Let's Get This Girl a White Cane!!

Hello friends, I hope everyone had a good holiday season so far. My family has. We took our kids to the American Girl store in NYC this past week. My two girls were, of course, amazed with all the AG accessories, clothes and dolls. The store was alive with lots of little girls (and maybe a few big girls) lovingly carrying their dolls around. It is rather exciting to be there. There's the salon, the big display cases with these beautiful dolls of all ethnicities and ALL the accessories that can go with them.  We passed by the display of the AG dolls with disabilities and much to the credit of AG, they were just as beautiful as their "non-disabled" counterparts. They have lovely dolls with no hair, dolls that use a wheelchair, girls with hearing aids (one ear or bilateral--the owner's choice) and lastly the doll with the service dog. I smiled at the lovely dolls and at the environment they were in. There are big girl empowering quotes on the walls---encouraging girls to be their best selves, be true to who they are, be kind. I loved it. Except for one thing---where's the doll for the blind girl? 

Like I mentioned, they have a doll with a service dog. I am making sure that I am calling it a service dog because it can't be a guide dog for the blind. I am sure someone, who is well-meaning, thinks this is for a blind girl. But it is not. Guide dogs are not given to eight year old girls. White canes are. 

Side note story: I was commenting on this to my husband (okay, I was a little loud as I voiced my opinion of the missing white cane doll…) when the well-meaning manager came up to me, as helpful as ever, and indicated to me that they had AG dolls with hearing aids. Hearing aids. Now to any vision professional that comment is no surprise. It's the first question we are asked when we say we teach kids who are BLIND ("Oh, you must know sign language!" followed by the next comment, "That must be VERY rewarding."). Telling me that they had an AG doll with hearing aids is like me asking for chocolate chip ice cream and getting a duck. It is not the same thing. 

Back to my post---why the fuss over the white cane? Why can't we just give our girls a service dog? Is this even a big deal? Well, it is not a big deal but it can be significant. How many of us know the AG age group girls who have significant vision impairments and struggle with feeling "apart of the mainstream crowd"? The girls who are not fans of the mobility lessons or sticking out from their friends? The white cane means something. It is not just a white cane. It is a tool of independence. Many of our kids struggle with accepting it. BUT how great would it be if there was more positive love to the white cane? ….say maybe an extremely popular line of dolls like the American Girl line? AG's site and store is filled with tackling issues of self-discovery, acceptance, empowerment, etc. They need to know that having a white cane doll would help a lot of girls be part of something that is "cool". That the white cane doll could help with acceptance and removing the stigma that the white cane is to be dreaded. Besides, they make snow shoes, braces, earrings, and every other imaginable accessory for the AG dolls, how hard would it be to make a white cane? Wouldn't it be cool if there was a story? Maybe one of the other girls (like Saige--I know them by name now) had a friend who read Braille? 

Here's what I did today: I called AG and gave them my feedback for the white cane accessory. I also emailed them. It took 5 minutes. I don't know how many AG developers are going to read (or care) about my feedback but it's worth a shot. I made sure that I explained the fact that the AG demographic age receives white canes not service dogs. Most of our girls will never get a guide dog. I further stated that the white cane has significance to a girl with a significant vision impairment especially when paired with the AG line. It would mean something to them. I don't exactly know if I am changing the world by suggesting the white cane accessory or if any of you agree with me. But if you do, would you please email and call American Girl? Let's see if we can help change the perception of blind people and make it so that the white cane is the accessory that most blind girls can't live without? Wink, wink!

Happy Holidays!

Hi friends,

I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and happy new year! I will be back within the next two weeks but until then, you can find me updating my Pinterest board, This Works for Blind Kids, Too!

Have a great holiday season.  Your friend, Robbin :)

Group Games Fun

Let me share one of my new favorite resources! Sometimes it can be a bit tricky to find group games, ice breakers, etc. for kids with vision impairments. This summer I found some super fun ideas for Minute to Win It games but it was slim pickings as not every game was vision friendly. I was perusing the web looking for leadership games and activities with some fun group games and got lucky!

First, here's the website:   http://dragon.sleepdeprived.ca/games/games.htm.

