as essential to physical, social, and mental well-being. But right or
wrong, our children are surrounded by sports of all sorts every day. And blind
kids are no different.
Parents play a major role in helping their blind children enjoy sports,
both as participants and spectators. Every family has different interests, and
this should come through naturally with a blind child. If your family loves
basketball, your blind child will, too. if you are into car racing, no doubt
your blind child will be a race fan. And there is no reason why a blind child
can't enjoy the same sports as his sighted peers, as a fan, or a participant or
both. My 11-year old son shares my love for sports, and it is something that
will always keep us close.
The key is alternative techniques and being creative. Since a blind child
can't see the game, it's helpful for a parent to become a good "play by play"
announcer. It's surprising how easy and how much fun this is. With a little
practice and a little knowledge about the game, a parent can become a good
announcer in no time. Listen carefully to a radio announcer (for the common team
sports), paying special attention to how he "locates" the action on the field or
court. If you don't know all the players by heart, jot down the lineups for
quick reference. It doesn't hurt to have your child write or Braille them up
before you go to the game. Having a "picture" of the playing field, either in
large print, Braille, or raised dot relief, helps a child follow the action
better. My boy likes to Braille the football positions, offensive and defensive,
for different formations. We refer to them when we discuss the plays.
Learn to keep up with the action, and keep your child involved in the game
by frequently updating the score and the game situation. Show your excitement.
Describe the crowd, the colors, the surroundings (and for the boys, don't forget
the cheerleaders). A good seat at the football or baseball stadium is worth just
as much to a blind kid as to anyone else. In fact, the closer you are to the
field or court the more action you will hear.
Don't forget the details. Describe the tall, black guy with the bald head.
Read the advertising on the right field wall. Point out the kid in the first row
who is working on his third hot dog and got mustard all over his shirt. All of
these things are part of a sporting event and you need to share whatever catches
your eye.
Radio announcers are preferable to TV because they must provide all the
details. But it's a mistake to rely exclusively on radio for a blind child who
is learning about the game because the announcer assumes a level of
understanding that the child doesn't have. The parent knows the child's
perspective and interests and can do a much better job. Besides, there's more to
enjoy at a ball game than just the game action. The child wants to be with the
parent and enjoy the sounds and smells and feel of the event. A pair of
headphones clamped over the child's ears can take him or her right out of the
stands. Older children who have a working knowledge of the game can enjoy
listening to broadcasts but will still prefer the contact of a parent.
Blind kids love to read about sports, too, a fact that should not be lost
on teachers and parents who want their blind students to read and write more.
Parents who read the sports pages in the newspaper should consider reading out
loud for the benefit of their blind child. Frequently I will come across an
article in my favorite sport magazine that I know will interest my son, so I key
it into his computer and print a copy in Braille for him. And he has quite a
collection of baseball, football, and basketball cards which he has Brailled
with his slate and stylus. He writes letters to his favorite athletes and
follows their exploits in the news. Kids love to talk sports and trade cards.
Blind kids should not be left out of this important social interaction.
So our blind children can enjoy sports as spectators. But what about
participation? They want action, not just words! And they can have it.
Naturally some sports are more accessible to blind kids than others.
Swimming is a good example. There are also many talented blind wrestlers. Some
blind people are into jogging with a sighted companion. The martial arts are a
challenge to the blind but are very rewarding; my son is fortunate to have an
excellent, young, and very patient karate instructor, and he is making steady
progress.
Adaptations are made to some sports specifically for blind participants,
such as bowling with a guide rail and/or gutter bumpers, and beep baseball. But
blind kids can participate in other sports which might not seem accessible at
first blush. My son really enjoys a game of touch football in the yard with the
neighborhood kids. He has experimented at nearly every position and does a
pretty good job at center. Football is a `touching' type sport and is easier for
him to relate to than baseball. He also loves to play basketball in the
driveway; dribbling is no problem and, guided by a beeper attached to his
basket, he gets in some shots, too. Even though a blind child will never get to
participate in these team sports in an organized way, playing with family and
friends helps him or her understand the games while getting some good healthy
exercise.
Our blind children should expect, and get, the same physical education at
school as their sighted peers. We parents must be sure that overly protective
teachers and administrators don't isolate our kids for fear they will get hurt.
Participation is important for their physical development as well as their
relatIonships to peers. Our kids are entitled to an education, and this includes
physical education.
Yes, we admit it; we are sports crazy, my blind son and I. But don't call
the shrink. Neither of us wants to get well.
USING MAPS
Reprinted from:
Handbook for Itinerant and Resource Teachers of Blind and Visually Impaired
Students by Doris M. Willoughby and Sharon L. M. Duffy.
Editor's Note: The book from which this article is taken is absolutely
top-notch. It is, in my opinion, one of the best investments any parent or
teacher of a blind student can make. If you doubt it, just read this segment on
maps.
The book is available in print ($23.00), Braille ($33.00), and cassette ($33.00)
from the National Federation of the Blind (price includes shipping and
handling). To order send request (please be sure to say which format you want:
print, Braille, or cassette) and check or money order to: National Federation of
the Blind, Materials Center, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230. You
may also charge it to your Discover, MasterCard, or Visa provided you send in
the name of your card, card number, expiration date, and signature. Payment must
accompany order. For more information, or to request a publications order form,
write to the address above or call (301) 659-9314.
Partially Sighted Students
The student with some useful sight will probably make maximum use of it in
map work. Use large, clear maps and keep them as uncluttered as possible.
Experiment with magnifiers and various kinds of markers. If a closed circuit
television is available (see Other Modes of Reading"), this may be one of its
best uses. The student may be able to use sight profitably for map work even
though he/she does not ordinarily read inkprint.
At the same time, students who ordinarily use regular print may have
trouble reading detailed maps, and find magnification helpful.
The Beginner
The young student who is forming concepts of geography must have maps and
globes he/she can use. If print is not appropriate, Braille maps and globes
should be provided. Some are available from the American Printing House for the
Blind (APH) and other sources.
APH has recently developed a number of helpful kits and booklets for
teaching map reading. However, as of this writing, APH seems actually to be
decreasing its production of regular Braille maps of actual places-despite the
importance of these materials and despite the fact that few are available
elsewhere. This is a most unfortunate trend, to which consumers should object
strongly.
Do not assume that when a geography book is transcribed, the maps will be
included in usable form. Tapes generally omit maps altogether. A large print
book will have the maps, but they will be black and white and often of very poor
quality. A book ordered in Braille (even one actually entitled "Map Study") may
or may not contain real, usable maps. Often only the text will have been
transcribed. Until better technology and/or greater attention to the importance
of maps solves this problem, you will often need to compensate for this problem.
An ordinary relief map may be satisfactory for some purposes.
Among the many advantages of the Patterns Braille reading series is its
beginning map work. Map-skills workbooks for the sighted can also be transcribed
into Braille.
The regular reading-readiness activities may be helpful to the student with
poor skills in using his/her hands. After all, if the student cannot easily tell
a triangle from a square, or determine which symbol is smaller, then he will not
do well with a regular Braille map. Even good Braille readers may do poorly in
these skills, and these ideas may be used at any age level.
Consider using selections from Braille reading-readiness books. These
usually have many pages of simple raised shapes of various sizes-circles,
squares, triangles, etc. There may be several on a page, in various positions.
Often these can be used for elementary map practice. Using simple pages of this
type, devise basic map skills lessons, designating symbols as you see fit:
1. (Several circles in a row horizontally): "These are cities. Show me the
city that is farthest east; west."
2. (Circle, triangle, and square): "This is a map of a park. The circle is
a fountain, the triangle an evergreen tree, and the square a flower garden. look
them over and then show me how to walk from the tree to the flower bed without
getting wet."
3. (Three triangles of graduated sizes): "The larger the symbol, the larger
the city. Show me the largest city; the smallest city.
4. Attach letter labels to certain shapes, and explain, "A is Apple City,"
etc. Make a Braille key.
Two readiness books I have found especially suitable for this kind of thing
are:
* A Tactual Road to Reading, Skill Books, Kurzhals and Caton, APH (Some volumes
are better than others for this purpose).
* Modern Methods of Teaching Braille, Book 1 (Kansas Braille Reading Readiness
Book), Stocker, APH
The Value of Map Skills
Map work sometimes prompts the question, "What will she get out of it,
anyway?"
Explain that maps teach important concepts which are part of a basic
education. Give practical examples. Many jobs require a basic grasp of distances
and geographical relationships a travel agency or an airline; a traveling sales
job; a supervisor over a wide area. As a close-to-home example, consider the
blind itinerant teacher: he/she must hire and instruct a driver, who may have
limited education and be inept at reading a map and using the scale of miles.
Appropriate Maps
Keeping the map uncluttered is very important. It may be necessary to
provide two maps, each with some of the information, instead of one cluttered
one. Another useful technique is to provide a very basic Braille or large print
map (for instance, just the state boundaries, abbreviated state names, and marks
for the capitals), and give other information in a key.
It is often helpful to explain orally while moving the student's hand over
a simple political map. ("Look here at the western states. Now, the Rocky
Mountains extend all along here. Actually they start `way up north in Alaska and
Canada, which are clear off the map here, they extend through Idaho, Montana,
Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado and on into Arizona and New Mexico, here. This is
the southern border of the United States. The mountains don't cover all of each
of those states, and there are valleys in between mountains, but this is the
area where the Rockies are. Now, I' Il show you that once more, and then I'd
like you to take your hands clear off the map for a moment and then you show me
the general area where we find the Rockies.")
This same general approach can be used with a very simple large print map
if the student cannot see much detail. Because of frequent need for various
explanations, some individual attention is usually needed for map work.
Creative Ideas
For the older student who has already acquired basic geographical concepts,
oral discussion alone may be sufficient. ("As you know, the Rocky Mountains
appear in the western part of the United States. This chapter expects you to
know rather precisely where they are. I will describe the map on Page 35. They
begin in Alaska and extend through western Canada, and on through Idaho,
Montana....")
What if the assignment is to mark up a map-say, insert the state names and
draw rivers? Just as the sighted student will essentially copy the information
from a ready-made map, the blind student can examine a Braille map and dictate
to a sighted assistant. He might indicate position on a simple, unlabeled raised
outline map, `marking off' each state as he names it by placing a pin or a bit
of tape. (After all sighted students can easily tell which answers have been
given.) An adult might "check off' each answer as it is given, with or without
actual transcription onto a printed map. ("I will name several states, and you
show me where they are on this raised outline map. Then show me where the
Mississippi River runs. You may refer to the Braille atlas.")
More ideas for making and using maps include:
1. Make a floor plan of the school and a simple map of the student's
immediate home neighborhood.
2. Try to provide a selection of map-skills sheets, plus maps of
continents and regions. With a little adaptation and explanation, a basic
political map of France can be used for almost any map work about France.
3. For a general map-skills unit consider using a ready-made package
which is equivalent but not exactly the same. Custom-producing Braille maps for
one student is so time-consuming as to warrant the strongest consideration of
other alternatives.
4. For the partially sighted, laminate bold-line outline maps of
countries and regions. These can be written or drawn on with china marker or
crayon, then wiped off and used again.
5. Temporary labels can be attached in many ways. Form a short segment of
masking tape into a loop, or buy double-stick tape, and apply to the back of a
label. Or, attach small "flags" to pins, and tack the map to a soft board. For
practice or testing purposes remove one or more labels and have the student put
them back. Or, replace keyed labels with simple numbered labels, and ask the
student to tell what each represents.
6. Braille maps are usually not as precise or uniform as print maps.
Often it is unfair to practice with one map and then give a test with a
different one. Changing or removing labels as above, is one way to give a test
fairly.
7. Maps and globes can be obtained from APH or libraries for the blind.
They can also be constructed with Plaster of Paris, clay, or papier mache.
8. Certain maps are so detailed that it is hardly ever worthwhile to
custom-produce them in Braille. An example would be topographical maps showing
altitude delineations within a small area. If the student does not understand
the concept of such a map, try to get a previously-made one of a small area, to
demonstrate the general idea. Then verbally discuss the maps the class is using.
Include whatever specific concepts are being taught by the classroom teacher.
9. Sometimes a complex map is more meaningful if broken down into two or
more simpler maps. For example, a state map with a great deal of information
might be reproduced as three Braille maps: counties; major cities and highways;
and rivers.
10. Ways to make various kinds of dots include:
* The Perkins Brailler or the slate
* Pushing with either end of a pen or pencil, or with the stylus from a Braille
slate, into paper that is on a soft surface
* Gluing on seeds, beads, or other objects
* The Swail Dot Inverter from APH (makes a large dot)
11. Tactually different lines must be used to show different things (e.g.,
county lines, roads, rivers). Otherwise, when lines cross on a tactile map, it
will be hard to know which line goes where. Various ways to make lines include:
* Any of the above dots in series
* A tracing wheel or wheels - steady or interrupted
* Gluing on string or yarn, cutting the ends with a razor blade for precision
12. There is a common method of making lines which I have not found very
satisfactory: trailing "Elmer's Glue," or a similar product, on a line and
allowing it to dry. This is difficult to follow by touch, and not very durable.
It is far better, and not much more work to trail the glue into a line and then
apply string or yarn.
13. The Tactile Graphics Kit from APH has special symbols such as a print
v-shape in raised form. These are applied like Notary seals.
14. A very durable map, especially suitable for Thermoform, may be made
from the special heavy aluminum foil from APH. Any of the above methods,
including gluing objects on, can be used with this. Some things are much easier
to do with this medium, especially making a "flat" line (comparable to a pencil
line, with no interruptions).
