When you find yourself raising a child who is blind, you learn almost immediately how important it is to talk to your baby. Children with visual impairments need language constantly to explain their world around them. We learn to label every sound that stands out and everything our child touches. For somebody that talks a lot (like me), this was a pretty easy undertakingâŚwhich came quite naturally.
Then, for some of us (again like me), we learn that our child who is blind has an additional disability. One that makes them upset when they get too much information, or confused when language becomes too complex. At that time, we are told not to provide too much language. Use less wordsâŚshort sentencesâŚlose the adjectivesâŚget to the point, etc.
To this day, Iâm regularly providing labels, but also being mindful of keeping it short. Sometimes, I think I keep it too short. For example, I tend to call every kind of juice simply, âjuice.â This becomes problematic when helping my son find his own preferences. Personally, I like apple juice, but not typically tomato juiceâŚunless it is that special morning beverage some grown-ups (like me) occasionally enjoy. Overall, if someone offers me juice, my first question is âWhat kind?â
Yesterday, we were at an amusement park, and I kept finding myself giving choices that were too vague. âEddie do you want to go swimming?â was asked, and he immediately said yes. Then, I stumbled over asking if he wanted the wave pool or the lazy river. This became hard because we simply referred to both as âswimmingâ while he was doing them.
Later, I asked if he wanted âmore ride.â Again, he said yes, but I didnât know if he wanted more âScramblerâ or âCorkscrewâ or âLog Rideâ or âCarousel.â Each ride was different, and I found I was calling them all âride.â
As you can see in this picture, he really enjoyed the âScrambler.â However, earlier he wasnât a big fan of getting soaked on the log ride because it was a chilly day. More information provided to him through labels would have been really helpful when asking if he wanted âmore ride.â
We spent the day stumbling over phrases like, âthe one with the up and down horses,â âthe one with the water,â and âthe one that went upside down.â I felt like I was providing titles for âFriendsâ episodes, which were always called, âThe one with the________.â Iâm thinking that providing him with labels while he was riding would have been much easier. This is a park we visit every year, and I wonât make that mistake againâŚI hope.
Today, Iâm working on simply labeling better at home. Iâll start with providing types of cereal instead of calling them all âcereal.â Iâm sure heâd rather have his favorite Panda Puffs over Grape Nuts. I know I would! Sometimes I make those judgment calls for him, but he is perfectly able to do that for himself. Itâs just another step on the path to independence.