Don't get overwhelmed by the amount of categories and games! I spent some time going through the site and found a handful of great ideas that require very little (to none) modifications for our kids. I tested these games out at our recent Girls Weekend and they were so fun! Now just in case you are still overwhelmed by the amount of games on the site or you or not tech savvy, I made a handout of the several of the games that are awesome. I've posted them below as well as some pics and video that I took of us playing. Now I kept the author's original text because I didn't want to be copy. This is all from the site that I posted above. None of these are my original ideas (the twist and modifications are all me though :). Thanks to my dynamic duo PE teachers, Craig Boucher and Alex Specht, who led these games modules. In order to keep privacy of my students, my own children are mostly the models (as well as my handsome husband, Todd, and Craig).

Here are the games:

Tri-Hop-A-Thon 
Many thanks to Catherine Bryant who posted this game to the Guide Mailing List!!
Relay teams compete rabbit-style: Choose three "landmarks" (if you meet in a gym, lines on the floor work well or you could use corners, doors, chairs...) The teams line up at the same mark. When the contest starts, the first player on each team must hop on one foot to the second mark, skip from there to the third mark, and then jump all the way back on two feet to tag the next team-mate in line. The first team whose members have all completed the course wins.

Please Note: "Tri-hop-A-Thon" comes from the magazine "Family Fun" magazine -- a great source for games and crafts.

The Yell (Scream Race) 
Equipment: None      Number of kids: makes no difference      Ages: 5 and up
Category: Outdoors   Source: Calgary Parks and Recreation Department

Get the kids to line up, like a race. They are to run as far as they can on one yelled breath. Get them to take a good breath before hand. When they have to stop yelling, they are to sit down where they are. (Discourage cheating on this, but it is an energy user!)

Beans
Can be played with any number.
The Guider calls out various types of beans and the girls perform the correct action.
Runner Beans - run around
Jumping Beans - jump
Baked Beans - lie out in the sun
Chilli Beans - shiver
Frozen Beans - Stand still
Broad Beans - Stand with legs as far apart as possible
French Beans - say "Oh La La!"
String Beans - stand still, arms straight up.
Dwarf Beans - squat down
Has Beans - fall on the floor

Captain's Coming
Equipment: None
Category: Large space required   Age: 5 and Up      Number: Any number
Source: A Brownie Pack with Black Forest District, Germanica Division

The girls assemble in the center of the gym. The commands and actions are as follows:
Captain's Coming - all line up, stand at attention and salute.
Bow - run to the 'front' of the gym.
Stern - run to the 'back' of the gym.
Port - facing the 'front' of the gym, port is the left wall. Run to port.
Starboard - facing the 'front' of the gym, starboard is the right wall. Run to starboard.
Man overboard - lie on back and swim
Submarines - lie on back and stick on leg straight up. (for the periscope)
Man the Lifeboats - find a partner, sit together, and row!
Torpedoes - lie on tummy, with hands together over head to give a stream lined look. One person (usually a leader) does the calling and the girls rush around performing the actions, which are mixed up and used more than once. Once everyone knows the rules it is not a problem to join in as you go.

Mouse Trap
Equipment: None      Age: 5 - 12 years
Number of participants 10-30 (with 30 participants start with a bigger trap!)
Mouse Trap Source: I think this one was in a Canadian Guider

Four children become the Mouse Trap. They stand in a circle, facing in, holding hands with their arms extended and up high. The other children are "mice" and they run in and out of the trap. One person facing away calls "Spring the Trap" and the girls of the trap bring down their arms catching (hopefully) some of the mice inside. The caught mice become part of the trap. The game continues until only a few "mice" haven't been caught. Then they become the trap and the game begins again.

Portage, Pyramid, Piggyback
This game is suitable for playing in a gym or in a large outdoor space. If you are playing outdoors, you will have to mark a 'start' line and a 'halfway' point. Divide the group into teams of equal size - it works best if you have teams of six or more players. Each team begins behind a 'start' line. On "Go!", the team selects one team member that they will carry, 'portage'-style, down the length of the gym to the other end. When they reach the end of the gym, the entire team must construct a human pyramid on the spot. Once the pyramid has been approved by a leader, the team breaks up into pairs and piggyback each other back to the start line. In this leg of the race, players can only move towards the start line if they are (a) carrying someone or (b) being carried (i.e., if there is an uneven number of players, someone will have to remain back where the pyramid was built until a team-mate can come and piggyback them). The first team to have all its players back at the start line wins!

