Annual Portraits

Hunnee (my pet name for my husband of 2 1/2 years) and I had our annual portraits made. Last year we wore white and this year we wore black. I actually found a dress I could wear!

He never really wants to take pictures but he knows how important they are to me. Once we get to the portrait studios we have such fun. The photographers get a kick out of us clowning around. Like: "Let's take a picture of me having her in a choke hold." "Get a shot of me slapping him silly!"

"What are you doing, your own version of Dorian Gray to show how I get more wrinkled up every year and you stay young? Do I have to go through this?" he whined when I originally suggested it. Hunnee is blonde with blue eyes and was a life guard in the Miami sun as a youngster so he has more wrinkles than I. I have oily caramel colored African American skin. That and my mother's genes sometimes makes people think there is a greater age difference than just six years.

"Yep, you got me," I said. "That's my whole purpose in life--making you go through things."

While I waited for the mechanic to call about my car, he went to the luncheon at the church for the Bible college seminar. One could call it another cool way to make sure he was dressed. My husband likes to dress nice and cares about clothes more than I do. He will plan an outfit days in advance while I will decide maybe the night before or the day of.

When we arrived at the studio he dropped out front while he went to park. Since we were walk-ins this time, he suggested I go on up fill out the forms and get us a place saved in line.

There was a nice girl in there who is shorter than I am! Imagine that! She said there was no line just then, only people picking up their photos. She gave me the forms to fill out and said I should call her when my husband arrived from parking the car. I thought. I certainly better 'cause she won't be able to tell he's my husband by looks!

A lady came in with two little girls to pick up her photos. One of the girls was about three or four years old while the other was about a year old to a year-and-a-half. The babies walked in to the play table. The older one had a charming mother hen attitude towards her baby sister.

"Oh, look what we have here, Susie! look at this! Don't you want to play with this? Come on! Let's sit down and play!" said big sister, obviously taking care of the baby while mom handled business at the front desk.

By the time Hunnee walked in the children were running in circles in the waiting area. He stopped to let them skitter past him, then walked over to me.

The mama looked up from her pictures for a second: "Allie! Girls! Stop running in here! Be still!"

"Okay, Mama!" the older one said as she attempted to corral the toddler.

The baby ran past Hunnee to get to the play table and said, "Gubboo bah!" to Hunnee.

"Aw! Hello to you, too!" he said aloud with a big friendly smile on his face. Then in a voice meant for only me to hear he said: "Now sit your little gubboo bah butt down and stop running through here, you little funny-looking--"

"Hunnee!" I interrupted. "Stop that!"

Then he started laughing which made me laugh.

I told him the girl at the desk wanted me to tell her when he came in but she was still busy with the mama who was perusing her proofs.

"I think you better tell her," he said. Then with that devilish smile: "I don't think she'll put the two of us together on her own.Heh, heh, heh."

Then he went to the mirror to check his hair. This is another one of his hobbies: his hair.

Photographers usually try to do and say things to make the subjects smile pretty for their pictures. But when we come along we usually crack up the photographer.

"Hey!" Hunnee said excitedly as he perused the props. "Can I take a picture with that football? I need a picture with a football."

"No!" I said. "You don't even play football." He's about five feet six inches tall and maybe a hundred thirty-five pounds with rocks in his pockets.

"But I like football."

"No football."

"She beats me on a regular basis," he said to the photographer. "I have scars to prove it."

"Somebody has to keep you in line," I said. "That's my job."

"Face each other. Closer, closer," said the photographer.

"There's just so close we can get with this big schnoze of a nose of mine between us," said Hunnee as he pulled on his nose.

"Aw, Hunnee, I like your nose," I said. "And it's not so big!"

The first picture was snapped.

"Hey! I wasn't ready!" Hunnee whined. "You need to warn a guy."

"Hunnee, she said, 'Smile.' That is a warning," I said.

"Not for me. I have to have more warning than that. Maybe you can say, WARNING! Like that."

Then the picture shows up on a little screen where we can see it.

"Aw! I don't like it!" he snarls. "I wasn't ready. Give me another chance--with a warning this time."

"Yes sir," the photographer replied, not sure if Hunnee's joking or not.

"Aw, now don't do that. Don't call me that!"

"Excuse me?" the photographer asked.

