Tag: Visually impariment

Five things you can do with your visually impaired child this spring

It is now spring, and with that means warmer weather. If you have a visually impaired child you may want to take this opportunity to work on some “blindness” skills. Here are five ideas to help you get started.

  1. If your child likes to fly a kite, have them use their magnifier, and have them use it to read the instructions and put the kite together themselves. (with you supervising this). This will teach them to use their magnifier, how to follow directions, and how to feel good about themselves when it comes to completing something.
  2. This next activity is for children who have a telescope or is in pre-telescope training. This is a fun way to practice using proper prompting technique (which can also be called a holding technique). Which can be used when getting ready to track the kite, or to help stabilize their arm while they are tracking the kite. You can move the kite in different directions and have them follow it with their telescope. (which can help build tracking technique). These two skills are needed in the classroom when children are taking their own notes from the board.
  3. This next activity can be for a younger child who may be working on Orientation and Mobility skills. Have them follow bubbles. For some of these activities you may want to use a larger wand to make bigger bubbles. 😊 If your child can see them well enough. You can blow the bubbles, and while the bubbles are floating have your child follow them. While they are following them, you can work on directions such as up, down, left, right, behind, under, over. If your child is working on compass directions you can blow them, and ask, “If I blow them in this direction, what direction is this?” or “What direction is behind you from where the bubbles are going?” If your child likes to run remember that this can be another good way for them to get some exercise too.
  4. Go for a walk or a bike ride. For biking every child is different. Please do not pick this activity if you do not feel like your child can handle riding a bike. Walking may be a better option. This can help your child get exercise. It can also open up a dialog. You can start talking about options  that they can do if they can’t drive to help them still be mobile and still be independent. This can be a fun activity that the whole family can do.

5.       Finally, you can take some or maybe all of these activities and combine them into a day. Maybe you can even do a scavenger hunt for the supplies for the kite. Have fun!

Mid-term reflection: pondering thoughts (independent living skills series 21)

Since it is October and I only have four more months until my scheduled graduation I decided to write a mid-term reflection.

I like my classmates and staff at school. I feel like the school lacks organization when it comes to getting students organized for their assigned lessons.  I wish the teachers would provide class syllabuses to help students keep track on what they are learning.

When I first started school, back in May, I was hesitant to cook and to travel on my own. I had limited knowledge about the Alexa Echo.

I now have a new sense of freedom. I now know how to look up recipes, check spelling of words, do math, get times and keep my shopping and To-Do lists up to date. I use my Alexa daily.

In the kitchen, I am able to cook simple meals and desserts. As well as, use my adaptive equipment to chop fruits and vegetables, check temperatures on a wide variety of meats, and how to confidently place and remove pans from a hot oven. I cook for myself more often, and enjoy new dishes. (Yum, baked eggplant 😊)

When it comes to my travel skills I am no longer afraid to cross streets with heavy traffic, use escalators and elevators and use alternative transportation. I feel like I can travel anywhere I want including traveling abroad. Over these past few months I have learned to have high expectations for myself; all this despite having Nystagmus.  I have positive friends who believe I can achieve my goals and dreams rather than to say I cannot achieve.  On top of all this, I have decided not to listen to the people who say, “No, you cannot you have a cane; or you are visually impaired,” I say to those people, I have confidence and independence now that I have all this training. Getting this confidence and independence did not just happen over night and it came with a lot of work on my part, however I am happy with who I am today.  I know what goals I want to achieve in the future.

Thank you everyone for your support; without you I would have never made it this far. I am looking forward to my graduation.