Week 8

1)       One consequence of me being apart of a caring, collaborative learning community is that I am able to learn from others

2)       That they are able to learn from me, that I am able to pour out my knowledge and make a deposit as well as receive.

3)       That I will be able to glean ideas from the professional field and grow. I will be able to take what I have learned from professionals already in the field and put it to action.

One goal I have is to begin to make my voice heard. I plan to begin to advocate in the political realm. We always sit and talk about what is not right and feel like we can not voice it but I have learned through our courses that we can be heard.

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Hypothetical Family Situation

Hypothetical Family Situation

I am a married African American mother of 4 with a child on the way. Doctors have stated that the child will be born legally blind. Our socioeconomic situation is that both parents are working and make a middle class income. Our first language is English. We have no family available to care for our child’s needs other than us. Our family situation will be impacted because we know no other people legally blind, no one else in the family is. We just don’t have the money to afford extra services; we live from pay check to paycheck. The services that our child would probably benefit from are pretty much all of them. I have researched and found that Students with visual impairments need additional help with special equipment and modifications in the regular curriculum to emphasize listening skills, communication, orientation and mobility, vocation/career options, and daily living skills. Students with low vision or those who are legally blind may need help in using their residual vision more efficiently and in working with special aids and materials. Students who have visual impairments combined with other types of disabilities have a greater need for an interdisciplinary approach and may require greater emphasis on self care and daily living skills.  I have also found that children with visual impairments should be assessed early to benefit from early intervention programs, when applicable. Technology in the form of computers and low-vision optical and video aids enable many partially sighted, low vision and blind children to participate in regular class activities. The law also requires that schools provide accessible instructional materials to all students who need them—this can include large print materials, books on tape/CD, and braille books. Consult the “Additional Resources” section of this fact sheet for more information on how to obtain such materials for students.

It will take some getting used to dealing with a child with a visual impairment especially for his siblings so some kind of counseling would also be needed.

http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/visualimpairment

For my hypothetical situation; have I given a complete picture of my family, or are there details missing that I should include in order completing the assignment successfully? If so, what are your suggestions?

Is this situation realistic?

Are there any specific websites I should be reviewing with regard to learning about quality services and programs for my child and family in this hypothetical family situation?

Does anyone have any thoughts, based on my specific family situation, that will affect the early childhood system I am creating?

The Political Will to Improve Early Childhood Systems

 A strategy that I have discovered while working on the assignments in this course that are being used by advocates or organizations to influence the political will toward improving early childhood systems are the opportunities to voice my opinion to my congressmen and those in political position about laws being put in place for early childhood and other issues such as cuts in funding. I am sent e mails by the Zero to Three organization letting me know who to call and what the concern is at this particular time.

The part of this work that appeals to me the most is just being able to have a voice about things that not only concern the children and families I work with from day to day but also that concern me as a  parent of three children. Allowing people to have their voice heard helps you to feel like you were part of the process.