"Don't call me sir," said Hunnee. "I'm not an officer; I work for a living." He's probably used that line since he was in the Marines back in 1969.

Then the photographer got it. The Michael's are crazy. Laughing she said, "You guys are fun!"

"We live to serve," Said Hunnee. "And entertain."

"Never ending riot," I said.

"Warning! Smile!" said the photographer.

"Aw!"

"Hunnee, what's wrong now?" I asked.

"I had a fake smile. It's going to look fake. You can tell."

The photo popped up on the little screen that faced us.

"See? Fake looking smile," he said.

"Looks fine to me," I said. He gave me that You-always-think-I'm-cute-so -your vote-doesn't-count-and anyway-you're-bat-blind look.

"Looks fine to me, too," said the photographer. I gave him my see-there look

"Nah! I can tell it's fake. I need something to make me laugh. If I buy that picture I will always look at it and say, 'Yuck! That's a fake smile. I hate that picture'."

The photographer rearranged us. Hunnee stood behind me while I sat on a high stool. He put one hand on my shoulder.

"Oh, that's nice!" said the photographer.

Then Hunnee's other hand came up and around my neck. "Let's do a picture with this pose!"

"I don't think so," the photographer laughed.

"Yeah, only if I can have one of me slapping you," I said.

"See? I told you she beats me all the time!"

The next picture was snapped.

"Hey! You're pretty fast!" said Hunnee to the photographer. "I like that."

"Well, thanks!" said the photographer.

"Yeah, this picture-taking session is moving right along!"

"Better than last year?" I asked.

"Oh yeah! You know how I hate to wait."

"He means that," I said to the photographer. "So ADHD." I said in my best theatrically loud whisper.

"Yeah, I really am," he said. "Can you tell?"

"He almost walked out of a studio because they made us wait when we had an appointment," I said.

"Then we were behind that woman and a grandma with all those babies who couldn't make up her mind which pictures she wanted of her little ugly, bad-a** kids,"Hunnee snarled.

"Hunnee!"

"Well, Okay, they weren't bad kids. But they were ugly," he said as the photographer laughingly arranged us for another photo. "You got ugly kids, take a picture of one and get more xeroxed. Then it looks like you have pictures of all your ugly kids and you don't waste my time. Get out of my way. Hey! I like that picture! Tell me can you do something to help me out with the wrinkles. I really don't want to see all my wrinkles."

"Can you do something about the pictures to help hide my fat?" I asked.

"Let's take individual pictures now," said the photographer who was hinting we were about to make her have to visit the ladies' room. "Who's first?"

"She is!" Hunnee hurried. "I like her pictures better than mine."

As the photographer arranged me Hunnee took the opportunity to play with the props behind the camera. That was his plan all along: to play with the toys. He grabbed the football.

"It really would be cool to take a football picture--like this!" he said as he did a football yearbook pose--the kind that looks like they're about to chuck the ball across the field to somebody.

"Stop that!" I said through my teeth so I wouldn't loose my pose for the photographer. "A black suit with a football. Yeah. Very appropriate.. Put that down!"

"I could take a picture in my black suit with a football," he said striking another yearbook football pose.

"Dude. Forget the football."

"Yes ma'am."

"Ooo!" Said the photographer. "You called her 'ma'am'. Is it alright to call he ma'am if you don't like to be called 'sir'?"

"Oh, that's my thing not hers. You can call her whatever. I do." Then he started singing, "I can call you whatever I want! Call you whatever i want!"

"No, you don't call me whatever," I said.

"Yes I can. Sometimes you know it and sometimes you don't. I got sense not to be in arms reach. My turn?"

"Yes s--" the photographer started. "I mean yes, it's your turn for your individual pictures. Would you like to stand or sit?"

"Ah ha! You almost said 'sir'. And I think I'd like to stand."

When the photographer was done with the last pose, she sent us out to have a seat while she edited the pictures.

Hunnee whispered, "What's she got to edit? We took the pictures, we saw how they look in the little screen thing and--What's she doing? She's on the phone!"

"She's tweaking the photos a bit, Hunnee," I said. "Be patient."

Hunnee has no patience for folks who use a cell phone at what he considers inopportune times--like while driving, serving in a place of business or walking.

"Would you please come with me and we will take a look at your portraits," aid the photographer as she came out of the back and led us to a table on which was a computer monitor. "Now here are all your poses and in this section are the enhanced versions I made to a few of them."