Caterpillar
Divide the girls into teams 3-5 girls each. At the start line have the girls sit down with their legs wrapped around the waist of the girl in front of them. This forms the caterpillar. With the girls attached as a team, the Guider yells go. The girls move together as a unit by using their arms by their sides and lifting and moving their bottoms. The teams race to a designated line or spot. At the line, the girls let go of their link to reform their caterpillar with the girls in the opposite order. The teams continue racing back to the start line.

Back to Back
Players stand back to back with a partner with their elbows interlocked. Using each other's back for support, the partners must try to sit on the floor and stretch out their legs. Then, while keeping their elbows locked, the partners must now try to stand up without slipping or falling down! (Not as easy as it sounds!)

Here we are playing Caterpillar!

Selectively Handicapped

Hi Friends,
Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving/Hanukkah holiday. I was loving the turkey dream and ate a great feast. Hope you did too!  This week I am happy to let one of my favorite guest bloggers, mobility instructor Dave Ferland, write another insightful post.

Selectively Handicapped

by Dave Ferland, COMS

The first time I was here I wrote about ABS (Adorable Blind kid Syndrome) during which cute blind kids (no cuter than any other kids!) are treated like public petting poodles. This treatment gets in the way of independent mobility and reinforces a false picture of the real world. Visual people learn incidentally and experientially that there are consequences to not paying attention and not asking for appropriate help. For example, they look stupid or don’t get where they need to be on time and then get into trouble. Adorable Blind Children learn incidentally and experientially that if they stand around looking clueless then someone will eventually take pity and bail them out. Almost every time. They don’t pay attention to the environment around them and they don’t ask for help. Why should they? They are Adorable Blind children and someone will solve their problems for them.

Something else that reinforces helplessness was called to my attention recently and now I am noticing it more in the community of families with blind children. Have you ever experienced that? Something has been going on in plain sight unnoticed and now you can’t not see it? This phenomenon which I can’t ignore is the use of handicapped parking placards by the parents of blind children. Not blind children with physical disabilities affecting mobility. Just regular kids who happen to be blind. I went back and forth on this. Is this really important? After all, I don’t have a blind child. Can’t I just let it go? What’s the real issue here?

On a practical level, we know that blind children often get an incomplete picture of the world and how it works. We want to be careful that things don’t “magically” happen for our students, that they understand the process and work that goes into all daily living tasks. I think we all know that parking lots are not the safest places to practice independent travel. But they are great places to use sighted guide while listening and identifying potential dangers. What are the sounds when a car is about to move? Why do cars pull in and back out? Or vice versa? Why is it harder for a driver to see while going in reverse? Can we tell where other people are going? Can we listen for an opening in traffic to cross to the door? Once across, can we stop sighted guide and have the kids listen for clues then walk to the entrance or to the shopping carts? Finding the entrance is a great skill for real life. These are just the little things that add up to real experience and a full picture of the real world. Better to practice now with supervision then to have no clue later on.

More crucial is the message being sent loud and clear to the kid and to the public: “Blind people are handicapped!” The corrosiveness of this message is clear when I talk to independent and successful college students or adults who are blind. They usually tell a different story: “My parents never treated me like I was handicapped. I folded laundry, did chores, made plans with my friends, walked to the neighbors by myself, arranged rides, took the bus. I was forced to ask a lot of questions. We looked for ways, for modifications, to function in the real world. My parents didn’t change the rules for me. They did not make me handicapped. They did not allow me to be handicapped.” That’s the real issue here. It’s dangerous to overplay the blind card in order to make life easier and more convenient. Do blind kids need modifications and techniques to get ready for the real world? Yes, of course. Are blind kids handicapped? We all want to say, “No! Of course not!”. But we need to model and reinforce that answer whenever and wherever possible.

