I met the X Ambassadors!

I had the best experience yesterday because I met the band X Ambassadors! In case you are not up on reading my blog, meeting the X Ambassadors was AWESOME because they are the band that sings "Renegade". The video "Renegade" features some pretty awesome people with vision impairments (see the video at the bottom of the post). 

They were doing a show here in SLC and had a meet and greet opportunity. I immediately thought about how cool it would be to meet Casey Harris from the band (he's the cool blind guy). It was would be fun to bring him a fan letter in Braille. I'm not exactly hip on my knowledge of UEB these days (but isn't that why Duxbury was invented? ha ha). I wrote him my letter and it transcribed and embossed. 

I was the enthusiastic fan that was shrieking with excitement when they entered. I was SO excited when they came in! It was kind of funny because here was the whole band and I basically beelined for Casey. I had to excuse myself to tell the other guys that I was really just there to meet "the cool blind guy". 

The bandmates were great! They were all wonderful to meet. They signed a poster that I can hang in my school. They thought my shirt was cool and we all read it to Casey. My shirt was from White Cane Day 2013 ("I Heart White Canes). 

It was such a rad experience. I invited him (and the band) to my school anytime they had time to make it. I wanted to share the video again. Check it out below!

Keepinig Up With Jimmy...As He Goes Back to School

 My note: I am in complete denial here. Complete. Denial. There is no way Jimmy can be entering 6th grade. It seems like just yesterday I met Jimmy and Kristi for the first time at a library for an activity day for our preschool division. Yes, preschool. Then I would invite them to our holiday skills day and we would make cookies together. I would have to get a chair for Jimmy to stand on so he could reach the counter. Then we started summer camps a couple years later for our kids (in Connecticut). Jimmy was never old enough but I knew that if he came, he would thrive at them. I decided to create a special "junior" camp as a day camp option for our younger students. It was all because of Jimmy. I knew that there was this awesome kid just waiting to be old enough to come to our residential programs. And now, he is in SIXTH GRADE! Kristi hasn't been the only one keeping up with Jimmy. He's had some amazing TVIs that have had the awesome adventure of working with him. I am lucky to count myself as one of those to keep up with Jimmy. Pretty soon he will be working at one of my programs as an intern. Exciting, but scary and crazy that so much time can go by and truly feel like it was "just yesterday...". 

Jimmy on the first day of school

Well Hello there again!!! I cannot believe the smmer is OVER!!! Just to let everyone know Jimmy did NOT have a slow summer, he busted through it like only Jimmy knows how. The short list would include: swimming, waterskiing, a trip to Maryland, going to sleep-away camp in New Hampshire, spending 2 weeks in Wisconsin with family (which also included: tubing, water skiing, jet skiing, shooting guns, driving tractors, 4-wheeling, and one of the best weddings we have attended), and next weekend (Sept 5th) I will be taking Jimmy to his first concert and then we are to get up the next morning and go visit my best friend in Maryland. 

With summer being over it only means one thing our kids are getting ready to go back to school, that is if they haven’t already begun. Where Jimmy and I live they don’t start until Sept 3rd so we have a little less than a week before that dreaded day. Are your kids returning to the same school or are they transitioning to a new school? Jimmy is in his last year in the elementary school (Middle School next year, please say this isn’t true) which helps keep MY anxiety down. But at the beginning of every year there is some anxiety for our kids of who is in my class, am I going to like my teacher, what changes have they made this year and am I going to have the same TVI as last year? For the last question the answer is some years yes and some years no. For us this year the answer is no, and this is ok. I think that Jimmy has to completely learn to deal with change and that it is an inevitable part of life. For our kids it seems like it is a little harder to deal with these changes as they can’t physically see the changes, they have to have complete faith in those around them to help them through it. 

Jimmy had his own requests for hair--punk rocker, bluish/green hair-spiked, nothing but band t-shirts.

Preparing for school each year is easier for me than most parents. They all receive their back to school list and for me there is no list, not gonna lie I LOVE this part of back to school. All we ever really have to get are new backpacks/lunch packs. And maybe a pencil and pen for those once in a while circle questions…you know what I am talking about! All my parent friends are jealous of me for this one aspect, and I will take it. And to modify this for Jimmy we go to a store and he will feel the backpacks and the one that he likes I will describe it to him and then he decides if he wants it or not. Same goes for lunch packs. This year as I said we are lucky because Jimmy is in the same school he has been in for the last 6 years (our elementary school goes K-6) so there is no anxiety for him in that aspect but I can only imagine if your child is starting a “new” school. I honestly don’t even want to think about it until next year because I think I will have more anxiety than Jimmy and worried that the “new” kids entering his school are going to be awful. But that is not this year and we can talk about mommy angst this time next year. For now I am going to just say Yay to kids going back to school (boo cold weather on the way) and I hope everyone’s children have a wonderful School year and kick butt in all their areas of study. Until next time…laters!!!!!!

Video documentary: His wife goes blind. He steps in to support her.