15. Except on the very simplest and most uncluttered maps, labels should
be abbreviated and keyed. Try to make the abbreviations logical. For example, sw
for swimming pool and gf for golf course would be much more easily remembered
than an arbitrary a and b. Save space by using no capital dots.
16. Graph paper (available from APH With raised lines or bold lines) can
be used for practice with latitude and longitude.
17. Ink for easy ways to enlarge a map. A photocopier with enlarging
capabilities may produce a suitable map for a large print user. The enlarged
copy may also be traced with felt pen or a tracing wheel (using carbon paper to
compensate for reversal with the latter). Alternatively, tape a large piece of
paper onto the wall, and use an Opaque Projector to create a very large image.
Trace over the image with pencil. Then the paper can be taken down and used to
make a bold-line map or a Braille map.
18. Use reference books such as the Tactile Graphics Guidebook from APH.
This book gives practical suggestions and shows good and poor examples of
Braille maps and tables.
19. Especially for the beginner, it is helpful for the student actually to
face north while studying a map.
THE WORK ETHIC APPLIES TO BLIND CHILDREN, TOO
by Catherine Horn Randall
Reprinted from the Month's News, the newsletter of the National Federation of
the Blind of Illinois.
An article published in the January, 1986, issue of Reader's Digest
entitled "How to Raise a Happy Child," by Edwin Kiester, Jr., and Sally Valente
Kiester, made me stop and reexamine my carefree childhood. The truths I read and
re-read in the Digest article can be especially applied to the lives of blind
and partially blind children and teenagers, as well as to their sighted peers.
This forty-year-old Harvard study began to try to understand juvenile
delinquency. The study traced the lives of 456 boys from inner city Boston. When
the boys' lives were compared at middle age, one fact was cited. "Regardless of
intelligence, family income, ethnic background, or amount of education, those
who had worked as boys, even at simple household chores, enjoyed happier and
more productive lives than those who had not."
According to Dr. George E. Vaillant, author of the study, "Boys who worked
in the home or community gained competence and came to feel they were worthwhile
members of society. And because they felt good about themselves, others felt
good about them."
According to the article, an eleven-year-old philosopher of the 1980s
instructed his mother as follows: "You only need to know three things about
kids. Don't hit them too much, don't yell at them too much, and don't do too
much for them."
As a child during the dark ages of the 1950s, I was not expected to do
regular chores at home. I emptied waste baskets sometimes and made my bed
occasionally, but I was not regularly expected to do these jobs or others as a
contributing member of the family. Over the years I have asked my mother why she
did not expect me to do chores at home, and her answer has invariably been that
my school work took up most of my time. I then have to remind her that I did not
start bringing home much homework until I was twelve. I feel it is a disservice
to any child, and especially to a blind child, not to be expected to share
family responsibilities along with everyone else. Just because a child or
teenager happens to be partially or totally blind should not exempt him or her
from learning to take responsibility.
When homework assignments became routine, I was expected to do them. I
loved school and didn't mind working hard to complete assignments. The one area,
therefore, in which I was expected by my parents to follow through, I did. But
in life we must learn to also complete jobs we don't like. This is called living
up to our responsibilities.
Blind children have the right to learn to become independent people. This
means they need to know how to do every chore around a house competently. I did
not know how to iron when I left home for college. I sent my blouses to a
laundry service, and I took a lot of ribbing about it. So many things in life
would have been so much easier if I had learned to do them as a child or as a
teenager.
As a high school English teacher, I have learned that if students are not
expected to meet and exceed reasonable standards of performance, they won't.
This philosophy applies also throughout life outside the classroom. Blind people
must be able to perform everyday tasks as competently as their sighted peers.
The blind child, like any child, needs to feel that he or she is an integral
contributing part of the family team. As your child or teenager learns to master
household tasks, his or her self-confidence will improve. The blind child needs
to be a participant in life, not just a spectator.
The most important gift you can give your blind son or daughter, after
assurance of family love and support, is to teach that person to become as
self-sufficient as possible. In addition to developing good cooking, cleaning,
and laundry skills at home, insist that Braille and cane travel skills are
written into your child's Individual Education Program (IEP) at school.
FUNCTIONAL CURRICULUM: JUST COMMON SENSE
by Patty Merryman
Editor's Note: Reprinted from Perceive, a newsletter for parents published by
P.A.V.I.C. of Colorado, the following article was originally titled, "Spring
Conference Time."
One of the most exciting new (it's really old fashioned but full of common
sense) approaches in education is called "Functional Curriculum." It's a way of
looking at the child and asking, "what are other children of that age doing and
how can my child be doing more age-appropriate activities?" As a parent of a
multi-handicapped boy, pegboards and blocks were just not helping in the
activities of daily living and having my child be an integral part of family
life. When the other children had chores, he was playing. They felt picked on
and he felt left out. I decided to use what I had learned in the "functional
curriculum" workshop over the summer months to involve my son in household
chores.
Some of the goals we had set were to improve his short- and long-term
memory, improve tactile discrimination, and to improve motor planning and
orienting objects into a given space. Okay, what daily activities use these
processes? My creative parental mind began to churn.
Short- and Long-Term Memory
I remember in which drawer and where in each drawer I keep each type of
clothing. Time for my six-year-old son to learn where his clothes are stored so
that he can get them in the morning to get dressed. This not only helped his
memory skills but his dressing skills and independence. Yea! Now Mom has one
less job to do, and he is on his way to becoming a more typically independent
six-year-old. Of course, this took my time at the beginning of the summer, but
by the end it was his job entirely.
Tactile Discrimination
How about having my son sort the socks from all of the other clean laundry
in the basket? Although this may not be a normal chore in most homes, it is
useful in our home for the division of labor between the two sisters. All of the
socks are put to the right and all of the other laundry is placed on the left.
This teaches my son left and right as well as giving him much opportunity to
tactually explore and discriminate similar textures. Other laundry tasks are on
the way.
Motor Planning--Orienting Objects in Space
The old pegboard and puzzles just lost out to the silverware divider.
Although for half of the summer, knives, forks, and spoons could be found in any
slot facing any direction, by the end of the summer most utensils were in the
right slots even if not perfect. I found some preliminary planning had to be
done on my part. He had to be in a chair that was of adequate height and he had
to have the container, from which he was removing the silverware, at a slightly
lower level in order for him to have the ability to lift them up and out. These
problems were solved with a step-stool chair for him to sit on near the drawer,
and with a regular chair for the container to sit on. I also was careful to
remove all sharp knives and objects prior to his beginning the task.
These tasks not only helped my son reach his IEP goals over the summer but
also gave him a sense of responsibility to the family. He has a job that is his,
and now he gets very upset if he hears someone else putting away the silverware.
POURING IN THE DARK
by Connie Weadon
Reprinted from Dialogue, Fall/Winter, 1990.
If you were to ask a newly blind person what is most frustrating to him, he
probably would not say mastering Braille or completing mobility. His response
more likely would be to name one of the ordinary tasks of daily living which
most people perform without a thought. One such task is pouring.
To pour liquids successfully, I recommend three methods:
1. Placing the finger over the edge of the cup or glass and pouring until
liquid touches your finger.
2. Judging the fullness of the container by its weight.
3. Listening to note how the sound of the liquid changes as it nears the
top of the container.
Most people probably use a combination of these methods or change
techniques depending on the situation. I would advise experimenting with the
different methods until you find which one is most comfortable for you. All
three can be used for pouring hot or cold liquids into a cup or glass.
Pouring liquid from a large container into a smaller one can be tricky. I
recommend using a funnel. Place the funnel inside the top of the smaller
container, hold the outside edge of it with one hand and pour with the other.
Listen to the sound of the liquid as it is poured, and check the weight of the
smaller container often, or put your finger inside the rim of the container
periodically to see how close to the top you are.
The challenge of pouring liquid flavorings such as vanilla, liquid
medicine, or other substances into a measuring spoon or cup is not impossible.
One solution is to hold the spoon or cup over a bowl that will catch any amount
you might spill. Return the excess to its original container using the funnel.
Another solution might be to pour the liquid into a bowl, then dip it out with a
measuring spoon or cup. Again the excess can be returned to its original
container using a funnel.
To pour the water off pasta, vegetables, or other foods, use a large
strainer. Place the strainer in the sink, and use your hands to orient yourself
to its exact location. Hold the handle of the pot with one hand, using an oven
mitt, grasp the outer edge of the pan opposite the handle, and pour slowly into
the strainer. I suggest using large strainers because if you use one that is too
small, part of your food may end up in the sink.
When pouring water, soup, wine or other liquids into a casserole dish or
pan, locate the outer edge of the dish or pan with one hand, and pour with the
other. This way of orienting yourself will keep you from pouring liquid over the
edge or onto the stove or counter.
Some blind people feel they must have a liquid level indicator. This small
device is simply a nine-volt battery attached to two prongs. Place the prongs
over the edge of the cup or glass. When liquid reaches the top, the liquid level
indicator will emit a beeping sound. Although these little gadgets make nice
conversation pieces, I would hardly consider them a necessary adaptive aid.
An alternative to pouring hot liquids is to use the Hot Shot or Hot
Beverage maker. This device is available from companies that sell adaptive aids
but also can be found in department or discount stores. The Hot Shot fits easily
on a counter top and requires electricity. It holds up to 12 ounces of water,
and is useful for making a cup of tea, instant coffee, or soup. Lift the lid off
the Hot Shot and pour in the needed amount of water. Place your mug or bowl on
the base of the Hot Shot and close the lid. A few inches below the lid are two
levers. When you press the one on the left a red light will come on. Water
reaches the boiling point very quickly in these devices. Listen for the boiling
sound to begin and end. When it ends, the red light will go off and the beverage
maker automatically turns itself off. Then press the lever on the right to
dispense the water into your cup or bowl.
In this article I have presented some techniques and equipment that might
alleviate the task of pouring liquids. Again, I encourage you to use the method
that is most comfortable for you. No matter how careful you are, it is
inevitable that some spilling will occur. Be prepared with paper towels and
sponges, and clean up spills as quickly as possible. Remember that blind people
aren't the only ones who spill things.
BLINDNESS AND THE USE OF PARTIAL VISION
by Alfred P. Maneki, Ph.D.
Editor's Note: Reprinted from the August, 1989, Braille Monitor, this article is
based on a speech Dr. Maneki, a leader in the National Federation of the Blind
of Maryland, gave at an NFB seminar for parents of blind children.
Despite what some have said about the National Federation of the Blind, we
are not opposed to the desire of blind people to use the vision they possess,
assuming that they employ it effectively and that they have acquired alternative
techniques which they can use when it is more efficient to do so. Braille, cane
travel, typing, and good listening habits are not inferior skills, and we should
be trained to use them when our sight is inadequate to do the job at hand. The
problems arise when the blind person who has not been properly trained is forced
to rely on clearly inadequate partial vision rather than the alternative
techniques of blindness which are more efficient.
The educational system, when I was a child as well as today, always does
what is easiest and will do more only when concerned and informed parents insist
on the most appropriate training for their children.
I grew up before the development of modern computer technology and before
Public Law 94-142 and IEP's. At that time most children, even the "partially
sighted," were sent to the school for the deaf and blind. I know now that this
was a typically repressive school in many ways with extremely negative attitudes
about blindness. We were neither instructed nor encouraged in cane travel. Shop
classes, cooking classes, and recreational activities were minimal. We were
never challenged intellectually. There was an emphasis on music, which did
nothing for my musical inabilities. I am sure that our teachers felt sorry for
us and did not think we would amount to much in our lives.
And yet all children in the "blind department" were taught to read Braille
and to write it with slate and stylus. We were admonished constantly: "Don't use
your eyes! They'll go bad!" It was easier back then for the system to teach
Braille to all of us. The school for the blind had to teach Braille anyway.
Braille books were available in relatively greater numbers than they are today.
All but a very few blind and visually impaired children were sent to the school
for the blind anyway. Who bother with large print?
Today, the situation has been reversed. Braille is the bother. "Why teach
Braille if you don't have to and if the parents will let you get away with not
doing so?" I am convinced that if I were a child growing up in Howard County,
Maryland, today, tests would show that I could read large print. Forget about
reading and writing efficiently! These tests would be used to convince my
parents that I really didn't need Braille after all. Here again, though, it
would never be acknowledged; the primary consideration would be the convenience
of the teachers and administrators. Video technology makes enlargement of print
much cheaper than Braille, and teaching print reading is more familiar, so never
mind the eyestrain, the slowness, or the relative lack of portability of the
equipment.
Inevitably, children grow up and must conduct their lives with whatever
training or lack of training they have received. I was very fortunate to have
learned Braille in my childhood and acquired other alternative techniques later.
I was able to take notes with slate and stylus in my college classes. I had
developed good listening habits and could use recorded materials and readers
effectively. I was able to prepare for graduate level exams, write a Ph.D.
dissertation in mathematics, teach college mathematics, and find rewarding
employment in government service, none of which could I have pulled off if I had
had only large print at my command.
Here is my advice to parents and partially-sighted students. Never let your
school system off the hook. Demand alternative techniques when they are not
offered. Insist upon large print if it would help. Make the system work to your
advantage by requesting as many alternative techniques as are really useful and
efficient. Do not allow yourselves to be convinced by the so-called "experts on
blindness" that it is simply beyond the capacity of the partially blind child to
learn both Braille and print. It isn't true. Most important, cultivate positive
attitudes about your child or yourself as a blind person, and develop
proficiency in the skills of blindness that will allow competent performance.
