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.

Feast or Famine

Famine or Feast! Ten days ago I posted. This morning, at last, I posted again, and now here I am back again already this afternoon. Thank you for your patience.

I just found out (thanks to Site Meter) that this blog is listed on a Blindness Resource Page of a neat website about homeschooling, A to Z Home's Cool Homeschooling. Thanks, Ann, for including us!

Since the purpose of this blog encompasses thrifty homeschooling, along with homeschooling students who are blind or visually impaired, I am also excited about sharing another page from this website, Livelihood Issues.

And speaking of feasts, all the information at this website is bigger than that turkey dinner (or ham or whatever you had for your most recent feast). Dig in, and enjoy!

Touch Typing Important For Everyone

I've learned a lot in my 54 years. I've learned that some things just aren't all that important. I've also learned that some things are more important than I may have thought!

If someone can type very well and is an expert on the computer, what does it matter if he uses the "hunt and peck" technique? (Looking at the keys.) He's comfortable with it, he's efficient, and he's better at computers than anyone else in the family. Is it really worth the discipline to make sure he does all those boring drills? I didn't think all that out in words, but those were the general thoughts...back all those years ago.

So, what happens if that person loses his vision? All of a sudden, typing isn't the easy option that it once was.

I would like to challenge you - anyone reading my post - to please be sure that all of your children become proficient at touch-typing (regardless of how totally sighted they may be today). I would even add, the earlier, the better.

I would also like to share with you a link for a keyboard, which I think might be good at least for those who need to temporarily see which letters and characters are which. I know that companies who deal specifically in materials for visually impaired people have keyboards with large print letters, but I always think it's fascinating when others jump into the game...and I plan to compare this one to other keyboards designed for the same purpose.

Hat tip to my sister Chris for spotting this information and passing it on to me. By the way, she tells me that shopping through QVC is "safe", because they have a reputation to keep.