Just thinking out loud...

I have not posted in a while. It is summer and I try to keep busy around here since before you know it will be cold again.

I however was reading a post from one of the email forums I belong to. This one is Blind Talk of Il. I was reading a post from a mom of a blind girl. Her daughter has been blind for a year now, so blindness is all new for them. They are doing all the right things with the proper attitude. She wrote about going to a historical site with her son while her little girl was attending school. She heard one of the artist at the site mention that a class was being arranged for children 6 to 11 years of age. In this class they would learn to make molds of their hands. The mom thought her little girl would probably enjoy this activity so she inquired about it. She happened to mention her daughter was blind, and instantly the artist said, "Well, your son is welcome to the class, but it is too dangerous for a blind child." Well, mom was not happy,, but she did not want to make a scene. She has no interest in either of her children attending this class, but she wanted to vent on this forum and she asked what would we have done and what response would have been appropriate.

Well, I think she did right by not making a scene and upsetting her little boy. it does show however how much ignorance there is out in the world about the blind.

I am not saying people are ignorant in general. I am saying when it comes to understanding what blindness is and is not, many are ignorant, or shall we say 'In the Dark.' I am open to freely helping anyone who cares enough or is just curious to understand what a blind person, young or old, can and cannot do. In simple terms, we can do just about anything a person of our age in the "normal" world can do. In some cases we can do more and some we can only do our best. But, is that not the case for "normal" adults and children? It is not realistic to expect everyone to be able to be as successful or as good, if you will, as his or her counterpart. We are just normal people who can't see with our eyes. however
we are very able and capable to accomplish just about anything we set our minds to.. Yes I agree that their are some blind folk who aren't able to, or just don't want to do much of anything, but isn't that the same with many normal folk with no impairments? If you are reading this, please don't assume a blind person can or can't do something just based on the fact they are blind. There are many other factors to consider.

Really Upset...

I figured the best way to deal with how I feel is to write about it. What I am really upset about is how that little boy in New York lost his life. An 8 year old little boy walking home for the very first time gets lost and trust a friendly adult only to be murdered by this animal. It is horrible! The parents will blame themselves for the rest of their lives. It is so sad, they had even walked the course with him so he would know how to get home. I am sure they were waiting for him with much excitement, being his first time on his own. Things like this should never happen, but they do. We as parents and grandparents need to be mindful that there are horrible people out there. I will also suggest that if we hear or see someone acting strangely or too friendly around a child, no matter who he or she is, we should act if we deem it necessary.. No, I am not saying we should be suspicious of everyone, but it pays to be cautious. We as current or past parents know that gutt feeling we get when something does not seem right. Go with that feeling! It is far better to be safe than to be sorry...

May God be with the parents of that family and with our children.