Hunnee didn't sit. He looked at me and raised one suspicious eyebrow. "Hmm. So that's what that editing business was all about, eh?"

We saw some collages and Hunnee turned up his nose. With the ones of us together the photographer showed us how nice they were then she showed us the "enhanced" version. It had a little frosty mist around the edges.

"I don't know if we need all those --hey wait," Hunnee started as he took a closer look. "That frosty cloudy look does wonders for my wrinkles!"

"Well, sir--I mean Mr. M, that is one of the advantages of this softening effect," said the photographer.

"What can you do for fat?" I asked. "Is there any way you can camouflage that in your little editing room?"

"Whoa! I like that one and I like that one and--oh, what's the difference in price with the enhanced ones and the not enhanced--Oh! I'm liking that one, too Honey, we need to get that. Did you put that on the list?"Hunnee went on. "Yeah, you can hardly see my wrinkles on that either."

Realizing he was getting caught up he looked at me and backed way from the table. "Okay, Honey, you decide on some pictures, I'm through, pick some you like. Go ahead. Go ahead."

"Let's pick some together," I said.

"Well, this wasn't so bad. Let's see...We wore white last year, black this year," Hunnee figured. "and since it looks like I'm going to be stuck doing this every year because you are going to make me, I want to wear my lime green suit."

"Aw. You guys have a portrait made every year?" the photographer asked. "That's so nice."

"Yeah, and I'm wearing LIME GREEN next year. I'm color blind but I like to look cleeeeeeaan. Wear what you want Honey, but I'm getting out my Easter egg suit."

The photographer was dying from laughter. "What are you going to do with him?"

"She's going to love me and beat me when I get out of hand," Hunnee said. "I'm going to pull the car around. I'm wearing LIME GREEN next year."
I was trying to sign off for the picture when he leaned in to say "Lime green" in my ear as if the pen on the counter attached to the counter with a coil was a leash and I wouldn't be able to reach him if he clowned on me. He underestimated the length of the coil and the speed of my reflexes when he tried to say, "lime green" and pinch me simultaneously then whirl around and walk quickly to the door to go and get the car.

Without turning around, while I was writing with my right hand my left was free to slap him on the butt before he was able to get out of reach.

"Ow! I told you she beats me!" He said. On his way out a saleslady from the appliances section saw him leaving, rubbing his butt and saying ouch so he pointed to me. "She hit me! She beats me!"

"She does?" said the saleslady. "You beat him?

"Yes, " I said matter-of-factly. "I have to. It's my job to keep him line."

It took her a few seconds but after she saw the photographer laughing her head off she realized we were together. Now the appliance saleslady was laughing.

"You two are such fun!" laughed the photographer. "This has been one of the most fun sessions I've ever had!"

That's how we have portraits made. So how was your weekend?

AFB article: Specialized Education Services for Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired

Thought you'd be interested in thise interested in this article from the American Foundation for the Blind.

"Specialized Education Services for Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired"

This article can be found on the web at:

http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=58&DocumentID=1243


Visit American Foundation for the Blind at:
http://www.afb.org

Fw: Make a Simpsons version of yourself!

This looks like fun. I will try it this evening. Thanks, Daughter.

http://www.kathyskids.org

Ms. Kathy's Kids Blog: http://mskathyskids.blogspot.com/

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Daughter
To: Mom
Sent: Friday, April 17, 2009 12:25:41 PM
Subject: Make a Simpsons version of yourself!

http://www.simpsonsmovie.com/main.html?cid=us

IDEA TASK FORCE White Paper

Don't know how this will come out since it was copied and pasted to an email.I may need to revisit the site 'cause the source link didn't come through.

