Physical Education for the Blind Child

Playing at recess or getting involved with team sports is extremely hard for a blind child. Even if the child is more than willing to give it a try, the other children and often adults can be discouraging. Either they don't take the time to adapt the game for the vi child or they are afraid the vi child will get hurt, etc. If the blind child is reluctant to even try to participate AND the others are as well, this most often leads to the blind child never becoming engaged.

My daughter doesn't walk independently and doesn't enjoy holding unfamiliar objects (like the baseball bat!) - both of which are needed to fully participate in most sports. However, we haven't let it hold her back. We enrolled her on a special league for children with disabilities. She isn't the only blind child, nor the only child that needs assistance holding the bat and running the bases. Each child has a 'buddy' that helps him/her each game and they have one game a week for about 8-10 weeks. My daughter loves it. It took her a couple of weeks to become familiar with the field (which is special bc it doesn't have any barriers that can cause children to trip,etc) and the coaches. She does better some weeks than others. We bought her a cheap baseball bat and tee set to play with at home. This has helped with her batting skills tremendously! But the point is that she is out there playing t-ball! She hits the beeper ball, runs the bases, plays the field, cheers on her teammates, hears everyone cheer her on, and finishes by singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame".

We also do Yoga at least once a week at home in our living room. We use a kids Yoga DVD that has a pose or exercise for each letter of the alphabet. She enjoys listening to Marsha on the movie and pretending to be different animals. The exercises are great just for the strength and stretching, but also for her balance and coordination. Gymnastics is also a great way to get your visually impaired or blind child moving! It is great for procieptive and vestibular activities; and simply put, gymnastics and tumbling teaches them to fall. Forward roles and flips on the bar are some of my daughter's favorite moves. I hope to enroll her this summer in a more structured class.

Recordable Storybooks - A Personal Gift for a Blind Child

I absolutely LOVE these Recordable Storybooks from Hallmark. You can buy them at your local Hallmark Store or order online. The book is a great size for children. The pages are thicker than normal book pages making it a great material for adhering clear brailled sticker paper. My parents recorded the story "Twas the Night Before Christmas" for my daughter. They read the words from the book while adding their own little personal phrases or 'shout outs' to her. It is now a keepsake that will last years - many many Christmases down the road. She'll be able to share this favorite Christmas story even if we aren't together at the holidays.

My daughter's birthday is coming up this month, too. My husband and I are going to record the "My Little Princess" story for her to enjoy. It is a gift that she will truly enjoy immediately and for years to come. We will add the braille text using the clear adhesive sheets that we can type using our at home Perkins Brailler. It takes a while but I've found that just doing a few pages in the evening here and there helps break it up and it not seem so overwhelming.

I am planning on making a recorded scrapbook album for my daughter as well with pictures, 3D scrapbook products, braille, and anything else I can find that is tactile! I will record the details and description of each picture. The memory card is big enough that you can record plenty of time on each page to reminisce each memory.

 Hallmark is already made quite a few stories/titles available and a variety of blank memory albums! Check them out today and share your ideas with Sensory Sun! I hope you and your child will enjoy it as much as we have!

http://www.hallmark.com/online/in-stores/recordable-storybooks/

 

Social Networking - Creating the Future

The ease and requirement (which some resist) of social networking - Facebook, Twitter, Blogging - has increased the awareness of everything happening, everywhere, all the time. And it is no less for those of us with blind or visually impaired children. I have found it extremely beneficial to keep up with contacts and friends via these sometimes addictive sites. For instance, at the moment I am blogging on Blogger, while signed into Facebook and Twitter. Is it necessary? No, of course not. Have I not only kept up communication with people around the world, but met new wonderful people I would have no chance in meeting any other way? YES!

It may be exhausting to some to keep all their 'status' lines current, but to me it is just another way to say "Hello! I'm here and full of life!" I may have the same Facebook status for days but that doesn't mean I haven't logged on and checked out my new notifications. My family loves the fact that they can log on and see pictures my daughter colored or how cute she looks in her new dress. I can inform my other friends of blind children about ideas I have that they may like to try and even post photos of how I made 'Candy Land' completely tactile.

The idea is that is completely up to me about when I update this blog, or take the time to upload those pictures that have been on my camera since last month. I enjoy this. It's not a chore. I do it for others to see, but I also do it for me. It is my way of communicating and sharing my story. I also get to read other's stories and this is priceless. I only hope others will someday think the same about what I've done with my life and will do in the future.

“When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened.” Who will you be?