How does one use partial vision, and when is it useful? Every individual is
best able to answer these questions personally and should have the training and
good sense to know that relying entirely on vision when it is insufficient is
foolish. Here is a sample of instances when I find my eyesight useful:
* Writing on a blackboard. I learned delivering college lectures that I could
write on a blackboard even though I could not see what I had written. Here
earlier training with large print would have been most helpful.
* Traveling without using a cane. Although I do not always absolutely need to
use a cane, there are times when it is necessary. Some years ago I stopped
wasting time trying to anticipate when I might need it. I decided to use it all
the time, and I now have one less thing to worry about. With experience and
competence with a cane one outgrows self-consciousness about blindness.
* Identifying paper currency. Although I cannot do this rapidly, it is a
convenience when I am given change for a purchase.
* Reading labels. This is useful for identifying canned goods, but not much
more.
* Reading large print on a computer terminal. This is moderately useful when
working with computer program code, which tends to be concisely written.
* Distinguishing junk mail from bills and personal correspondence. This is
helpful, but not essential.
* Looking at my Braille watch, rather than reading it with my index finger.
The list could go on, but I think my point is clear.
My parents and teachers never really believed that Braille, the white cane,
using readers efficiently, and typing would enable me to be successful in life.
Nevertheless, I was taught these skills; and although they were started later
than was ideal, they have helped me more than the limited sight that I have and
use some of the time.
I owe whatever understanding I have of myself and of blindness largely to
my involvement in the National Federation of the Blind. Through its teachings
and in its practices, the NFB has given me a sense of well-being and
completeness that I could not have achieved alone. The NFB is not a cult, as
some misguidedly and ignorantly claim. Instead, the NFB represents a powerful
and effective effort by the blind to correct the ills and injustices of a
frequently misguided society, and all are invited to join in our quest for
freedom.
EDUCATION OF THE BLIND MENTALLY RETARDED CHILD
by Colleen Roth
A child who is blind and has another disability obviously has two things to
deal with; however, the primary disability is generally not the blindness. For
example, the primary disability of a child who is blind and mentally retarded is
the mental retardation. A child who is blind can learn the same things as other
children learn by using some alternative techniques, such as Braille or typing.
A child who is mentally retarded learns differently, that is, the child learns
more slowly. The child may or may not learn academic skills.
In this article we are going to explore some of the educational needs of
the blind mentally retarded child whose IQ is from 55 to 70. These children can
generally read up to the 3rd or 4th grade level. Those in the lower IQ ranges
may still be able to do basic reading. These children are classified as
developmentally handicapped. You may know this degree of mental retardation
(55-70 IQ range) by the name EMR, that is, educable mentally retarded. These
children can learn such academic skills as reading, math, spelling, and
counting. Children who function in this range can be mainstreamed for many
subjects. They are often in a resource room in a public school and are
mainstreamed for such subjects as music, art, and gym.
Children who are educable mentally retarded and blind should be taught
Braille. They do not necessarily need to know all the rules and all the Braille
II code, but they should be taught enough Braille for their needs; certainly
they should learn the alphabet and basic punctuation. In this way the child
could learn to write and read Braille recipes, simple directions, grocery lists,
telephone numbers, and Braille tags for clothing.
If the child has some useable vision, it is possible that both Braille and
print could be taught. The corresponding large print letter and the embossed
Braille letter could appear on flash cards, and the child could learn both. It
would probably take some time and effort but it would be well worth it. As we
all know, people with limited vision sometimes lose it, or often have lifetime
problems with headaches and eye strain. Again, this endeavor would take some
time, but it is not beyond the reach of most children who function in this
range.
It is often said that people who are mentally retarded and have other
disabilities cannot learn Braille. This is simply not necessarily the case and
every child should be evaluated individually. Braille can be taught to many if
not most of these youngsters if patience and positive attitudes are employed.
The educable mentally retarded blind person can also learn the work skills
that persons in his or her IQ range learn in the classroom. There may need to be
some adaptations, but with a little ingenuity the same assignments that are
given to the other members of the class can also be given to this youngster.
Generally, these youngsters learn to do such things as cleaning and janitorial
work. Other types of work include dishwashing and line help in restaurants.
People who are blind and mentally retarded can be trained in these areas, too,
and can become effective workers.
We must approach the education of the blind mentally retarded child the
same way we approach the education of the mentally retarded child. The teacher
of the blind can be expected to teach certain blindness skills such as Braille,
cane travel, and other alternative techniques and to consult with the regular
teacher about approaches and materials to use in the classroom, but he or she
should not be expected to take on the full responsibility of the child's
education. That job belongs to the classroom teacher, and he or she should work
to make the child an integral part of the classroom.
NOTE: Mrs. Colleen Roth is co-chair of the Committee on Blind and Multiply
Handicapped Children, NFB Parents of Blind Children Division. She would like to
share information and ideas with other parents and teachers of blind multiply
handicapped children. Her address and telephone number are: 1912 Tracy Road,
Northwood, OH 43619; phone numbers (419) 666-6212 or (419) 661-9171.
SENSORY SYSTEMS
Editor's Note: I recently found the following item in at least three different
publications. However, none of them listed an author or an original publication
source. I decided to print a mildly edited-I deleted the somewhat confusing and
misleading brief introduction-version of it for I think readers will find the
information sensible and useful.
AUDITORY SYSTEMS. The popular myth that auditory skills automatically
improve with blindness is just that a myth. Auditory awareness must be taught so
that sounds have a specific meaning. Care must be given to ensure that children
do not habituate to a sound and then tune it out. For example, when children
listen to a tape they may not have the ability to concentrate on what is being
said for a lengthy period of time. To help teach auditory skills, listen to the
tape with the children, ask questions and talk about the information heard on
the tape.
VESTIBULAR SYSTEMS. Vestibular is the sensory system that responds to the
position of the head in relation to gravity and quick head movements. Vestibular
input occurs on swings, skateboards, vibrating objects or spinning equipment.
Vestibular input helps improve balance and coordination of head and eye
movements, language output, and attention span.
Unless visually impaired children experience movement early in life, they
do not learn that moving is enjoyable. They also tend to remain "earth bound,"
which means they may become very upset when they do not have contact with the
floor or something stable. To provide and improve vestibular input, encourage
children to play on swings, merry-go-rounds or tire swings. Waterbed mattresses
filled with air to jump on and crawl onto are also great. Remain patient with
children. The fear of being off the ground is a real fear, and if change is to
occur, it must happen slowly and in an environment where children are able to
feel secure.
PROPRIOCEPTION SYSTEMS. Proprioception refers to the sensations from the
receptors in the muscles and joints. This information enables the brain to know
where each part of the body is and how it is moving. In order to increase
proprioceptive input, ask children to bear weight on their hands and arms, by
wheelbarrow walking, bouncing or sitting on a rubber ball with handles. Many
times you will see children hanging from swings or trapeze bars. This provides
great proprioception in the shoulders, elbows, wrists, finger joints and
muscles.
TACTILE SYSTEMS. Blind children may also experience tactile
hypersensitivity or defensiveness. This is not a direct result of the blindness
but may be due in part to the limited exposure to a variety of tactile stimuli.
The tactile system is even more vital to visually impaired children since
Braille may become their mode of learning. These children will also use tactile
stimuli to gain a vast majority of information about their environment;
therefore, the tactile system needs to be as sophisticated as possible.
To achieve this, set up a large washtub filled with dried beans, peas,
lentils, popcorn, and rice. Allow your child to crawl into the tub, play with
the beans and corn, scoop the items into containers. This will enable children
to adjust to and recognize a variety of textures. Water tables, bathtubs, sand
and putty would also provide good tactile stimuli.
If children become defensive and frightened, try rolling them up in a large
blanket and rubbing their backs with firm pressure. This can be very calming to
children.
The most important thing to remember when doing any type of sensorimotor
program is to respect the children's comfort level. Try these activities with
your children, but if they react with a great deal of discomfort and
irritability, stop and try it again at a later time.
THE FOURTH GENERATION ON THE MOVE
Reprinted from the June, 1991, Braille Monitor.
From the [Braille Monitor] Editor: Today's young Federationists (those in their
teens and even younger) know where they want to go and how they intend to get
there. They have read Federation literature, attended Federation meetings, and
thought about their future. A good example comes from Pocatello, Idaho, where
four young blind women are enrolled in the local high school.
Betty Sabin, who is President of the Gate City Chapter of the Federation in
Pocatello, sends the following newspaper article. If one reads between the
lines, not only Federation philosophy but also the study and thought which
undergird it are apparent. Here is the article as it appeared in the March 12,
1991, Chieftain, the newspaper of the Pocatello High School:
Blind Students Looking For
Acceptance At Poky
by Christie Dille
What would you do if your P.E. teacher did not allow you to participate in
class activities? I think that I and most everybody would rejoice at not having
to exercise.
But what if you weren't allowed because of who you were, or the instructor
thought that you weren't athletic or smart enough, or because they believed you
just could not do it. What if you weren't allowed because you were blind?
Believe it or not, this type of discrimination occurred at PHS. Three of
four blind students here could verify the story.
The teacher, however, wasn't being mean or spiteful to the students; most
people that discriminate have good intentions. But it was believed that the
girls could not handle the activity.
This is an example of the type of thinking these four wish to dispel.
Merri-beth Sabin, senior; Roxanne Homestead, junior; Jennie Honeycutt,
sophomore; and Christie Sabin, sophomore, are four blind students here at PHS.
They are all involved in school activities.
Roxanne is a member of Soundsations and sergeant at arms of Junior Civitan;
Merri-beth is Junior Civitan treasurer, Jennie is a member of the band, flute
choir, and Junior Civitan, and Chris would like to be involved in Junior Civitan
and drama.
These students feel they are just like everyone else, and they don't like
being treated as if their blindness is a disease.
"Blindness is not a handicap. It's a nuisance." says Roxanne, who is very
friendly and outspoken. However, they believe that most kids don't understand
that.
"Some people are afraid of your blindness, like they could catch it," says
Merri-beth, who was the first blind student at PHS.
"People don't know how to accept a cane" says Jennie, "or they think you
bump into them on purpose."
From the students' point of view most people are scared of or just don't
understand blindness.
Jennie and Chris agree that some people are amazed at everything they do,
things that sighted people do everyday. These are misconceptions made by people
who think they may understand the handicap.
Roxanne and Merri-beth agree that students get more open minded as they
become older. However, they state that people still react negatively to their
blindness. When asked if negative reactions made them angry, the two replied
that it makes them angry because people should know better. On the other hand,
it makes them sad when they realize the person has probably been raised in an
environment that fosters misconceptions and negative thinking and because of
that they don't know better.
Despite this, Chris believes that the majority of the time reactions and
responses are, and have been, positive. Merri-beth says that it's "the best
feeling in the world" to change someone's thoughts and stop prejudices from
beginning.
As for the future, each of the girls has a career she would like to pursue.
Merri-beth plans on going to ISU Vocational-Technical school to study office
occupations and to become a secretary or medical transcriptionist. Roxanne wants
to become a special education teacher and would also like to have a choir
composed of children with handicaps. Chris would like to pursue the performing
arts and Jennie would like to continue working with the flute, i.e., teaching,
performing, and composing.
As you can see, they have ambitions just like any sighted person.
"Don't try to ignore us; we want to be normal and not taken out and put
aside." says Merri-Beth.
"Don't be afraid to walk up to us and say `Hi'," is how Chris sums up the
general feeling toward being a blind person, if there can be a general feeling
about having any type of handicap.
Most of us are quick to make prejudgments; just remember that people with
handicaps are really no different than anyone else.
STUDENTS PLACE HIGH
IN RED CROSS COMPETITION
Reprinted from the Overbrook School for the Blind newsletter, Towers,
Spring/Summer, 1991.
Overbrook students recently added another "first" to the school's long
history of accomplishments when they became the first visually or hearing
impaired people to compete in the Red Cross Youth First Aid Competition.
Not only did they compete at Ursinus College, in Collegeville,
Pennsylvania, they also placed 7th out of 18 teams in the standard first aid
segment. Rebecca Ilniski, David Hoppman, Joey Lugo, and Brian Bauer, following
the same rules as other teams, were evaluated on administering aid to people
suffering three mock emergencies (heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and shock;
frostbite, hypothermia, and shock; and a broken ankle, cut, and shock from a
fall off of a roof). At Ursinus, the students competed in the 3 twenty-minute
mock emergencies against other students from Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York,
and Washington D.C.. The students also tied for 30th place out of 103 teams
throughout the country which took part in the competition on March 16.
There were few concessions for Rebecca and David, who are blind, Joey, who
is deaf, and Brian, who is severely visually impaired. Rebecca, the team
captain, read the scenarios in Braille and then read them aloud to David and
Brian and signed the main points to Joey. The team used a Braille writer to
record their findings on the injured people.
The students were trained by residential counselor Toney Whitner. According
to Mr. Whitner, the students have demonstrated that disabled individuals can
learn and perform such techniques as well as anyone else.
Mr. Whitner, a Red Cross cardiopulmonary resuscitation instructor for the
last eight years and first aid instructor for the last seven years, worked with
the students two to three times a week for close to five months' training for
the competition. However, before they could even start they had to be taught the
basic first aid course and be certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and
standard first aid. "It was a lot of work," said Mr. Whiner. But it paid off:
the students are the only certified Overbrook students, and Rebecca scored 100%
on both her certifying tests.
"It was a good experience," David said. "That's one of those things you
hope you don't have to use, but it's good to learn just in case."
