A Bio

Someone wanting to share an article from here, asked me for a bio. What I wrote may be longer than she wanted, but I share it with you here, in case anyone wants to know more about me:

I had been homeschooling for 17 years when my youngest son suddenly became legally blind due to a gene I hadn't known existed. Wanting to continue homeschooling him, I immersed myself in the community of blindness education, both online and in person. That first year, I attended conferences of both the National Federation of the Blind and the American Council of the Blind, although we don't actually belong to either one. New friends came out of the internet and took my by the hand: teachers, other parents like myself, and blind people who just wanted to help.

I've taken a number of free correspondence courses from the friendly, helpful Hadley instructors. I was on the planning team for an Eye Olympics Day in Cincinnati, and I attended a three day workshop at the Kentucky School for the Blind; in both cases, I had the privilege of rubbing shoulders with wonderful, dedicated Teachers of the Visually Impaired. We've been helped long-distance by a kind and generous retired Braille teacher in Utah; in our home by our teacher of the visually impaired and good friend in Northern Kentucky; and now, once again, this time by our resourceful teacher of the visually impaired here in Baltimore.

Through all these wonderful people and resources, exposure to many different viewpoints, and the flexibility of homeschooling, I've been able to teach my son to use everything that works for him: audio tapes, a video magnifier, and Braille reading. As one friend at the Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired told my son, "We want you to have as many tools as possible in your toolbox." We've experienced the joy of learning; and the joy of sharing with others through the Blindhomeschooler Yahoo group and my VIP-Homeschooler blog.