Sofia Sees Hope (at The Nutcracker)

Let me tell you about this awesome young girl, Sophia. She has Leber's and is probably one of the most dynamic kids out there. And top it off, she's a talented ballet dancer. I have had the pleasure of knowing her since preschool.  Her family works to raise money and awareness for their cause. Go check out their website:

http://sofiasees.org/.

Who doesn't love a fun Christmas tradition like The Nutcracker?! Go to http://sofiasees.org/ and order tickets for the family. This production is presented by Mystic Ballet Company at Fox Theater, Foxwoods Resorts Casino.

There is more information about how this a fundraiser and supports research funding for children with Leber's Congenital Amaurosis. 

Super Awesome Wheel Chair Tray!

Holy cow, I LOVE it when people allow me to share their brilliant ideas! Thank you to Marci Rizzo, paraprofessional, and Alex the SLP who work at school for children with disabilities for letting me share their brilliant wheel chair tray. Let me set the scene so you can fully appreciate why this is a brilliant idea. This tray is for a student that limited use of their hands, has a very specific visual field (the place in her field where she can see the best) and favors colors red and yellow (best colors ever for our kids!). This student is non-verbal but can make choices and use a switch. The yellow and red circles on the tray are the areas where the student can see the best and can make a choice. Just in case you don't understand this, if the teacher were to put an item or switch anywhere else on the tray, this student probably wouldn't see or acknowledge the object. SO: it is very important that you know WHERE your student can see.

Here's the materials:

Plywood
Semi gloss paint
Spray paint circles
*Use cornstarch for less friction so the student's hand glides like water (for cleaning the tray).

I couldn't believe that this tray was plywood when I saw it (and touched it) but Marci (and her husband) sanded down the plywood and cut it to fit on her tray. They painted it after the sanding. 

I also want to point out one more clever idea. This idea comes from the brilliant classroom teacher. Notice off to the side of the wheel chair…..there's a bucket strapped to her chair (tray). Do you know what that is? It's a FINISHED BOX!! It's attached so that the student can always use it (and it appears to be permanent part of the day because they always have to use it). Brilliant!!

Are you smiling right now after reading this? I am too! I love great ideas and I LOVE to watch great teachers working with our kids (that includes para's too!). We are all working together and making a difference :)

Easy Peasy PE Modifications

The other night I was doing my regular presentation with a college PE class when I remembered these awesome tips from one of my newest favorite APE teachers. I can't believe I forgot to share this! He was helping me with ideas for adapting PE games for a student who is totally blind. Without further adieu, here's some easy peasy PE modifications from the awesome Alexander Specht (look for him in my soon-to-post PE tutorial videos).

Frisbee:

-they do have beep frisbees that are light weight and foam. Super cheap as well.

-allow the frisbee to hit the ground/ offense is allowed one drop while in possession.

-allow hand offs during the game

Volleyball:

-start off with a game like "newcomb" where the ball can hit the ground and you can play it off the ground.

-obviously if a lightweight beeping ball is available. 

-catch the ball first then work on returns to the other team.

-designate one player on each team to call out who should hit the ball.

-multiple hits beyond three per side

-allow for underhand passing without calling carries

Flag football:

-allow to play the line and rush the quarterback. Quarterback should wear a beeping pinnie to assist with positioning.

-visually impaired athlete could be qb and pass to one person, who can then make one more pass before the defense can defend.

-handoffs etc.

Store Finds

Hey friends,
I have some fun finds that I thought I would share as this is the beginning of  the "stock up" sale of all things vision education (the shiny wrapping paper, bells, embellishments, the CVI buying extravaganza....). The first of the two comes from Ikea:

Technically they are door mats...but are you seeing what I am seeing: there's some hidden potential!! Look at that shade of red! They are perfect activity areas for younger children. These aren't the typical thick mats either. They roll up pretty easily (people did eye me a little strange as I was rolling up and using a door mat unconventional ways....). They are sturdy and easy to clean. The best part: the price!! A steal of a deal at $3.99!!

The next store find came just this past week from my home away from home: Target! 