Hi friends,
A friend shared this video on Facebook and the moment I read the caption, "As His Wife is Going Blind, This Husband  Does The Sweetest Thing and She Doesn't Even Know It", I knew I would be interested.  Check out the video:

I loved the raw emotion of this! Of course being in my position on the other side, I was thinking "he can't do this forever...". I couldn't put my finger on the other feelings that I was feeling. I knew this was true life for someone who has blindness onset later in life. I couldn't help but to keep thinking, "blindness isn't the end of the world!!" but I also knew that that crusade wasn't the right way to describe what I was feeling or what was being conveyed. I decided to share it on my Facebook page and invite my friends (several of them are my colleagues) to weigh in with their thoughts. Holy Hannah, they hit the nail on the head!

Each comment really gave me some insight. I love how Karen pointed out the love and respect doesn't have to take away her independence. Jessica (an orientation and mobility instructor for children) provided a really good point (that Patti, an awesome TVI highlighted): he will build his own confidence in her abilities and then can step back. (ALL my parents please write that down: Build your own confidence in your child's abilities and then step back.). Lastly, Cody (my former student and future TVI) reiterated the balance that we, as professionals, need to maintain as we handle such tender feelings. It might be our students who are struggling with their loss of vision or it could be parents, siblings, friends, etc. that are still finding their way.

Loved this video! Thank you Jubilee Project for doing such a great job!!

Book Ring Object Cards

Are you an intervener or para on the go that struggles with carrying all your object cards? It's tough to be a jack of all trades when you are in these roles. You have to sign or physically prompt, support the student and get the object into position to use. It's a lot of work!

I was visiting one of my classrooms where I saw this great little idea: object cards on book rings. Now I know that isn't anything unusual. Many people put object cards on book rings. But let me share with you why I thought this was a fun idea to share. This idea belongs to an awesome intervener, Angel, who let me take pics and share. She puts her student's cards on her keychain strap thing--can't describe it well (see the black loop in the picture) when they are on the move.  Angel needs two hands when she is working and she needs her object cards quick because attention spans can be like a blink of an eye. 

In case you are new to object cards maintenance, first thing is to laminate your cards first! Drool, dropping them in water, etc. is a likely situation not to mention crumpling, attempts at tearing and just general wear and tear. After lamination, punch a hole in the corner. 

I like the key ring set up that Angel uses (see below). By using the latch (as opposed to a traditional key ring), she can quickly load up her cards for each activity when they are on the move. Plus the latch allows doesn't destroy the card. She also uses book rings as opposed to key rings. Book rings have a quick open-and-shut feature that is also secure. You can purchase book rings from a variety of places such as Staples for about $4-5 a box. The other thing to notice is that she doesn't put all her object cards just on one ring. She has multiple rings so each card gets its on place. That's smart because she can use her cards in isolation or have them ready for a sequence.

 

Below is another view of her on the go object cards: 

A Must-See Music Video!

Hi friends,
Sorry for the big gap in posts--it's summer time and for those of you that have been following me for awhile know that I'm away at summer programs. This summer was my busiest summer! I did 4 (almost consecutive) residential summer programs for students all over Utah. It was a blast!

This morning while I was warming up for my workout I was watching VH-1 and I saw this video by the group X Ambassadors. It caught my attention because it opens featuring a blind woman who power lifts. At first I thought it was a USABA commercial. But I recognized the song so I kept watching. Check out the video:

I love the clips they used, the athletes that they featured and the whole vibe of the video with this awesome song playing in the background. 

I love the message in the video!! Let's share messages like this. Let's support the empowerment and keep sharing the video (and keep listening to the song--it's awesome!).

Sensory Bin--Touch & Find Play

How about some summer sensory fun?

 I snagged this idea while I was visiting one of our classrooms for children with multiple impairments. The idea is sweet: it's a simple Rubbermaid bin with lid that has two holes cut into it. Foam padding was added so little arms can't get cut on the edges. Easy peasy to whip up! I got this idea from a colleague, Coy Clawson, who told me that it takes no time to make this. 

 I liked the versatility behind this. He had packing peanuts inside his with items to tactually search out. Can you imagine the possibilities? I also got to thinking that this would be a great activity that was inclusive for siblings, friends, family/church BBQs where our kids could play a game that would be interesting for all. You could see who could find the most objects in one minute. 

You could make this an academic skill by providing the student a tactual/picture list of items to find. They can do some matching to the list. You could easily switch out the different textures to search through as well. I also liked the fact that the visual complexity is reduced. Sometimes when we have sensory bins, our kids look into a large bin of items. The black lid eliminates a lot of the complexity. You could also do a little O&M training by discussing the layout (side to side) or you could flip it vertical to have a top and bottom; other spatial concepts such as inside/outside, top/bottom, empty/full are also in the mix. 

Fill these tubs with whatever you would like! You can do random items (with a match list like I suggested before) or you could do themes (all kitchen items, summer toys, etc.). This is great for our kiddos with multiple impairments and our early childhood little ones. 

I wonder if you could even add a few other holes of different sizes (on a different lid) and use dowels. Reverse the idea of looking for things inside and use it as a giant peg board?  You could make another lid with a Braille cell and have some fun with Braille...

Ooohhh....I like the possibilities! Have fun!!