IDEA TASK FORCE White Paper September 15, 2002 The American Council of the Blind is a national consumer organization of blind persons with a long history of commitment to improving opportunities for blind individuals to learn, work, participate in community activities, raise families, and contribute to a better society for all Americans. As an organization of concerned and responsible adults, the ACB seeks to make it known that the future of blind and visually impaired children is at risk of being wasted as the result of a faulty educational system. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) sets out in Federal law how children with disabilities will be educated in our schools. While it has certainly made a positive difference for many disability groups, its impact on the lives of children with visual impairments has been far less easy to assess. Seventy-five percent of all blind children already attended public school before IDEA was implemented. Over the years, IDEA has actually had the effect of limiting educational and social development of blind and visually impaired children. We believe that this is because of the nature of the law which focuses attention on process rather than on performance and favors adherence to philosophical principles such as the least restrictive environment and full inclusion over the need to plan the education of each child based on that child's needs. This paper focuses on three major aspects of an appropriate education: people, tools, and environment. By looking at each of these we paint a picture of a system that is fundamentally flawed and does not educate blind children to their full potential. After we describe our concerns we suggest changes that we believe can substantially and positively impact the educational and social success of children who are blind. PEOPLE One of the primary prerequisites for the successful education of any child is the people involved in that process. Parents, classroom teachers and specialized personnel versed in the disability-specific training needs of the children must all function individually and collectivly to optimize performance. Too often, this does not happen. Many parents of blind children are afraid to intervene with the school system on their child's behalf. They may feel that their child is in need of specific instruction, however, the school system isn't convinced such instruction is necessary, and therefore not willing to recommend it in the student's education plan. Parents, generally, are not adequately informed of their rights, and often think that the educational professionals must know what's best for their child. Parents often fear retaliation or retribution against their child in the future, and will not press for services that they believe would be beneficial in order to avoid angering the school system. While parents are dealing with the entire spectrum of educational requirements for their child, many parents are also coping with feelings of guilt that their child has a "disability." Mainstream classroom teachers have not had enough opportunity or have chosen not to take advantage of specialized training to work effectively with children with severe disabilities. Consequently, general education teachers either ignore the blind child in their classroom or smother the child with inappropriate attention. Qualified and experienced teachers of the visually impaired remain scarce and are concentrated primarily in urban areas. In many school districts teachers specializing in serving blind and visually impaired students are not the norm. Instead, teachers are hired with a generalist disability qualification that have no notion of how to teach the blindness-specific skills that are so essential to a child's future. In other cases, para-professionals take the place of fully certified teachers placing the specialized instruction blind and visually impaired children require even further out of reach. A core value of IDEA holds that placing a child in a classroom with mostly non-disabled students encourages integration and acceptance by their chronological peers. Unfortunately, this theory seldom occurs in reality for blind children. Because many classroom teachers have little knowledge about dealing with blind children or have minimal expectations of their capabilities, they allow isolation of the blind child by classmates, leading to poor social development and low self-confidence. Either mainstream teachers give blind students too much attention or they ignore them and leave all the training to a specialist itinerant teacher of the blind or to a teacher's aide. It should be noted that, with the rise of the concept of full inclusion, it is becoming increasingly popular to assign a teacher's aide to assist the teacher and the student. Too often, the aide ends up doing much of the work for both the teacher and the student. Moreover, aides frequently lack training in the specialized techniques blind children must learn. For too long, blind children have been isolated academically and socially within the general classroom because the general education staff does not consider it their responsibility to teach blind children, because special educators with expertise in Braille, assistive technology, and other services are in short supply, and because print information, such as textbooks, daily worksheets, library materials, and building signage, are not simultaneously accessible to blind students. The isolation has resulted in woefully inadequate academic and social learning, leaving blind students ill equipped for self-direction, independent living, and employment. All educators must consider blind children to be truly "included" in general education first, provide equal access to the academic, social, and extracurricular activities of the school, and take specific steps to provide for the specialized instructional needs of each blind student. The net result of all the "people" issues is that the blind child is not acquiring the skills he or she needs to be successful and independent, and is not feeling accepted in the very full inclusion environment that is supposed to create a sense of belonging. TOOLS OF THE TRADE No child can be successful in school without the right tools. Educators are now convinced that these tools include real literacy, access to and training in the use of computers, opportunities to explore careers, and enough life experience and