Last night was our community meet-up for students and young adults with disabilities. The theme was buying Christmas presents and wrapping them. I thought I would just be roaming around helping participants choose presents but a young adult who is blind came asking me to help guide her around to find presents. This was actually a great opportunity for me due to a class I am currently taking regarding sensory disabilities.
Some things that were difficult during that experience were: She did not hold onto my arm or shoulder so I did not know how fast or slow to walk, so I ended up walking somewhat sideways to always know where she was. Other people with disabilities or caregivers in the room did not realize I was helping a person who is blind and frequently got in between the both of us and cut her off. It was very crowded and loud which made it more difficult for me to describe the items on the table. Some things that did work well: If I described something that seemed interesting to her I would ask her if she wanted to feel it. Colors were important to her because she knew tastes of people she was buying for and so I always described the colors. Listening well was vital. She expressed interest in buying things for children so I made sure to mention anything that looked like it was for children. It was one of my favorites of the meet-up yet. I felt really useful and had fun helping pick out presents.
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AuthorSpecial Education major in a university teaching program. Substitute teacher, previous homeschool mom, wife. Archives
September 2019
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