I liked this wall art display because I thought it has potential for our visual kids. Perhaps you could put sequence steps in it at centers or use it as a type of calendar box. I also thought the frames were large enough that you could put a velcro mount on it (in the corner) for a corresponding tactual object. The display can hang vertical or horizontal (I like the horizontal the best but maybe I haven't seen the right vertical idea yet!). Not too bad for $10. Let me know if you discover another great idea/use!

The BEST idea EVER for going to the zoo!

I was perusing wonderbaby.org recently and was catching up on the preschool world. wonderbaby.org posted this super cool article that I immediately started telling all my colleagues about: touching LIVE animals at the zoo!! I have the resource link: http://www.wonderbaby.org/news/blind-students-touch-tiger.

 I won't retype the article but just know that I am curious to see what other zoos do this OR would be interested in doing it. The Oregon Zoo has been running this program for fifteen years. I just love this idea!!! It really brings the "zoo experience" to all of our kids!  Check out this article and if you are like me, by the end you will be looking up your local zoo and making a phone call. If you end up getting lucky with your local zoo, let me know! I would love to spread the word about other zoo programs. Too bad Oregon was so far away from my students, shucks!!

Halloween Costume Ideas & Last Minute Halloween tips.

Halloween is just around the corner! I have a few last minute ideas in case procrastination has gotten the best of you. I've be seeing a lot of pins (on Pinterest) and articles about converting wheelchairs into really fantastic Halloween costumes so I had to share. Our friends over at wonderbaby.org have a lot of fun posts about costume ideas for kiddos in wheelchairs as well as ideas for kids who use white canes plus some fun Halloween songs. Go check out the fun over at wonderbaby.org!

 

I also decided to do some other searches of other fun ideas and found these:

This one was my favorite!!

A lot of these ideas came from this site:

 http://www.funcage.com/blog/12-awesome-wheelchair-halloween-costumes/

A few reminders about the Halloween scene:  Remember that most Halloween-type activities are usually with really low lighting and strobe lights so plan ahead for visual over stimulation. Pre-teach as much as possible and discuss what Halloween related words are. For example, talk about what haunted houses, floating ghosts, etc. are like before you go there so your kids can anticipate what is going on. Another idea is to make sure you as the parent are wearing something easily seen by your child so if you get separated, they can find you quickly. 

I know this next tip seems a bit lame but it can be useful for brand new trick-or-treaters who want to go out with their friends (like most typical kids): role play how to go up to houses and follow friends. Your kids may buck at the idea but let's face it, the more pre-teaching we can do with our kids, the more independent they can be. Practice at home where no one can see. Teach your child how to follow and keep up with their friends instead of always making the friend wait for your child. If our kids learn how to communicate with their friends and how to follow them, it dispells the myth that our kids "always need a guide". Teaching our kids how to communicate and keep up is a life skill they will use over and over as they get older. I know a lot of parents don't like that line of thinking but trust me, kids that have those skills are far better off with being truly independent. 

I've pinned some fun ideas for Halloween and fall. I am looking for more ideas for all the holidays. Find me on Pinterest (my board is This Works for Blind Kids, too!!) and refer to my older posts from previous years. This is my favorite time of the year because there are just so many fun activities to do with kids of all abilities. Feel free to share your ideas with me, too!!

White Cane Day Highlights

 Holy cow did we have a BLAST at White Cane Day 2013!!! Major thanks to Old Navy West Hartford for providing us the space and the love to host our bash. They were a great staff led by Emrah and totally supported our cause. They kept our fliers out on their registers for a month. Our events included simulators, assistive tech demos (with our very own tech guru John--from my post about the tech whiz), mobility activities, Braille fun and our first ever White Cane Day CT art contest. It just doesn't get better than that (well, there is always next year and who knows what we will do next year....). I hope wherever you live you were able to celebrate White Cane Day. I am so excited for next year!!

          Our assistive tech table led by John                   Frank Rosetta, art contest winner                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

              

 We also had an awesome fashion show put on by our students!! That was SO fun!! We were also lucky to have our friends from Fidelco Guide Dogs come out with their dogs-in-training. Freedom Guide Dogs and Fidelco also had some families come that were raising guide dog puppies come out as well. I loved watching my students proudly wearing their "I Heart White Cane" t-shirts stand outside of Old Navy and talk to complete strangers about White Cane Day. 