sufficient sense of self to allow the student to believe that he or she can learn. A comprehensive range of specific needs (a Core Curriculum) must be met in the education of a child who is blind. These include: orientation and mobility (teaching the child to understand spatial position and travel independently); daily living skills (training to live independently, including maintaining clothing, preparing meals, cleaning, and managing money); blindness-specific computer training (use of an audible screen reader, large print magnification or a Braille display, keyboard skills, access games, word processing, and other programs); and, of course, Braille instruction (teaching the child to read using the Braille system). Without training in these areas, the blind person, no matter how intelligent, is not equipped to function effectively and competitively in the real world. There is alarming evidence that blind students are not receiving Braille instruction. Without Braille, many blind students end up graduating from high school functionally illiterate, lacking the ability to read and write in a medium they can access independently. It is not sufficient to be able to use a tape recorder or a computer. Both approaches can supplement literacy skills, but can never substitute for Braille. Blind students must develop strong literacy skills in Braille first and foremost. As suggested earlier, there is a set of additional tools that a blind child must learn to use. These most often include a white cane; low vision aids, or after a child is at least sixteen years of age, a guide dog. Serious teacher shortages, administrator apprehension of lawsuits, and insufficient time in the school day impede the acquisition of critical orientation and mobility skills. The issue of technology is much more complex and much harder to impact. Often, school districts are prepared to provide technology for students who are blind or visually impaired, though frequently without appropriate evaluation of the effectiveness of the specific technology. Moreover, useful technology is made available to the student exclusively at school. As a result, the student is learning skills at school, which promote independence while being forced to depend on others for help at home. This kind of mixed message only serves to deepen the child's sense that he or she will never truly become independent. Appropriate technology must be available both at home and at school. A designated staff person needs to be identified to learn how to use and teach the technology. All too often, classroom teachers have no notion of how to make access technology work in the school. They generally don't know if it will work with the specific software that the class is using and simply don't have the time to find out. So, by default, the technology access becomes the job of the vision teacher or the aide. Unfortunately, even fully certified vision teachers don't know how to use and teach their students to use assistive technology and don't know what to do with that access technology when it is received. Often blind students finish high school with no personal training in independent access of technology. Teachers are comfortable with letting the aide or the vision teacher make sure that the student's mandatory computer competencies are met. Usually this involves having someone else do the work for the student. Much of the time the access technology is just turned off so it doesn't disturb the rest of the class. Perhaps the most important single change in the provision of education in the last decade has involved the implementation of mandatory vocational counseling for all students. Planning for and exploring career options now begins in elementary school in virtually every state. Unfortunately, it does not begin and, in fact, doesn't usually happen at all for blind students. This reinforces and deepens their sense of difference and serves to reinforce their low self-esteem and the belief that they probably can't work anyway. We cannot and must not judge the success of education simply on the basis of academic performance. Clearly, as a recent OSERS survey indicated, when 95 percent of the blind students graduating from high school have held no job or participated in any extra- curricular activities, we must question their possession of the social tools they need to survive in the post-school world. Differences deepen when classmates have print textbooks, but the school does not make them simultaneously accessible to the blind student. The rest of the class receives print worksheets and handout materials, but blind students do not receive the information at all or at a much later time, creating a separate and unequal environment. Despite the law and regardless of the fact that technology exists that makes it fairly easy to produce accessible materials quickly, schools do not take the necessary steps to provide an appropriate education with simultaneous access to all curriculum materials. The failure to provide information in an accessible format simultaneously with information provided to other students certainly constitutes unequal treatment, which is contrary to IDEA, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Rehabilitation Act. How can we expect blind children to thrive when the tools that are available for everyone else are not simultaneously available to them? ENVIRONMENT The objective of every school must surely be to create an environment in which children can learn effectively. Clearly, many blind children in a mainstream classroom do not have access to such an environment. While IDEA has always allowed for the "continuum of services" which means it supports the notion that all children need not be educated solely in a classroom with non-disabled students, practice has moved towards inclusion. A continuum of educational placements was supposed to be a fundamental part of IDEA but has failed to appear. With the emergence of full inclusion it is becoming more and more common to see blind children educated in a single classroom using aides to help them. This environment assures that the very skills that are so essential for the success of blind people such as Braille, orientation and mobility and independent living skills are not being taught. Furthermore, placements once made, seem to become permanent not allowing for the growth and changing needs of a child over the twelve years of their education. Long