BLIND FOREIGN EXCHANGE
STUDENT VISITS U.S.A.
by Karen Mayry
Editor's Note: Karen Mayry is the energetic president of the National Federation
of the Blind of South Dakota. She and her husband, Marsh, are also very active
and well-known in their community.
We first became aware of the Japan-American Jamboree Adventure program
(JAJA) when the director approached the National Federation of the Blind of
South Dakota office with a request for housing for a blind participant. Mostly,
they wanted "tips" on how best to help Akiko. We provided the "Courtesy Rules of
Blindness" to them. Although we do not know any Japanese and knew that Akiko's
English was limited, we agreed to have her stay with us for several days. Akiko
is a 16-year-old high school junior attending a school for the blind in Kioto,
Japan. During her trip she expected to participate fully in such activities as
English classes, horseback riding, swimming, water sliding, picnicking,
sightseeing, and shopping. She came with the same anticipation and excitement
felt by all the students.
Our experience with Akiko Noguchi was quite interesting. As with all of the
students, her written English was better than her spoken. Our first day was
spent in writing Braille notes to one another. As she became more comfortable
with us she spoke more readily. Difficulties arose when neither of us knew the
word we needed to describe a particular place or object. For example, the group
was going on an outing to "Bear Country" near Rapid City. How does one describe
this if one doesn't know the Japanese word for bear? Marsh used my stuffed bear
to assist us. However, until the group actually drove through this natural
setting of wild animals, I am not sure that we adequately relayed our message.
During her stay we compared white canes, slates and styluses, and talking
clocks. I could not understand her talking clock, but she could understand mine.
Our difference in cane lengths was quite apparent. Hers was very short. She did
not feel that she needed to know what is more than one step ahead of her.
However, as we looked at the children's canes kept in the NFB of South Dakota
office, she remarked, "Oh, I have a children's cane!" She now uses a more
"adult" cane.
Our experience was interesting and fun. It was a way for us to help spread
the word of the National Federation of the Blind, exhibit the independence of
blind adults in the United States, and become friends with a young Japanese
girl.
MY TRIP WITH THE PATRIOTS
TO THE TOURNAMENT OF ROSES
by Rebecca Hart
Editor's Note: This article was submitted just before the 1991 school year ended
last spring. At that time Rebecca Hart (who is totally blind) was 12 years old
and a sixth grader at Keene Mill School. Rebecca is interested in corresponding
with other blind students in Braille or on cassette. Her address is 7902 Harwood
Place, Springfield, Virginia 22152.
I just finished the two most tiring, but exciting, two weeks of my life. I
am in a Colonial Fife and Drum Corps called the Patriots. Mr. and Mrs. Evans,
the band leaders, have been trying to get into the Tournament of Roses Parade
for 17 years and finally they made it. I joined in January of 1989. I got asked
to go on April 22, 1990.
This is an average parade year. It begins with the St. Patrick's Day Parade
in March; the Apple Blossom and the Memorial Day Parades in May; the Fourth of
July Parade; an overnight trip and parade during the summer; the Labor Day
Parade in September; the Halloween Parade in October; the Brunswick Parade in
November; and the Christmas Parade in December. We have three practices a year
which are about an hour and a half to three hours long. We also have our weekly
music or drum lessons.
Getting ready for the Tournament of Roses was different. To begin with, the
Rose Bowl crew had to stay at practice two hours after everyone else had gone.
We had practices every Sunday in July, plus a few more after school started. It
was OK, though, because everybody got to meet everybody else who was going. I
should probably say here that there are 500 members in the Patriots, but only
175 went to California with 30 chaperons. When I was asked to go to the
Tournament of Roses Parade it did not hit me until later what I was going to do.
What I mean is that I did not know that the Tournament of Roses Parade was the
biggest parade in the world.
When I march I carry Big Flag with seven other girls. It is also called the
Colonial Colors. There are four poles on the flag and it takes two girls to
carry each pole. The poles are threaded through the flag and we carry the flag
like it is lying down. When I first started in the Patriots I was on a banner
with one or two other people. Then after my first year I asked Mrs. Evans if I
could be on Big Flag, and she said yes.
During the first couple practices, when it was time for a break, my hands
were shaking because I had been carrying the flag so long. In August the Big
Flag girls had to go to practices with the fifers where we practiced marching.
In November we had to march five and a half miles to prove that we could do it
(the Tournament of Roses Parade route is five and one half miles long). We only
had to do this once. On December 16 we had our last practice before leaving for
California. There were reporters there, and I was interviewed along with some
other people. That night I was on the news at 11:30.
I couldn't believe it! It was finally Christmas Day and the day we were
going to leave. We opened our presents early as we do every year, but then we
had to get ready to leave. We left Union Station in Washington at 4 p.m. Going
from Washington to Chicago took about fourteen hours so obviously we were on the
train overnight. We slept in our seats. The first night on the train I went up
to the observation car with other Patriots. Later that night, when I went to the
bathroom to wash my face, the train stopped and the water was turned off. I had
to stay in the bathroom for twenty minutes with green junk on my face!
When we got to Chicago we had an eight-hour layover. A layover is the
period from when one train gets to the station until the other one leaves.
During the layover we took a bus to Fort Sheridan. We went to the gym first.
There were showers, and we all got to take one. After touring Fort Sheridan we
got back on a different train to go to California.
The train from Chicago to California was a double-decker train. I was
upstairs in one of the cars. The people who were upstairs had to go downstairs
to get to the bathroom. From Chicago to California you have to cross high
mountains. The only reason I mention this is because a couple of times we got up
so high some soft drinks exploded.
The day we arrived in California I had breakfast with my Mom in the dining
car. I had been getting food at the lounge car or eating some food that my Mom
and Dad packed because I was not very hungry. I was too excited to eat. When my
Mom said that we were in California I wanted to jump up and cheer, but of course
I didn't.
We got to Los Angeles at about 8:30 in the morning. When we got to the
train station we took our carry-on bags and our suitcases to the buses. We also
had to get all our equipment, like drums, flags, and poles on the buses. Then we
went to LaBrea Tar Pits. There we watched a video of the animals that had gotten
stuck in the tar and we looked around the museum. Then we went to our motel. I
don't think anybody could wait to take a shower. I couldn't!
On Saturday we went to Universal Studios. We got up and had breakfast in
the motel and then we left. When we got to Universal Studios I went around with
Sarah and Amy Sterner and Bradee Haskins. We saw some scenes from movies and we
saw how they made movies. It was really neat. But we had to leave at 5:15 so we
could go decorate floats.
My dad and I braided straw for the Sea World Float. Then I glued some
flowers on the Purple People Eater, and I put some flowers on the medallion for
Museum. We worked from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m,. but it was fun.
On Sunday we went to Disney Land. That day I went around with Sarah, Amy,
and Bradee again, and new friend Rayni Bonchu. We went on just about every ride
there. And then we went back and did our favorites. My favorite was Space
Mountain.
On Monday we went to Knott's Berry Farm. This is another amusement park. I
went around with my sister Abby, Lara Long, and Helena Faws. This amusement park
had a lot of roller coasters. We went on a parachute ride where you stand in a
little basket and when you get up to the top you're dropped down. Then we went
on a ride that went from side to side and kept getting higher like a pendulum.
Then we went on the swings and on another ride that was like the pendulum but
went forward and backward. I should probably say now that I like to ride rides
with my hands above my head.
We had to leave Knott's Berry Farm because Mr. and Mrs. Evans wanted us to
be awake for the Rose Bowl, which was the next day.
The parade started at about 8 a.m. California time. We were unit 78. Before
we started marching we each got some candy from the Evans' to get our blood
sugar high. As I said before, the parade route was five and a half miles long,
but it did not seem like it because people were saying "Hi" and "Happy New Year"
and things like that. I was kind of nervous when we were in front of the
cameras, but I did fine. Some time later along the parade route someone yelled
"Hi Becky Hart," but I do not know who it was.I think the hardest part of the
parade was marking time. That is when you march in place, and it is tiring
because you build up this kind of rhythm and it is almost painful to stop. Once
when we were marking time a parade official sprayed me in the face with water.
He thought I looked "out of it". He did not know I was blind. When he found out
he felt bad. But I was not startled; it felt good. I was the only one who was
cool after that.
At the end of the parade route there was a sign that said "Hello Miss Hart
Welcome". It really was for my sister and me, but they did not know our first
names. They knew our Dad. At the end of the parade route we got some food and
some soda, then we went back to the motel.
That afternoon I went swimming. The motel had a pool and a hot tub, and
while I was in the hot tub I talked to some girls. We wished we could miss the
train on Thursday. That night we went to Medieval Times. We pretended it was
1093. We ate dinner with our hands because silverware was not invented yet. Then
we watched the knights perform.
On Wednesday we went to the San Diego Zoo and to the Pacific Ocean. I liked
the Pacific Ocean better than the Zoo but actually I liked everything about the
trip. When we got to the Pacific Ocean I went around with my parents. We walked
along the board walk and went into a few shops. Then we talked to Mrs. Evans and
I asked her if I could miss the train the next day but unfortunately she said
"No". After that my Mom, Dad, and I took a horse-drawn carriage ride next to the
water. Because there was not any beach we could not go touch the water, but it
was fun. Then we had dinner in a restaurant. When we got back to the motel I
went to Sarah, Amy, and Bradee's room and partied. It was a great way to end the
trip.
It was a wonderful trip. I hope I will get to do this some time again soon.
MYTHS AND REALITIES ABOUT PARENTS
Editor's Note: I came across this gem when I participated in a NFB seminar for
parents of blind children in Pennsylvania. One of the speakers had it available
as a handout. According to the copy I picked up, it was reprinted from The
Speaker, newsletter of Sequin Retarded Citizens Association.
Myths about participation of parents of persons with developmental
disabilities in the decision-making process:
* Myth: Parents are too emotional.
* Reality: Because of their life experiences, those parents who choose to
participate in the decision-making process are almost always realistic and
knowledgeable.
* Myth: Parents are too closely involved.
* Reality: It is precisely because parents are so involved that they can be
effective in the decision-making process. They learn the system out of necessity
and so can help shape policy and services from a 24-hour practical needs
assessment.
* Myth: Parents always want more.
* Reality: Parents want some control over the lives of their children who are
disabled. They only want for their children what the law says they are entitled
to have.
* Myth: Parents have no understanding or appreciation of funding problems.
* Reality: Parents are taxpayers as well and as such do not want to increase
spending unnecessarily or irresponsibly. Frequently they are more sensitive to
unneeded expenditures for low priority programs.
* Myth: Parents are troublemakers.
* Reality: Taking part in decisions that affect the lives of family members is
being responsible, not trouble-making.
* Myth: Parents expect too much.
* Reality: Parents are acutely aware that good programs and an array of services
can maximize their children's potential. Approaching that goal for people with
special needs is cost-effective since the more independent they [the children]
can become, the less service will be needed.
READERS AND BRAILLISTS
by Patricia Munson
Reprinted from the Blind Citizen, Fall 1990; the newsletter of the National
Federation of the Blind of California.
My first readers were my parents and other family members. All young
children are read to by someone. Today, the reader might be a recorded voice,
but children have someone to perform that task until they learn to read.
When I went to school I did not have access to a tape recorder so my
reading was done with a personal reader. Until high school, all my reading was
done by family members. I do not know how I would have gotten through school
without everyone's help. Even my much younger sisters read to me as soon as they
knew how. My sisters saw adults doing the job, so they thought that they were
really important when they could read to me.
In high school a lot of good students wanted to read for me, and the
reading was much too much for my wonderful family to do. I learned that if I
found readers who knew the subject matter, I could save myself a lot of time and
agony. For example, when I was studying music theory I found a fellow to read to
me who has since made a career for himself as a pianist. I learned a great deal
from him for he had already been trained by the best instructors. It was fun
having student readers and most of them became good friends.
When I started college I quickly realized that I was going to have to have
a million readers, for I had ten times as much reading to do (of course, none of
them read full-time), and I needed readers for a great variety of subject
matter. Biology was my first challenge. The professor drew a million diagrams on
the board and spoke at the same time. I made a good trade with a couple of
fellow students. They put a piece of carbon paper and a sheet of paper under
their drawings for me to study later, and I typed all the notes for them from my
Braille notes. The deal worked well for all of us as no one could draw and take
good notes at the same time. Also, I had my reader come to every class when it
was test time, and I took my tests at the same time as everyone else. I simply
found an empty room where I went with my reader to take my test. The important
thing is that I turned my test in with everyone else.
When I started taking classes in dance I found a reader who could dance
well, and I had her attend the class and do exactly what the instructor was
doing while I felt her body movement. When it came time to learn choral
conducting I stood behind my reader and felt her hands and arms as she copied
the teacher's gestures. I even found a reader who was great at copying teacher's
drawings. I would then feel the raised line from the back of the sheet and could
follow the lecture at the same time.
My readers were always willing to do what I asked, and we always invented a
way for me to receive the same information as the other students. I called all
this my "expanded education," and it was worth the little extra work. There were
sighted students who copied some of my alternative techniques, for many of my
methods were very useful for all students. Now do not get the idea that I had my
readers attend all my classes with me, for that was not so. I only had them
attend when there was unusual visual material that I needed to learn exactly as
all the other students.
A number of my readers learned Braille so they could put Braille labels on
the charts and other visual material they made for me. I did have a number of
wonderful Braillists from the Berkeley Red Cross who did my Brailling the entire
time that I was in college. These Braillists volunteered their time, and I
deeply appreciated all of their work. However, they could not always do
everything needed. I had one blind friend who studied German. She could not find
Braillists to transcribe her German language textbooks. She used a reader to
read the German texts, and she transcribed the books into Braille for herself.