Above: I love my supportive family. We all heart white canes :)



Fidelco trainer, Jamie, with our students at White Cane Day 2013 

My husband, Todd, loved his time with the guide dog puppies. 

 Brother and sister Jimmy and Celeny modeling their fashion right before the fashion show.

Winning White Cane Day 2013 submission by Frank Rosetta

Holiday Braille Items are Ready!

I am not one to jump the gun and go from summer to Christmas but these two little items are fun to plan for. First, Starbucks will be offering Braille gift cards all year long (are you thinking Thanksgiving or Halloween gift ideas?). Let's give snaps to our friends at Starbucks for offering a bit more accessibility to the world!

Here's a write up from delish.com: "Starbucks began offering Braille gift cards during the month of October a couple of years ago to highlight disability employment awareness month. Now, according to Consumerist, Starbucks plans to offer the cards year-round. The gift cards say "Starbucks" in Braille on the front to help customers differentiate between the cards in their wallets. On Starbucks' Ideas In Action blog, the company explained that the new offering was established because of a customer request: "It's that same spirit of innovation that drives us to constantly look to MSI for inspiration on how to come up with solutions — that have the potential to vastly improve the experience for a huge community. For better readability we've adjusted the font and print sizes on our menus. We also created Braille & large print menus, and large print & picture menus. And for the third year in a row we are offering a Braille Starbucks gift card in the store. Thanks to a customer request, it's now available year-round."

The other fun holiday item are Braille holiday cards from Hadley School for the Blind. I don't want to rush away Turkey Day or Halloween but let's face it, I am planning my Christmas card (I love making my family wear coordinating outfits...ha ha). These cards are quite popular and allow you to have a photo card. 

Here's the link with more information: http://www.hadley.edu/holiday_card.asp.

 

Join Me!

This particular post isn't going to be groundbreaking to those of you seasoned TVIs but it was new to me so I thought I would still give it a share. I don't spend a lot of time in the classroom with academic subjects but I am fascinated by the SmartBoard. It's a nice teaching tool but it can be tricky for our kids. Enter the iPad and the Join Me app. The iPad has completely helped our kids access a ton of material and linked with the Join Me app, it allows our kids to access the SmartBoard with ease. The general ed teacher needs to download the app and give the student the passwork/log in information. Join Me allows the iPad to display the SmartBoard display. I spoke to several TVIs and they commented that Join Me is simple to use and several of their students were taking advantage of it. I did look up some articles specific to our kids using it. Here's what I found: http://support.sas.com/misc/accessibility/education/ios/smartboard.html. This article has a one time use of Join Me but from what I understand, you can reuse your password with the teacher. Now is a good time for my personal disclaimer that I am not a guru at AT. But nevertheless, I wanted to post about this cool app that truly does make being in the general ed classroom one step easier.

Another board to follow on Pinterest

I have to share another (yes, another...) board on Pinterest. I came across a board called Sports for the Blind. I have loved it! There's some really good ideas and interesting articles all about sports for people with vision impairments. If you are on Pinterest, check it out:
http://www.pinterest.com/laynie123/sports-for-the-blind/.

As usual,  I am still pinning on Pinterest. My board is unique as I am not pinning cool ideas for kids with vision impairments (that's what I blog about). My board, This Works for Blind Kids, too!, is for regular, everyday ideas that maybe with a tweak of a modification, works for blind kids too.

Have you seen a great board on Pinterest that works for our kids? If so, share with me! 

Object Calendar Binder

Hi friends,
I'm excited to share this find: it's a object calendar binder (although the possibilities are endless). It was made by East Hartford Women's Club. Before I describe this great project, let's check out the pictures:

This binder has 6 pages. The pages are cardboard covered in nyloop. Nyloop can be tricky to find at first but once you find a local source, you are set! Nyloop is great because you can use a little velcro and objects stick right to it. The pictures show some ideas of what you can do. You can use it for matching activities, matching or sequencing. I like the idea of using it as a calendar box system. I recommend the binder idea for kids with multiple impairments. These binders are great because they are pretty durable, too.