before IDEA such models as the "resource room" created a central classroom in a school where all the blind children would spend part of their school day learning blindness skills. This system worked. With IDEA resource rooms have become far less widely used partly because children who are blind are not being sent to any single school in large enough numbers to justify resource room creation. When possible, these classrooms can successfully provide both specialized instruction and important socialization opportunities for blind students to develop a positive self-image as individuals with blindness. For other blind children, a school for the blind may be the most appropriate place for education, both because it assures that the blindness-specific skills that are so necessary are taught and because it offers an environment where healthy socialization can happen. We believe blind students need socialization, not only with non-disabled students, but also with other blind students, in order to develop self-confidence and self-esteem. Schools for the blind also provide for the employment of teachers with highly specialized skills such as mathematics and music for those who use Braille and specialized equipment for the teaching of science and geography. Currently in many states, a struggle continues between local school districts and schools for the blind as to which placement option will prevail. What works best for the student is often a combination of local school placement and temporary placement at the state's school for the blind. This partnership allows the student to take advantage of the expertise of the school for the blind to learn essential skills such as Braille for general reading, mathematics and science, and for music; orientation and mobility training, adaptive physical education, techniques of daily living, and field trips and other social opportunities that cannot be replicated on the local level. The originating purpose of IDEA centered on the needs of the disabled child and not that of the educational institution. Where has this principle gone? SO WHAT DO WE DO? In the past, the blindness community has tried to work with all elements of the education system to make the law work to the advantage of students who are blind. We believe that we now have no choice but to seek to impact an intransigent bureaucracy by changing the law itself. For the sake of generations of blind children we must mandate changes that equalize the playing field for blind children so that they have a chance to become all that they can be. Our proposals fit well into the three categories of this paper and, in the following paragraphs, we will describe how our changes to the law will impact each of these areas. Most of our proposals relate to people. Right now, teachers who must work with children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms have no more than a single survey course on disability. We propose that all teachers in all states be required to have at least nine credits of disability-related education (including blindness) to acquire or retain their teacher certification. We allow a five-year period for bringing teachers up to this level and urge the Federal government to earmark funds to support this initiative. We believe that the current funding formula for low-incidence populations under personnel preparation has disadvantaged programs preparing specialists in the blindness field, which is part of the reason that so many programs are finding it hard to survive. We propose that thirty-five percent of the funding allocated for personnel preparation for special education be allocated to low-incidence populations and that twenty percent of that sum be specifically allocated to programs that train specialists to serve blind children. Parents need to know what the options are for their children. To encourage the recognition of the range of choices that might best serve their children, we propose requiring each school district to provide parents with a document that lists the range of options both within and out of state that might be appropriate for their child. This document should be mailed along with the notice of the IEP so that parents have time to read it before the team meeting. In order to assure that blind children and their teachers have the tools they need to be successful, we include two major proposals. First, we propose amending IDEA so that the core curriculum is expanded to include instruction in orientation and mobility, assistive technology, daily living skills, and low vision. Second, we have asked the Secretary of Education to create a priority during this funding cycle to train teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, and students to utilize access technology. Obviously, there is overlap among these areas. In terms of affecting the environment in which education is delivered, we make several proposals. First, if children are to be educated in a mainstream classroom, we propose that the law be amended to assure that they are not so disadvantaged as they are now. We propose that they have access to technology, hand-outs, textbooks, classroom activities, field trips, audio-visual presentations, notices and all other activities conducted in the classroom at the same time as they are available to their non-disabled peers. We also propose that one of the requirements for all blind students regardless of their environment is that the expanded core curriculum described earlier becomes a part of IDEA. Finally, we propose that the definition of least restrictive environment be amended to include two exceptions instead of one. Currently the law says that a child whose disability is so severe that education in the mainstream classroom is not appropriate may be placed elsewhere. We propose the suggestion that a child whose educational needs can best be met, in the opinion of the IEP team, in an environment other than the mainstream classroom that child can be placed elsewhere along the continuum of services. The changes proposed here are crucial to creating an educational system that will assure blind children the opportunity to learn and grow into adults who can take their proper place in the world. That is what education is all about for all children. Can we ask for less for those who are blind? Return to the Helpful Resources Index http://www.kathyskids.org Ms. Kathy's Kids Blog: http://mskathyskids.blogspot.com/