When I was in college we had no computers. Since I was not a good typist I
would type the rough draft and have a reader read the draft to me so that I
could dictate the corrections to be recorded on the draft. Then I would have a
typist do the clean typing. Once I typed a term paper myself to prove that I
could do it, but once was enough. I think that before I left college I had taken
at least one class in every department. I think I wanted to show myself that I
could manage anything taught. I must thank all those very patient readers who
sat endlessly while I invented a workable way to achieve a task.
When I started my student teaching I had many students who wanted to read
to me. They were very useful, but I never had them read for the class in which
they were enrolled. I was worried about other students thinking my readers were
the teacher's pets. They were all very nice and I certainly appreciated their
help when I was learning to teach.
Before I started my first year of teaching I found a retired teacher who
went to my classroom with me about a week before school started, and we cleaned
out twenty years of another teacher's junk. That loyal reader worked for me my
first ten years of teaching. I cannot thank her enough for all the extra help
she gave me. When I had 150 music notebooks to correct, she came to school and
read many long hours and saved me the problem of having to carry all those
notebooks home. I also had students reading for me. There were endless papers to
read on a daily basis. It was all these readers working at the same time that
made for a well-oiled machine.
About twenty years ago one of my student readers read a note which said,
"If you ever need a reader, give me a call". The note writer knew who I was
because I had two of her children in my classes. To make a long story short, she
is still reading for me today. Somewhere along the path of time she started
doing all my NFB reading. Now she knows as much about the movement as I. How
does anyone find the words to thank someone like her?
I am sure that a lot of the work I have accomplished could now be done with
the use of a computer. I did it the "old way". I think everyone should know how
to work without machines because machines frequently have a habit of not working
when you need them the most. Also, I cannot find any substitute for wonderful
human, caring companionship!
To all the people who have helped me to learn and later work on terms of
equality I say a big thanks! Without these people, I most likely would have
survived, but it would not have been as enjoyable or easy.
TIPS FOR CLASSROOM TEACHERS
by Carol Castellano
Editor's Note: Readers who remember the articles "Supermarketing," "Cooking
Madness," and "Lessons Learned on a Solo Flight: Convention Experience 1991"
will associate Carol's name with good writing, good sense, and contagious
enthusiasm.
Needless to say, I had high expectations when I recently picked up the
following article from my mailbasket. I wasn't disappointed. Carol included a
brief letter with the article in which she describes how and why she came to
write and send this in to me. Here is part of what she said.
"...The Superintendent of Schools.. authorized me to meet with Serena's
[Carol's daughter who is blind] teachers and share our experience and expertise
with them. I updated some ideas about working with a blind student that I have
been giving to Serena's teachers since her first regular school experience three
years ago, and presented them to this year's teachers and classroom aide. The
presentation was accepted by the teachers with smiles and thanks. The lines of
communication are open and the school year is off to a successful and exciting
start.
"It occurred to me that this information might be useful to others for
presentations to new classroom teachers. I generalized it to make it applicable
to any primary grade blind student. I intend to send a proposal to the New
Jersey Commission for the Blind to present it at their annual in-service for
teachers who will be working with blind students, and I thought you might want
to use it in Future Reflections."
The Goal Of Independence
* The overriding goal is for the blind child to become a competent,
self-sufficient, independent person.
* The blind child needs the same information, education, and experiences which
sighted children require.
* He/she needs to know the same things others need to know in preparation for
his/her future; i.e., going to college, having children, holding down a job,
etc.
* The blind child will use alternative techniques where the sighted will use
eyesight.
Essentials A Blind Student Must Learn.
* On whom to focus.
* Teacher's expectations.
* To respond quickly to teacher's instructions.
* How to respond; e.g., facing the teacher so teacher can tell he/she is paying
attention, raising hand high, when to lower hand, when to answer aloud in unison
with class, etc.
* How to interpret questions expressed in "teacher language." For example, in
ordinary English a "who question" would be answered with a name, but in the
classroom, "Who can tell me what 5 plus 2 is?" means, "Raise your hand." A "how
many" question would ordinarily get a number for an answer, but in the classroom
"How many of you put the big hand on the 3?" means raise your hand if you did it
that way. Hearing the teacher say your name (getting called-on) usually means,
"Say the answer out loud."
* Where and when to move.
* The pace of the class.
* To know what other children in the classroom are doing.
* How to interpret activity around him/her.
* How to participate fully.
* Eventually, how to figure out all of the above by him/herself.
Skills of Blindness
* Braille reading and writing is the equivalent of print reading and writing
(see Quick Braille Lesson).
* Cane travel is essential to the child's independence (see Cane Travel.)
* Looking at objects with the hands. The blind child gets information tactually
just as sighted children get it visually.
* Doing things by touch instead of by eyesight.
* Tactually exploring a room to make a mental map and find out where things are
placed.
* Developing and using other senses. "Hmm. Smells like Mr. Thomas, the janitor,
waxed the floors last night. Feels like it, too. Nate says it's fun to slide on
waxed floors. I don't hear anyone coming; maybe I'll give it a try!"
* Developing and using memory. "Mom, I just remembered it's Tuesday night and we
have library period on Wednesday. I have to return my book along with that form
the librarian wanted parents to fill out. You put the book on the shelf in the
den after we finished reading to each other yesterday. I can't reach it; can you
get it down for me?" "I remember teacher saying that Melissa had thick, long
hair. I wonder if Melissa would like this big barrette set for her birthday?"
* Developing and using sound localization, that is, the ability to tell where a
sound is coming from. "Jenny, I think your pencil just dropped. It sounds like
it rolled toward the door; look under Peter's chair, it might be there. `That
sounds like the door of the storage closet in the back of the room.
Must be time for art; I can hear Mrs. Mullin getting the cans of paint
out."
* Learning to ask for information. "Who just walked into the room?" "Is this the
bus for the 4th grade skating party, or the bus for the 3rd grade trip to the
zoo?" This also includes learning to give a polite, but firm "No thank you,"
when assistance is not needed.
Assisting on the Road to Independence
* Help from teachers and aides should be aimed at teaching the child to do the
task for him/herself, not doing it for the child.
* Many times teachers can give information instead of help; e.g., give
directions to what he/she needs instead of getting it for the child.
* Child should be able to learn any task that is repeated each day; e.g.,
opening milk carton at lunch. Assume the child can learn the task.
* If the child is not doing something the other children are doing, teach
him/her how; if something must be done for a child on a regular basis, let
parents know. Perhaps it can be worked on at home.
* By understanding and respecting the alternative skills the child is
developing, classroom teachers can help the child progress in these skills.
* The child may need extra time in the early grades to do things independently.
This must be balanced with general classroom expectations.
Be More Verbal
* Use children's names when you speak to them; this will help the blind child
interpret situations; encourage other children to use names, too.
* Use description when modeling action; e.g., "Fold the paper lengthwise"
instead of "Fold the paper like this."
* Explain your routine a bit: "I'm handing out the papers to each child. I'm so
happy you're all being quiet." Again, this will help the blind child interpret
situations which he/she cannot see.
* Explain illustrations in a story when they help carry the plot.
* Think about attributes in addition to color when describing or referring to
objects; such as shape, weight, texture, size, use, location, quantity, etc.
* Give the blind student the opportunity to get things for you by describing the
object and giving verbal directions to the location; e.g., "the square container
on the back left corner of my desk."
* Explain completely visual situations; e.g., the principal comes to door, puts
finger to lips, and silently beckons children to her.
* Use normal language like "look" and "see."
Helping the Blind Child Participate
* Find ways to adapt each activity so the blind child can participate; don't ask
if it can be done, ask how can we do it. Don't make the blind student a "special
helper;" he/she needs the same or equivalent educational experiences other
children get.
* Use sound localization to direct child; e.g., he/she can join the other
children by moving toward their voices; can listen for footsteps in order to
follow in line; can come when called by walking toward your voice; can find the
chair when you tap it with your hand.
* Model movements for songs or in gym by moving the blind student through the
motions. Other students can learn at the same time by observing teacher and
student. Let parents know if child has trouble with a movement; it can be
practiced at home.
* Hands-on opportunities along with verbal descriptions will make experiences
much more meaningful for a young blind child; e.g., on a trip to the nurse's
office let the child explore by touch the scale or other characteristic objects.
* With objects that ordinarily would not be handled, let the child tactually
examine it, if possible, before or after the activity.
* Tell the child to "look with two hands" or "use both hands" when examining
something; a touch with one hand or a few fingers gives almost no information.
* Facilitate appropriate play with others and by self.
* Remind the child to face the person with whom he/she is talking.
* Help the child learn to face the correct way in general. A rule of thumb is to
give the blind child the same instruction or correction you would give a sighted
child who was situated in an inappropriate way.
* If applicable, remind the child to keep his/her head up.
* If applicable, remind child to sit and stand up straight.
* Position crayons correctly in the child's hand for normal muscle development.
* If applicable, remind child not to press his/her hand to the eye, or engage in
other inappropriate behaviors.
School Work
* For written work, worksheets or book should be on the table next to the
Braillewriter for student to read; answer sheet should be in Braillewriter.
* If manipulatives are used, place in small box or tray so they will not fall
off the desk.
* For marking answers, the blind student can use crayon, pencil, small pieces of
Sticki-Wikki, magnets and magnet board, push pins. (The advantage of
Sticki-Wikki, magnets, and push pins is that the child can check his/her own
work; with Sticki-Wikki, work can be saved to take home.)
* Help child organize the work space; clear place in front and put materials in
common sense places.
* Stick-on Braille (Dymotape) can be used for quick labeling.
* Sewell Kit, coloring screen, and TactiLiner can be used for making instant
raised line drawings.
* Hi-Mark, t-shirt markers, Elmer's glue, and Sticki-Wikki can be used for
outlining figures. (Hi-Mark and t-shirt markers must be used in advance, for
they take hours to dry.)
* Stick-on Velcro, cork, felt, etc. can be used for variety on math worksheets.
Cane Travel
* The cane is held so that it lands about three steps in front of the feet, and
is swept back and forth.
* The cane gives a preview of what is ahead: Is the way clear or is an object in
the way? Stairs, up or down, can be located and negotiated. Objects such as
trash cans, chairs, desks, and outdoor play equipment can be located and
identified.
* Sound is an important element in cane travel. As the blind child walks down a
hallway he/she can use his/her hearing to tell the difference between a wall and
an opening, such as a doorway or intersecting hallway. Therefore, the child can
be given directions such as "the office is the first opening on the left" or
"the gym is the second open door on the right"
* By listening to the sounds and echoes the cane makes when it is tapped, the
child gets information about the space around him/her and, with practice, can
tell how far he/she is from the wall.
* Textures and slopes beneath the feet-differences between tile, carpeting,
concrete, etc.-will help the child know where he/she is.
* The child will use landmarks (the rug outside the office door, the hum of the
water fountain, etc.) for self-orienting.
* The child will learn to make a mental map-information linking one part of the
room or building to another of an area.
* The child might not use the cane in the classroom but should always have it
with him/her outside the room; e.g., cafeteria, playground, fire-drills, office,
gym.
Braille Lesson
* The Braille "cell" is made up of six dots which correspond to the six keys on
the Braillewriter. Dots are numbered 1 to 6 in a column two dots across and
three down, thus:
* Each Braille letter or other symbol is formed using one or more of the six
dots.
* Capital letters are formed by placing a dot 6 before the letter.
* Punctuation marks look like letters but they are formed in the lower part of
the cell.
* In "literary Braille," the first ten letters are also the numbers when
preceeded by an arrangement of dots called the number sign (dots 3,4,5,6).
* In "Nemeth code" (math Braille), the shapes of the numbers are the same, but
they are formed in the lower part of the cell.
* Braille has many contractions (such as Brl for the word Braille) in order to
save space; contracted Braille is called Grade 2.
KRISTIN'S CATERPILLAR
by Kecia Binko
Editor's Note: The National Braille Readers are Leaders Contest (see 1991-92
contest form insert in this issue) is a wonderful motivational tool for teachers
and parents to use in encouraging students to read more Braille. However,
teacher Kecia Binko of Rochester, New York, used the contest as a springboard to
an even more creative method of stimulating her Braille student, eight-year-old
Kristen Clark, to read more. Here is what she did.
At the beginning of the Braille reading contest I felt it was very
important for my student, Kristin, to have some tangible evidence of her reading
progress, not only for the contest, but for the entire school year. Thus,
"Kristin's Caterpillar" came to be.
Every time Kristin read a book (for independent free reading aside from
classroom assigned reading) she could add a circle to her caterpillar and watch
it grow longer and longer. (Kristin, who has some remaining vision, is able to
see the colored circles on the classroom wall). Kristin is also a competitive
person by nature, and we soon came up with a year-long goal: to see if she could
read enough Braille books to make the caterpillar make a complete circle around
the vision room.
During this activity we also kept a running tally, with an abacus, of the
number of pages read during the Braille Readers are Leaders Contest dates. This
way Kristin was able to see her number of pages read for the contest increase
daily.
To make Kristin even more motivated to read, I placed special prize shapes
at various points on the wall. When Kristin's Caterpillar got to one of the
prize shapes, she would get a prize. The prizes were Braille books
(teacher-made), and Kristin won one about every three to four weeks.
Not only did this turn out to be a great motivator for Kristin, but a great
record keeping system for me! Kristin's caterpillar almost made a complete
circle around the room. On the last day of school we took it off the wall, taped
it all together in a long, straight line, and measured it at 11 1/4 yards!
