Targeting Independence

Targeting Independence

American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults
Future Reflections Convention 2017 NOPBC BOARD MEETING
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Targeting Independence
by Amy Lund
From the Editor: During the annual meeting of the NOPBC board of directors, the 2017 Distinguished Educator of Blind Students, Amy Lund, had the opportunity to share her thoughts about teaching and her aspirations for her students. Here is what she had to say.
I have been tasked with giving you my ideas about creating opportunities for blind children. This is a huge part of my job as a teacher of blind students, making sure that we make the connections from home to their education and to their lives beyond. I can't work with a child if I'm only thinking about his or her education. I have to think of what the child does outside of school. As a good teacher, I need to know what my students enjoy so I can make connections with them and help build and expand their learning. That's how all of us learn. We find something that really sparks our interest. Maybe it's math, maybe it's volcanoes, but something clicks for us and makes us want to learn. As an educator, it's my job to find those things that click for my students.
As a teacher for the past sixteen years, I've seen a wide variety of service plans, strengths, deficits, programs, and family values. All of these factors contribute to how an educator works with students and how you, as parents, build your own process. Here are a few of my observations and recommendations about blind children, to make sure we all stay on the same page.
First and foremost, you are the parent of a child. Your child will cry, fall, throw tantrums, and be amazingly loving. You are your child's first teachers, and you will love them, protect them, and foster their growth.
These adorable "poor" blind children (please note the sarcasm!) will be members of our society someday. Just like any other children, they will grow up. We really need to look at how we foster that growth. In education you make a gradual release. As parents you do that naturally. When your children are little, you hold their hands. As they get older, they walk next to you. When they're older than that, they walk way in front of you because they don't want to be seen with you. Gradually you release them. You give them independence and power.
As the parents of blind children, you may find that letting go can be hard to do. You need to make sure that you stay strong in that stance. You need to make sure that you release them, that you let them fall and fail. They will grow from those experiences, and you will grow as well.
How do we set high expectations for our kids and get others to buy into them? I picture our lives as targets. At the center of the target we have our immediate families. It starts with you—you are your child’s first teachers. When you set high expectations in your home, that attitude can extend outward to siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins. Make sure you get everybody onboard. If your child is in middle school and wants to go to the mall, make sure it’s not in your mentality to tell your other child, “Look out for your sister.” Your blind child will be doing everything socially that her sighted peers are doing.
Your family structure will be the model for other structures as they take hold. When your child goes to school, he will have the confidence to say, "I can do this. I do it with my siblings. We play kickball all the time." He'll be able to play kickball with his classmates in PE class. We want your children to do everything that their sighted peers are doing. Maybe they'll do some things differently, but they'll be involved.
It's up to that central portion of the target, the family, to set high expectations. If it doesn't, any outside force that does have high expectations is going to look mean or unrealistic. As long as the family has high expectations you can get others to buy in.
The second ring on the target is your near community. Your park district, your Scout troop, your YMCA, your religious groups, your school, your regular camps are all part of this community. I live in Springfield, Illinois. It isn't rural, but it sure feels that way sometimes in terms of what's available for my students! I have to work with the resources we have. These mainstream programs can and should easily be adapted for your children. It may take a little collaboration. It may take reaching out to some of the divisions of the NFB, such as the Sports and Recreation Division, to figure out how to adapt some activities. You can reach out to other parents of blind children, people who know it can be done.
Our kids take part in Scouts, and they go to YMCA camps. They are active in all kinds of mainstream venues. They can be very successful and have positive interactions with others. It takes you, as the expert, to go in ahead of time and prepare people. You can help them build the mindset that they will do whatever they can so your child can be included. You can show your church that your child is part of that community, and she can participate when she has a Braille hymnal.
After we look at mainstream opportunities, we can look at some that are very specific to blindness. Obviously, I love BELL Academy. It is a phenomenal experience! I've been fortunate in Illinois to have kids as young as four and kids all the way up to fifteen. I see varying degrees of Braille skills, varying degrees of technology skills, travel skills, and nonvisual techniques. I feel so fortunate that we have two weeks to spend with them in Chicago and one week for our Springfield program. We can use that time to grow their skills. This program is very blindness specific.
In my opinion you have to pair mainstream social experiences with blindness-specific programs where kids can learn from blind mentors. My Illinois mentors have been phenomenal. When we're on a field trip, I have a blind mentor for every child. I'm in charge, but I can step back. I am sighted, but I recognize the importance of allowing the child to see blind mentors who are strong and confident. They are independent in their travel and their careers, and they use technology effectively. I can step aside and allow them to showcase their skills. The kids can say, "Bill Reif does this! It's awesome! I can totally do that!" or "Chaquita sings so beautifully. I love what she sings. I can learn that piece of music!"
As a teacher, I understand that I can spark ideas, but I am not the be-all and the end-all. Our blind mentors are the people who really can show these blind kids that they can be independent and have successful lives.
When I'm teaching, I feel a little selfish. I talk to my high school students pretty frankly. I remind them that they are going to be members of my society. They are going to vote, they are going to donate blood, and they are going to volunteer. They are going to have careers and families. They are going to do all those things to the best of their capabilities. This is the speech that all of my students get. You are in my society, and you are going to participate! Cooking classes and family development classes all fall under me as their teacher of blind students. I'm very fortunate to have all of these opportunities with my students all the way through high school.
So we have the family and the community and blindness-specific programs. Those include our NFB state affiliates. I can't neglect to say how incredible Illinois has been to me in its support for its BELL Academies. I've been very fortunate to go to other affiliates to see their BELL programs. I've been to Connecticut, Rhode Island, Minnesota, and Arizona. It's phenomenal to see other states joining on this journey and ringing bells, too! I love hearing that we're getting more and more academies every summer.
And of course, there's also the national office, providing resources and giving me the chance to meet and network with other parents, teachers, and blind individuals. Networking is important for you as parents, and it's important for your children as they grow older. I see children so excited to come back and connect with the friends they made last summer, and they look forward to being with friends at convention every year. Through the NFB you have a huge family.
So providing opportunities begins with you, and it expands out to your community. You're the champions. You're the ones who are going to start it off. I wish you luck in every way.

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