2007 Study:Better Help in Schools for Children with Low Vision

Contact: Heather Woolwine 843.792.7669 woolwinh@musc.edu Aug. 16, 2007 Study Shows Way to Better Help Blind Children in School Project Magnify offers low vision children chance to catch up quicker to peers Charleston -- The answer to teaching a legally blind child in a South Carolina public classroom traditionally has been large-print books and materials for that childís use. Results from a study conducted by the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Storm Eye Instituteís (SEI) Feldberg Center and the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind (SCSDB) suggests that optical aids work better in improving the reading abilities and skills of visually impaired children than large-print books. "An optical aid designed for each individual studentís level of impairment seems to hold more promise in helping each student reach his or her maximum level of performance," said Stephen Morse, O.D., Ph.D., SEI Feldberg Center for Vision Rehabilitation director. Project Magnify tested the idea that visually impaired students who use magnification devices for reading will perform as well or better than visually impaired students using large print reading material. The projectís success in its pilot format has resulted in a commitment from the South Carolina Department of Education to bring low-vision examinations and visual devices, with training in the use of the devices conducted by teachers of the visually impaired, to groups of 20 students each academic year through at least 2010. Jeanie Farmer, SCSDB Vision Instruction coordinator, said, "Since 2005, 19 students in 11 South Carolina school districts have demonstrated tremendous gains in reading abilities as well as greater independence and confidence in home and community activities. Thirty students will have an opportunity to benefit from the program during the 2007-2008 school year." In the current study, students in the experimental group had low-vision devices prescribed by a low-vision doctor and read standard grade-level-sized print with their magnifiers. Students in the control group received large print reading materials. All students took oral and silent reading tests at the beginning and end of the 2005-2006 school year, and their reading rates were recorded. Of the students using the magnification devices, all increased their reading rate; approximately half showed an increase in reading comprehension, and most decreased the reading font size required to see the text. Those who did not receive the magnification devices and who used large-print books continued to read at their respective font sizes by the end of the year; no one in that group increased reading comprehension; and only a handful of students increased their reading rate when compared with the experimental group. The study findings lend evidence to the concept that one size does not fit all when it comes to large-print books. "Large print may be fine for one visually impaired student, but significantly too small for another, and way too big for yet a third," Farmer said. Books are only part of the everyday struggle for children with low-vision who seek education in the same environment as their normal-sighted peers, as these children often struggle to copy things from the board, find the right bus in the bus line and correctly measure the chemicals in a science laboratory experiment. Inaddition, the costs are high to enlarge color photos, graphs, charts and other instructional tools that teachers provide for their classes. According to Jill Ischinger, the director of the South Carolina Instructional Resource Center, the cost of providing a set of books to students each year is approximately $2,237 per student. About MUSC Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and residents, and has nearly 10,000 employees, including 1,300 faculty members. As the largest non-federal employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have collective annual budgets in excess of $1.3 billion. MUSC operates a 600-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children's Hospital and a leading Institute of Psychiatry. For more information on academic information or clinical services, visit www.musc.edu or www.muschealth.com. ##### http://www.kathyskids.org Ms. Kathy's Kids Blog: http://mskathyskids.blogspot.com/

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Nala is crazy.

This has been on my phone for so long. Nala was my niece's dog--a Bijon Frieze. (It's French).I'm not sure how to spell it but the breed is rather like a poodle but the bone structure is different and so's their nature. Although intelligent, they are a little insane little "shishi-poopoo" dogs. [Shishi-poopoo is a Ms. Kathy term meaning fancy-schmancy dog that people who are likely to buy clothes for a dog or dress them in little doggie outfits will own.]

She was a puppy in this photo and I took it to send to my nice to let her kn ow her Aunt Kathy and Uncle Hunnee were taking good care of her crazy-a dog while they were on holiday in Florida. This was the week that Hunnee and I realized that we do not have enough energy to keep an active, crazy-a pup. The dog actually had my niece's personality.

As a demonstration for how this breed has inbred insanity, my sister warned me of the dog's 4:30PM "buzz." This is a time when the dog just runs in crazy circles for about 15 minutes at the same time each day. Perhaps it was because we have a big back yard and the dog was used to apartment life but while with us she she sometimes buzzed three times a day. All you can do during a buzz is stand back and watch the phenomenon.

About mid week we were counting down the hours until they returned to pickup the little creature. My sister called to say they'd be staying another few days. Hunnee was ready to place the dog in the garbage.


Nala is now with another owner. My niece lost her for not doing her chores. The new owner says she is ready to breed so she will allow her to have one litter then have her spayed. I don't know if I would allow demon spawn to reproduce.

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Hunnee at the Movies:

I took this outside the movie theatre on my phone and sent it to my blog. I'm so proud of myself! I'm learning about modern conveniences. Aren't you proud of me?