Kristin then took her very prized caterpillar home with a great sense of pride
and accomplishment.
DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR OF BLIND CHILDREN AWARD FOR 1992
by Sharon Maneki
Editor's Note: Sharon Maneki is President of the National Federation of the
Blind of Maryland. She also chairs the committee to select the Distinguished
Educator of Blind Children for 1992.
The National Federation of the Blind will recognize an outstanding teacher
of blind children at our 1992 convention June 29 to July 5, in Charlotte, North
Carolina. The winner of this award will receive an expense-paid trip to the
convention, a check for $500, an appropriate plaque at the banquet, and an
opportunity to make a presentation about the education of blind children to the
National Federation of the Blind Parents of Blind Children Division early in the
convention.
Anyone who is currently teaching or counseling blind children or
administering a program for blind children is eligible to receive this award. It
is not necessary to be a member of the National Federation of the Blind to
apply. However, the winner must attend the national convention. Teachers may be
nominated by colleagues, supervisors, or friends. The letter of nomination
should explain why the teacher is being recommended for this award.
The education of blind children is one of our most important concerns.
Attendance at a National Federation of the Blind convention will enrich a
teacher's experience by affording the opportunity to meet other teachers who
work with blind children, to meet parents, and to meet blind adults who have had
experiences in a variety of educational programs. Help us recognize a
distinguished teacher by distributing this form and encouraging teachers to
submit their credentials. We are pleased to offer this award and look forward to
applications from many well-qualified educators.
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
DISTINGUISHED EDUCATOR OF BLIND CHILDREN AWARD
1992 APPLICATION
Name:
Home address:
City:
State: Zip:
Day phone: Evening phone:
School:
Address:
City: State: Zip:
List your degrees, the institutions from which they were received, and your
major area or areas of study.
How long and in what programs have you taught blind children?
In what setting do you teach? Itinerant program [] Residential school
classroom [] Special education classroom [] Other [] Please explain
How many students do you teach regularly this year?
What subjects do you teach?
How many of your students read and write primarily using: Braille [] large
print [] closed circuit television [] recorded materials [] small print [].
Please complete this application and attach your letter of nomination, one
additional recommendation, written by someone who knows your work and philosophy
of teaching, and a personal letter discussing your beliefs and approach to
teaching blind students. You may wish to include such topics as the following:
* What are your views on the importance to your students of Braille, large
print, and magnification devices, and what issues do you consider when making
recommendations about learning media for your students?
* When do you recommend that your students begin the following: reading Braille,
writing with a slate and stylus, using a Braille writer, learning to travel
independently with a white cane?
* How should one determine which children should learn cane travel and which
should not?
* When should typing be introduced and when should a child be expected to hand
in typed assignments?
Send all material by April 15, 1992, to Sharon Maneki, Chairman, Teacher
Award Committee, 9736 Basket Ring Road, Columbia, Maryland 21045; telephone:
(301) 992-9608.
HALLOWEEN FUN
by Darlene Middleton
Reprinted from Kid-Bits, October-November 1989; a publication of the Kentucky
School for the Blind.
Children are often hesitant to play with their visually impaired peers
because of misunderstandings and fear of the unknown. However, it is important
that your preschoolers have as much contact with peers and the community as
possible. Halloween is a prime time for interaction with both. Following are
some activities that are easily adaptable to various age levels. You and your
preschooler might like to experience some of these together at home or, who
knows, you might decide to have a Halloween Party.
With the growing concern about the hazards of trick-or-treating for candy,
some of these alternatives may be helpful. First, try making a Witch's Brew. To
do this you and your preschooler could have a scavenger hunt within your own
home or, better yet, call some friends over, divide up into groups (each
accompanied by an adult, of course), and have a scavenger hunt throughout the
neighborhood. This can substitute for trick-or-treating for candy. You can
choose what needs to go into the witch's brew. Try different feels; find
something smooth, rough, soft, furry, sticky, dry, wet, cold, warm, thin. Or you
might try smells; like perfume, smoke, medicine, disinfectant, or clean, rotten,
dirty, fresh, stinky. Or have a taste scavenger hunt; find something sweet,
sour, salty, bitter, spicy. Try food items that might feel wet, dry, sticky,
chewy, cold, soft, crumbly, hard, smooth.
According to the children's ages, you might even attach some Halloween
names to the items, such as: sticky as a cobweb, hard as skeleton bones, warm or
wet as blood, thin as a hair, furry as a witch's cat, cold or gooey as pumpkin
innards. For younger children prearrange items for making witch's hot chocolate
or punch. Help your child find something powdery (cocoa), something cold (milk),
something grainy or rough (sugar). As he/she finds each item let him/her mix
them together for a treat.
When you return from your scavenger hunt you might find that a ghost or
goblin has been to visit and left a ticking pumpkin in your house (this can be a
simple kitchen timer, an alarm clock, etc.) The child must find the pumpkin
before the bell rings or before the timer goes off. (It is best to limit this to
one room of the house.) If you have guests, blindfold each one and let each take
a turn at finding the pumpkin. You might give a prize to the one who finds it in
the shortest amount of time. But usually, finding the pumpkin alone is rewarding
enough-it could be filled with goodies!
Next, you could play the haunted house game. Prearrange various items such
as bowls of spaghetti, water, flour, sand, cereal, syrup, and various items.
Blindfold each child and have him/her describe or identify what he/she is
feeling. The child that correctly guesses most items would be the winner. Or you
might literally walk through the haunted house. Let children step barefooted
into boxes of different textures. A recording of ghostly sounds can add to the
fun.
By this time your little spook(s) should be ready for a treat. Give verbal
clues leading children to various locations in the house, until finally the
treat is located. A perfect treat is a ghost cake with eyes of fire. This is
particularly good for children with light perception.
Ghost Cake
Following the directions on the box, bake a yellow cake in a rectangular
pan. Save the 2 best egg shell halves. Frost the cake with 1 package of fluffy
white icing. Cut the cake to make curved head. Place 2 eggshells (round side
down) for eyes. Put 1 sugar cube in each half. Pour 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
over cube and light. Make a mouth of licorice string.
Once the goblins settle down to enjoy the treat, they can play another game
of identifying pre-recorded spooky sounds; such as chains rattling, doors
slamming, squeaking doors, screaming, loud noises, water dripping. A
winding-down activity could be making up a story from the sounds they have just
heard. Each child could contribute to the story.
And then there's always Stick-the-Nose-on-the Pumpkin. Have a pre-carved
pumpkin with eyes and mouth. Blindfold each child and let him stick a nose on
the pumpkin. Children could also talk about different kinds of Halloween faces:
happy, sad, funny, scary, surprised, and mean faces. Then, using inverted
styrofoam plates, get each child to draw the kind of face that he would like on
the plate. When you do this with a pencil it will make indentations so that the
child can feel the face on the plate. If he/she doesn't like it and wants to
make changes, this can usually be done. When it is to his/her liking, cut it out
just like a jack-o-lantern. He/she will then be able to feel the facial
features. These could be painted or colored with crayons and then carried home
by each child.
Of course your little ones will want to dress up for their scavenger
hunting. Please remember:
* Keep costumes simple
* Do not obstruct vision or footwear
* Makeup on the face can provide even more tactual and olfactory experiences.
Here are some helpful recipes reprinted from School Age Notes,
September/October 1987, Vol. VIII #1.
Halloween Make-up. What's needed: soft shortening, cornstarch, food
coloring, tablespoon, fork, small jar. What to do:Mix one tablespoon shortening
with two tablespoons cornstarch. Make a smooth mixture. Add food coloring; mix
until color is even. Make as many different colors as desired. Store in small
jars.
Orange peel teeth. What's needed: Oranges-cut into section small enough to
fit over teeth but large enough to stay inside lips when smiling. What to do: l.
Eat the oranges. 2. Tear away any pulp left on rind. The inside of skin will be
white. 3. Slit skin lengthwise down the center, leaving it attached at both
ends. 4. Form teeth by making short cross cuts on both sides. S. Put in mouth so
white side shows. 6. Grin scary and gruesome grins.
SHARON DUFFY TALKS ABOUT CANE TRAVEL
by Catherine Horn Randall
and Sharon Duffy
Editor's Note: This article was originally published in The Month's News, the
National Federation of the Blind of Illinois newsletter. Ms. Duffy is currently
employed at BLIND, Inc. of Minnesota, an orientation center for the blind.
The questions new students ask most often is "How long will it take for me
to become an efficient traveler?" Each student has individual needs, but on
average a student needs three travel lessons a week lasting for approximately
two hours a session for three months. I have had the occasional student who only
needed five or six lessons. These students knew their compass directions well
and were very confident in themselves from the beginning. These people just
needed basic cane techniques. In one case a student had maybe five or six
lessons and learned how to use a cane, how to travel in the downtown area, and
how to use the trains. She had a lot of motivation to travel.
I teach my students to really follow verbal directions. This is very
important. I don't use Braille maps much. I have shown a Braille map of the Loop
to two students; but chances are good that you will never have a Braille map to
follow. We talk about directions until a student really understands how to
follow them. If a student can repeat the route, that's a good sign; if he can
then go travel it, that's even better.
Many beginning students have to learn to deal with a lot of fear about
traveling. Some people hide it better than others, but I think everybody has
some real fear because you could conceivably be hit or killed. The greatest
fear, however, for most students-and the hardest one to deal with-is their fear
of making fools of themselves. High achievers who are used to doing most things
well find it hard to understand that most people goof up during travel lessons
from time to time.
I don't teach what are called pre-cane techniques. For example, I do not
teach students to trail walls; I actively discourage this because it looks
awful. It is anti-social behavior in this world. If a student is searching for a
specific door, for example, I teach the student to count doors using the cane. I
have instructed students to put one hand in a pocket to avoid trailing with that
hand.
I think that some of the people who advocate using pre-cane techniques are
the same people who would advocate putting your cane away inside buildings. I
encourage my students to carry and use their canes whenever they are inside a
building. When you are in your own house that's another matter, but if you are
walking around inside a building there isn't any reason you can't continue to
use your cane. It is the most efficient way to do things. So why learn pre-cane
techniques? It's foolish for a person who intends to use a cane to be bothered
with them.
The first thing I do during my first lesson with a new student is to give
him or her an appropriate cane and teach him how to use the basic touch
technique, and how to use the cane walking up and down stairs. What I want to do
is teach my students to have confidence through learning practical travel
skills.
I also discourage the use of hand rails while walking up and down stairs. I
had a very athletic male student who argued with me vehemently about this until
one day he was traveling the el system with a briefcase in one hand and his cane
in the other, and he saw my point exactly. There are so many situations when it
is not convenient to grab a hand-rail. Learning to negotiate stairs safely and
comfortably without using hand-rails is another way of building confidence.
The more a person uses his or her cane as a tool to judge the depth of
steps, the better that person will negotiate stairs. A good cane traveler can
tell when his cane drops even a half inch. That half-inch isn't much but it is
enough to possibly trip you.
I advocate that beginning students use a cane that is between 10 and 12
inches shorter than they are. Another way of saying this is to purchase a cane
that reaches from the floor to somewhere between your armpit and your nose. This
should be a comfortable length for you. As a student walks faster, he or she may
want a longer cane. I advocate the use of a longer cane more so than do many
travel teachers for several reasons. If you walk very fast at all and you are
using a cane that is too short, you will overstep your cane. In other words, you
will step beyond where your cane has touched. You will find that you step off
curbs without meaning to and you will run into things periodically. If you do
either of these things, your cane is too short or your cane technique is
inadequate. If you have long legs and a long stride you will definitely want a
cane that comes about to your nose.
I want to touch briefly upon the subject of collapsible canes. People have
asked me if it wouldn't be easier to use collapsible canes for people who get in
and out of cars a lot. I answer that no collapsible cane is as good a tool as a
long fiberglass cane. They aren't as sensitive, they do tend to shake apart, and
it doesn't take much to bend one of the pieces of a collapsible cane. Also, the
cords that hold them together tend to break. In the case of telescopic canes,
they tend to telescope unexpectedly, leaving the user suddenly unprotected in
mid-stride. The nylon tips on collapsible canes do not slide easily. Once they
are worn even a little bit they start catching in cracks, whereas a metal tip
will slide over cracks. Nylon cane tips can be terrible to try to replace. We
have had people come into The Guild and try to figure out how to take the cane
apart in order to replace the tip, and they have given up and bought a new cane.
I recommend the NFB II cane, which is a hollow fiberglass cane. There is one
simple trick to replacing the metal tip of this cane that I would like to pass
along to you. Put the new tip under hot water to soften the rubber portion of
the cane tip. The new tip then slides into place easily covering the screw on
the bottom of the cane.
To sum up my feelings about teaching cane travel, I design all travel
lessons to teach my students confidence in the best and fastest ways I know how.
I am always thinking toward the time my students will be traveling on their
own. This is why I teach compass directions and why I insist they learn how to
ask for, and follow, verbal directions. A blind person who has learned to ask
for specific directions and then can follow them can travel anywhere, including
places he has never been before. Sometimes good travelers get lost, but they
eventually figure out how to get to their destinations.
We teach Philosophy of Blindness classes at The Guild. I think it is very
difficult to teach a person who really doesn't believe it is okay to be blind
and have him get out on the street and do a good job traveling. Attitude has as
much to do with the success of a cane travel student as any other single factor.
The confidence people gain as their travel skills improve seems to radiate
out into many other aspects of their lives. They begin doing other things that
they hadn't considered doing, such as cooking or living independently. As
students get to know other blind people who live successful lives, they want to
try as well, and they do succeed.
Learning skills of blindness and learning confidence do go hand-in-hand. If
you have to pick between the two, confidence is by far the better thing to have.
I know blind people who had no training in skills of blindness, but had
confidence in themselves. These people got to know other blind people who travel
and live fulfilled lives and decided, by example, "why not me, too," and went
out and got back into life. On the other hand, I also know blind people who had
travel training from "expert peripatologists" but did not develop any
self-confidence from that training. These people stay home and never use the
skills they were taught because they were never encouraged to believe in
themselves.
In addition to confidence and skills of blindness we need to know how to
cope with public attitudes about blindness. We need to understand how to handle
and educate the well-meaning person on the corner who grabs us, because this is
a common problem. I wish I could do more to help my students cope with a
negative family environment, for such an environment is very detrimental to the
kind of training I am able to give. A student has to have some motivation and
some belief in himself or skills training is not of any particular value.
THE POSSIBILITIES OF ART EDUCATION FOR THE BLIND
by Kristy Bird.
There are many reasons to teach children art. In elementary schools, for
instance, studio art allows children to free their imagination. Sometimes it
gives an alternative to academic achievement. Furthermore, art appreciation
reinforces other subjects such as history and the study of other cultures. These
reasons for teaching art to sighted children are viable reasons for blind
children as well.
Art Education for the Blind, a non-profit organization affiliated with the
Whitney Museum of American Art, is dedicated to making art accessible to people
of all ages. Directed by its founder, Elisabeth Salzhauer Axel, the AEB staff
works extensively with psychologists, artists, and educators to meet this
challenge. AEB combines their research on the possibilities of sound and touch
with modern technology to produce a variety of audible and tactile teaching
materials.
AEB bases its tactile models on the research of several perceptual
psychologists. John Kennedy of the University of Ontario studies the best means
of communicating pictures to the blind. In his words, "blind people are
intuitively capable of understanding the visual world, even without training or
education". Since art is the articulation of the shapes and spaces of the world
around us and the expression of our inner thoughts and emotions, we can all
understand art, given the proper tools.
Kennedy proved that congenitally blind people understand complex visual
concepts. His students use a writing kit with a malleable rubber sleeve to touch
drawings and to draw their own. Not only were his students able to identify
basic shapes, they understood composite scenes such as landscapes or room
interiors. They also identified metaphors, such as changing the shape of a car's
wheel to suggest motion, and stick figures which express different emotions,
events, or character (as curved spine suggests old age). Using a sharp object to
raise lines on the rubber sleeve, Kennedy's students were able to draw outlines
of basic shapes, detailed figures, and even converging lines to show depth.
AEB's first projects were the creation of three-dimensional models of
famous works of art. Claude Monet's "Rouen Cathedral" for example, can be
explained using two different approaches. One approach defines the shape of the
Cathedral, which is the embodiment of Gothic architecture. With raised line
drawings or three-dimensional textured models, students begin to understand the
outline of the painting's main shapes and how the Cathedral relates to history
and culture.
The second approach explains the artist's style of painting. Monet was an
impressionist interested in light and color effects. By placing different
colored dots of paint next to each other instead of blending the colors,
Impressionists created a whole new art style. For instance, blue and yellow dots
look green when placed close together. Since color and light are purely visual
concepts, AEB uses raised dots of different textures which, when combined, feel
like a whole new texture.
Surprisingly, an approach with sound uses a similar method of separate and
combined tones. Louis Giansante, an award-winning sound artist, recreates the
space, shapes, style, and emotional content of paintings and architecture.
Giansante relates impressionism to a musical chord. Chords sound like one
complete tone when all their notes are played simultaneously. When the notes are
played separately, on the other hand, each tone sounds individually. Thus, the
visual effects of "Rouen Cathedral" can also be communicated by sound. Giansante
can also demonstrate the soaring height of the Cathedral by recording the echoes
of its interior.
Although three-dimensional tactile models (such as the "Rouen Cathedral"
example above) are successful, they are usually too large, fragile, and
expensive for wide distribution. With the help of new technology, AEB will be
able to reach a larger audience at lower costs. Computers are now being used to
create raised lines and a variety of textures. Some programs and printers use a
relief process similar to embossing while others use a plastic ink. Originally
used for Braille texts, the programs were expanded to produce texture maps. AEB
then took the programs into an entirely new frontier, art.
Such technology enables AEB to develop its latest projects, an
architectural book for children and a supplement for art history/appreciation
books. The book for children contains raised-line drawings of seven famous
monuments, including the Empire State Building and the Parthenon. The monuments
relate to their historical time periods and the culture that influenced them.
While the language of this project is geared toward children, it can be enjoyed
by interested adults as well.
The art appreciation supplement, authored by Dr. Paula Gerson, is an
in-depth discussion of the major movements in the history of art. The supplement
does not simply translate every renowned work of art, rather it aims at
elucidating the major stylistic differences. The supplement also includes
innovative sound compositions, a teacher's manual, and exam material for credit.
In the four years since its inception in 1987, AEB has been busy creating
and testing the many possibilities of art education with sound and touch.
Although Art Education for the Blind is far from being in the mainstream, it has
already begun to work closely with the Whitney Museum of American Art; the
Museum of Modern Art, New York; and the Ringling Museum. The art history text
book supplement and the architectural book will soon be available for individual
use. Please note that AEB's tools are also enjoyed by sighted people who want to
explore art in a new, exciting way. To reach AEB, please write or call: Art
Education for the Blind, 935 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10021; (212)
879-5100.
WHO'S EDUCATING WHOM?
by Robert Scally
Editor's Note: Carol and David Keir are the parents of Cyrus, a blind
third-grader who attends the public school in San Diego. Carol and David are
also members of the San Diego County Chapter of the National Federation of the
Blind and take an active role in the NFB Parents of Blind Children Division and
its California affiliate. The following article by free-lance writer Robert
Scally was originally published in MAINSTREAM, December 1989-January 1990, then
later reprinted in The Blind Citizen, the NFB of California newsletter. Over a
year later, Carol and David state that they now have a good working relationship
with the school and Cyrus's Braille and mobility teachers. Cyrus has been
learning Braille and will make the transition from print to Braille textbooks
this year. Carol would have preferred a swifter transition, but feels the
compromise has been acceptable.
Carol Keir never expected to have to fight her local school system to make
sure her son became literate.
"I went out and got myself educated. If I was going to be affected by all
this, I better go out and learn what these professionals were talking about,"
Keir said. "When I first got involved in the (educational) system, common sense
told us, OK, here's a child that's never going to see well and he has a
congenital condition that's only going to get worse...the likelihood of his
having any sight when he reaches adulthood is very minimal."
When Keir's son Cyrus, who has glaucoma, was beginning kindergarten,
education professionals told Keir basically, "You don't want the child to stick
out and appear handicapped; you want him to appear normal." Educators told her
that teaching Cyrus Braille would make him appear handicapped. Keir found that
because of varying beliefs and theories educators have about how mainstreaming
relates to certain types of disabilities, her son would not be taught Braille
until he was in the third grade and had already fallen behind.
She was determined to not wait until Cyrus, now six years old and in the
first grade, fell behind to begin teaching him Braille. "The approach of special
education administrators in the past has been to mainstream children, especially
those with just one disability like Cyrus, socialize the child and then
intervene reluctantly when the child flounders," Keir said.
At first the Keirs went along with the recommendations of educators, who
also told them it was difficult to teach young children Braille.
"Fortunately, we had met blind adults who did learn Braille when they were
four, five, and six years old and learned it very well because they had teachers
who knew how to teach it," Keir said. "They told us it was a bunch of bull.
Since when is it difficult to teach young children Braille when it had been done
successfully for over 100 years?" With that seed of doubt planted in their
minds, Keir and her husband, David, began to inquire.
What it gets down to is not many teachers know how to teach Braille anymore
because you want the child to appear normal," Keir said. "What it boiled down to
in the normal classroom setting," Keir said, "is other children in the classroom
quickly learned that Cyrus had a problem with his vision and did things
differently. The classroom teacher, of course, was well aware of the Cyrus
disability. Both the students and the teacher accepted Cyrus on a social level,
making the question of his appearing normal a moot point compared with his need
to be literate and prepared for the challenges of eventually becoming totally
sightless in a very competitive world.'
Lawsuits," Keir said, "have put a great deal of pressure on schools to
emphasize mainstreaming, even in cases where doing some things the old fashioned
way makes more sense. "In some ways they've just gone a little too extreme
making sure the children are in a normal setting," Keir said.
The danger that Keir foresaw for Cyrus, a bright and active child, was that
even though he currently has some residual vision it would soon become difficult
for him to learn subjects, such as advanced mathematics, through the use of
audio tapes and large print. At one point a teacher's aide even accused the
Keirs of cruelty because they were "pushing their son into Braille at such an
early age.
One of Keir's advisors, a blind attorney who also has a blind son, told
them to be prepared to have to fight the system for as long as their child is in
school.
"The whole thing is not to be antagonistic," Keir said. "They're (the
schools) trying to do the best job possible. You're not out to be antagonistic
with the system, but you want to make sure your child doesn't fall through the
cracks."
"I went to the library and checked out some books about education of blind
children and pretty much found that the professionals do not agree," Keir said.
Keir explains that through her research she has come to believe that some of the
problems surrounding how to teach partially sighted children come from when the
teachers and administrators involved graduated from college and graduate school.
As each new theory was advanced, teacher's colleges produced new educators
steeped in that particular theory.
"Many of the teachers working in the field today hold on to whichever
theory they were taught in school. Since most of these different schools of
thought have come about in the past three decades, there are many working
teachers from each era, a phenomenon that leads to confusion and differences
over approach, Keir says.
The next step after doing library research was to talk to other blind
adults and contact various advocacy groups for the blind and other disabled
persons such as the National Federation of the Blind, and TASK (Team of
Advocates for Special Kids) a parent support/advocacy group based in Orange
County, California. "We found out we had rights," Keir said.
By the time Cyrus was ready to enter kindergarten, special education
administrators in the Keir's school district already knew the family did not
agree with their philosophy of introducing Braille at the third-grade level for
partially sighted children. When it came time to sign Cyrus's Individual
Education Plan, the Keirs refused to sign unless the school agreed to include
Braille right from the beginning.
The Keirs themselves decided to help their son learn Braille by themselves
learning Braille at the same time. Through a group called Twin Vision (American
Brotherhood for the Blind), a group of volunteers that transcribe books for the
blind, the Keirs began to learn Braille and found that even though the teaching
of Braille is becoming a lost art because of the rise of other technologies,
good Braille teachers still exist.
Cyrus is in a regular classroom setting. His grades are faltering somewhat
because he is having trouble with large print. But he's making the transition to
Braille, a transition that is being made only after Keir and her husband
insisted the school teach him Braille beginning in the first grade, not the
third grade as originally recommended by his school district's special education
administrators.
"When push comes to shove, Braille is like using pencil and paper. If you
can't use pencil and paper, what good's a computer going to do you?" Keir points
out.
New technologies, such as talking computers and closed circuit television
magnifiers (CCTV) are fine, Keir said, but expensive devices might not always be
available once a partially blind person reaches the age of 18 and has to go to
college or work. Some of the technologies, while effective, do have drawbacks,
Keir notes.
"Reading 20 words a minute on a CCTV is fine, but it isn't going to get you
through college," Keir said. "They have their place, but they're not a cure-all.
As one college professor said, "How many CCTVs have you seen out there on picnic
tables being used to play a Scrabble game?"
Currently, Cyrus is in an itinerant setting at school, spending much of his
day in a typical classroom while receiving special instruction a few hours per
week.
What is Keir's ultimate goal for her son? "Get him literate. Literate and
independent."
Already Cyrus is on his way to independence by using a combination of old
methods and mainstreaming ideas. For now he doesn't seem concerned with being
blind as long as he can do things on his own. When it came time for Cyrus to go
trick-or-treating last Halloween, he said he didn't want to hold his mom's hand.
"He used his cane and got along fine."
ILLINOIS PARENTS ORGANIZE
by Stephen O. Benson
Reprinted from the NFB of Illinois newsletter.
It has become commonplace for Americans to rely too heavily and too easily
on superlatives to describe ordinary, or slightly more than ordinary, events,
books, films, recordings, art, scenery, or people. It is, then, sometimes
difficult to find words that aptly describe the exceptional. I find myself in
this position as I begin to report the events of May 18, 1991. Those who were
with me that day will, I think, have no difficulty at all believing that what we
experienced together really did qualify as extraordinary.
The day dawned damp and cool, a dramatic contrast to what was to come.
Federationists hosted a seminar for parents of blind children at Chicago's Essex
Inn. Debbie Stein, Rita Szantay, and I designed a program whose contents
included: survival skills for the `90s and beyond, independent travel,
technology, low vision, socialization, day-care and pre-school placement, the
individualized education plan (IEP), and the role and impact of the NFB. Parents
of blind children made excellent presentations on expectations for their
children, the role of the professional and unmet needs of these children.
Lunch was an all-too-short 75 minutes. Federationists mingled with parents
to share information from a personal perspective and to answer a myriad of
questions. Parents shared resource information as well as thoughts and feelings
about their blind children. The atmosphere was positive and there prevailed a
genuine warmth.
One of the most important things the Federation offers to parents of blind
children is role models. On May 18, there were role models aplenty. Valerie
Negri, state and national scholarship winner, officer of our student chapter,
and biology major at St. Xavier College, delivered poignant remarks about
survival skills and socialization. Allen Schaefer, a music teacher with
outstanding credentials, talked about competing on terms of equality. Tony
Burda, registered pharmacist and poison information specialist; Cathy Randall,
alderman in the Jacksonville, Illinois, city council; Peter Grunwald,
independent author of children's books; and Steve Hastalis, customer services
representative and recording technician, all participated in the days events in
a palpable and effective way.
Barbara Cheadle, who made keynote remarks and who participated vigorously
throughout the day as National President of the NFB's division for Parents of
Blind Children, and as the parent of a blind child, wrapped up the day's events
by skillfully organizing the NFB of Illinois Parents of Blind Children At the
day's end, Federationists, old and new, went away overwhelmed by the amount of
information that had been exchanged, and buoyed up by the harmony that had been
established. It was, truly, an extraordinary and very unusual day.
The officers elected by the NFBI Parents of Blind Children Chapter are:
Suzanne Kuro, Hoff-man Estates, President; Dan Stefek, North Aurora, Vice
President; Debbie Stein, Chicago, Secretary; and Amy Grau, Chicago, Board
Member.
The next meeting of the NFBI Parents of Blind Children's Chapter will
convene at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, September 21st, as part of the annual convention
of the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois, to be held at the Holiday
Inn in Jacksonville, Illinois.
Parents, this organization is for you and your blind children. Come and
participate in this dynamic, exciting new group and, at the same time,
participate fully in the entire convention. Be a part of the most effective
organization of the blind in the United States.
SEMINAR TAPES
We now have cassette tapes available of the Parents of Blind Children
Seminar which was held this year in New Orleans at the National Convention of
the National Federation of the Blind. The theme of the seminar was: We Are
Changing What It Means To Be Blind. Some outstanding speeches were given by Dr.
Kenneth Jernigan, James Gashel (NFB Director of Governmental Affairs), and many
others, including parents and blind college students. The set of three tapes
costs $6.00. Orders may be placed by writing to: National Federation of the
Blind, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230. Be sure to enclose your
check or money order with your request.
HOMEWORK HOTLINE
We have been asked to print the following information.
Anthony Cangelosi and Brooks Communications are interested in establishing
a "homework hotline," which would allow blind and visually impaired middle
school and high school students to get in touch with volunteers (college
students and business and community volunteers) for help in their studies.
We plan to provide this free service through an 800 number, but we would
like readers' input to help us understand how to establish a service that would
be genuinely useful and readily available to those who would use it. Please let
us know your ideas about how best to structure the service, any resources you
think we should know about, and whether you have interest in volunteering your
expertise. You may answer in cassette, in print, or by phone to Mr. Anthony
Cangelosi at Brooks Communications, 240 Sand Springs Road, Williamstown, MA
01267; (413) 458-8030. We look forward to hearing from you.
COLORING SCREENS FOR SALE
What is a Coloring Screen? A Coloring Screen is a simple, inexpensive item
which allows blind children to feel what they draw and color with a crayon. It
is made up of a piece of window screening which has been taped onto a sturdy
cardboard backing (no sharp edges). The child places an ordinary piece of
drawing paper on top of the screen, picks up a crayon, and- Presto-they have an
instant raised line drawing! When used for coloring it provides a pleasant bumpy
sensation along the arm of the young artist. Coloring Screens are great for kids
in the classroom, at home, in Sunday school, at a Brownie or Cub Scout troop
meeting, or anyplace a child would be drawing and coloring. Thanks to the
creative and volunteer efforts of Carol Castellano and her husband Bill Cucco,
the NFB Parents of Blind Children Division has some handmade Coloring Screens
which we can make available to parents and others. The screens come in two
sizes: 11"x14" ($5.00) and 14"x17" ($6.50). To order your coloring screen send
your request (please specify size) and a check or money order made out to
Parents of Blind Children, to: Coloring Screens, 23 Alexander Avenue, Madison,
NJ 07940. Screens will be mailed free matter for the blind. Proceeds from the
sale will benefit the Parents of Blind Children Division.
ECOLOGY AND CAROLING
This information comes from the National Braille Press's Summer Catalog of
Exciting New Braille Products, 1991. To order a catalog write to: National
Braille Press, 88 St. Stephens Street, Boston, MA 02115. Telephone number (617)
266-6160.
You Can Save The Planet: As few books in the decade have ever done, 50
Simple Things You Can Do To Save The Earth empowers the individual to get up and
do something about global environmental problems. Did you know the junk mail
Americans receive in one day could produce enough energy to heat 250,000 homes?
Or that during a beach cleanup along 300 miles of Texas shoreline, 15,600
plastic six-pack rings were found in 3 hours? Do you know why six-pack holders
are dangerous to the planet? 50 Simple Things tells you exactly what to do to
solve these problems, quickly, inexpensively, and easily. You no longer have an
excuse: we have located and Brailled THE BOOK on the environment for you to
read-and it only costs $4.95. Christmas Carols: Remembering the first verse of a
favorite carol, like "Deck the hall with boughs of holly..." is easy. But what
about the second verse, and the third? If you would like your own Braille copy
of the words to 14 famous Christmas carols, then be sure to order our handy
carry-size booklet Christmas Carols for just $5. It includes Good Christian Men
Rejoice, 0 Little Town of Bethlehem, God Rest You Merry Gentlemen, Silent Night,
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, 0 Come All Ye Faithful, Away in a Manger, Joy to
the World, We Three Kings of Orient Are, Deck the Hall, and The Wassail Song.
MORE BRAILLE BOOKS
We have been asked to print the following announcement.
Seedlings Braille Books for Children's new 1992 catalog will be available
starting 9/1/91. Twenty exciting new selections have been added, bringing the
total number of books available in Braille to 144! Prices have not been raised
for the sixth straight year, and the average price is just $8.00 per book (which
is half of what it costs to produce the books) !The types of books offered range
from board books for infants, complete with print, Braille, pictures, and
textures, to the Newbery Award winner Number The Stars by Lois Lowry for 10 to
14 year olds. These books are always in stock-no back orders! Prompt shipping is
a high priority, but please order early to avoid the holiday rush!! To obtain a
catalog, just write to: Seedlings, P. O. Box 2395, Livonia, Michigan 48151-0395
or call (313) 427-8552.
TAPING THE IEP
Reprinted from Advocacy Services of South Dakota, July 1991.
The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) was recently asked whether
local school districts could prohibit parents from tape-recording IEP meetings.
OSEP replied that the Department of Education does not have the authority to
require or prohibit use of tape recorders at IEP meeting because it is not
addressed in the regulations, but its informal view would permit their use. EHLR
213:127 (1988).OSEP noted that if the recording is made or used by school
officials, the recording itself would be an "educational record," and therefore
would be subject to the confidentiality requirements in both statutes and their
implementing regulations.
OSEP further reviewed case law under the subject of right to privacy.
There, cases have held that the rights of a handicapped child and the child's
parents could be violated if school officials recorded an IEP meeting without
their permission. However, the privacy rights of school officials would not be
violated by tape-recording an IEP meeting because they are public officials
serving in an official capacity.
NEW PRODUCTS
The following information comes from Exceptional Teaching Aids. To order a
catalog write to: Exceptional Teaching Aids, 20102 Woodbine Avenue, Castro
Valley, CA 94546; (415) 582-4859.
Listen & Learn Farm Animals: Ages 6-36 months. Texas Instruments has taken
the sounds of farmyard animals and placed them in a bright yellow, talking ball.
The animal sounds activate automatically with the ball's motion and shut off
when baby is finished playing. This talking ball is designed for safety. It is
rugged and durable.
Shellsorts: Students learn by manipulating these genuine shells. The kit
contains 48 real shells. This collection contains shells of 12 distinct types
and there are four shells of each type. Each set of four shells varies in size,
providing a wide variety of educational options. Included with this kit are
scientific facts about the shells and suggestions for educational applications
in areas such as Social Studies, Science, Arithmetic, Language, and Art.
Software Available From Exceptional Teaching Aids: Word-TalkTM Exceptional
Teaching Aids provides some valuable extras for Word-Talk purchasers: l. Two
blank disks for data. 2. A print supplement with helpful information about
creating and using data disks. 3. A recorded cassette to help in creating data
disks. 4. A talking Apple User's Utility Disk-tips on its use are included on
the recorded cassette.
Sensible SpellerTM Exceptional Teaching Aids provides a supplementary
step-by-step print guide and a taped tour of the program.
Braille TalkTM allows you to send your Word-Talk files to a Braille
embosser. It knows regular Library of Congress formatting rules but is not
designed for complicated textbook Braille production.
TECHNOLOGY SURVEY
We were recently asked to print the following information regarding a survey
conducted by the Rancho Rehabilitation Engineering Program, Project Threshold.
If you are interested in participating, please contact them at: 7601 E. Imperial
Hwy., 500 Hut, Downey, CA 90242; (213) 940-8116; FAX: (213) 803-6117.
Dear Colleague:
We need your help! We are trying to identify the families of children with
disabilities who have had technology recommended for them in the last two years.
A survey will be conducted with these consumers to determine their experiences
in obtaining funding. It is anticipated that the survey will take 30 minutes.
The results of the survey will be used in the development of a consumer guide to
funding assistive technology. This project is supported by the National
Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research and is part of the
Rehabilitation Engineering Center on Technology for Children with Orthopedic
Disabilities.
We would greatly appreciate your help in identifying families of children
who meet the following criteria: 0-21 years of age; have a physical, cognitive
and/or sensory disability; had technology recommended for them within last two
years regardless of whether or not they received it; the cost of the technology
was $500 or more.
We are hoping to obtain information related to funding a variety of
technologies such as bath lifts, environmental control systems, computers and
communication devices.
DO-DOTS
We have been asked to print the following information about a new product from
Code-A- Vision, Inc., P. O. Box 10506, Pompano Beach, Florida 33060.
Do-Dots are little clear plastic Braille buttons, one male, one female.
These snap together easily, and non-destructively, through hem, cuff, or collar.
One button tells the clothing design (light or dark, print, plaid, stripes or
plain). The other side has Braille symbols for 45 different colors. A
Braille-coded key to the abbreviations accompanies each packet.Do-Dots are
available in packages of 100 sets for $51.95 check or money order plus $4
shipping-handling (Florida residents add 6% sales tax.)
SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS RULINGS
The following information is from the Pacesetter, June 1991.
Attorney's fees-A court may award reasonable attorney's fees to parents or
guardians of a child with disabilities if they prevail in administrative
proceedings under the IDEA. This provision of the Handicapped Children's
Protection Act was upheld when the Supreme Court declined to review a case in
which a prevailing party brought a civil action solely to obtain attorney's
fees.
Education beyond age 21-A school district may be required to educate a
child with disabilities beyond age 21 if it needs to make up for time lost
earlier in the child's life when the district failed to provide appropriate
education. This decision by the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals was upheld
when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the case.
FALL FESTIVAL
The New Jersey Library for the Blind and Handicapped will be holding its
ninth annual Fall Festival on Saturday, September 28, 1991. The festival will
run from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It will be held at the Library at 2300
Stuyvesant Avenue, Trenton, New Jersey. This year's first speaker will be Jamie
Hilton who is the director of the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and
Visually Impaired. She will speak about her agenda for the Commission in this
period of fiscal austerity. This is an excellent chance for people who use the
commission to meet her. In the afternoon the adults can sit back and listen to
the storytellers for Beauty and the Beast as they take us back to that wonderful
world of "Once upon a time.... Other activities will include exhibits by many
agencies, organizations, and companies providing services or selling aids for
use by blind or handicapped people; a demonstration by Seeing Eye Puppies; as
well as programs for children. For more information about the Fall Festival,
call (609) 530-3236 or call (800) 792-8322 (New Jersey only).
NEW ADDRESS
We recently received the following information from Eyes of Faith Ministries,
Kenneth E. Gould, Director.
Dear Friends:
These past few months we have been making some major decisions with regard
to our work for blind children and adults. We are happy to announce that our
board of directors has given its approval for our relocation next month to
Dallas, Texas.
Please pass the following information along to your publications
department, as we would like to continue receiving regular mailings from you,
including Future Reflections. Also, you may have us listed in your resource
listings as a source for Christian education materials in Braille, including
textbooks required by private Christian schools and home-schools. Our permanent
address, effective June 15, is Post Office Box 743336, Dallas, Texas 75374-3336.
Our new phone number is (214) 669-1103.
DESCRIPTIVE VIDEO
We have been asked to share the following information.
Descriptive Video Service (DVS) is a free service carried by PBS to make
television accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired. DVS provides
narrated descriptions of a television program's key visual elements without
interfering with the program audio or dialogue. The narration describes visual
elements such as actions, settings, scene changes and body language.
To receive DVS, a viewer must have either a stereo TV or a stereo VCR that
includes the Separate Audio Program (SAP) channel. SAP is a standard feature on
most new stereo televisions and video cassette recorders. Stereo TV decoders
that convert monaural TV sets to stereo with SAP also can be purchased through
some electronics stores and mail order companies. A viewer must also live within
range of a PBS station that carries DVS.
For more information contact: Descriptive Video Service, WGBH, 125 Western
Avenue, Boston, MA 02134; (617) 492-2777 extension 3490.
FOR MICHIGAN CHILDREN
This announcement appeared in the 1992 Seedlings Catalog.
The Detroit Free Press' Gift of Reading Program will donate a Braille book
to any blind child in Michigan, ages 0-12. Please send the child's name,
address, age, reading level, and interest areas to Seedlings-Gift of Reading,
P.O. Box 2395, Livonia, Ml 48151-0395 by November 15, 1991, so that we can mail
the book in time for the December holidays!
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