tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82033186129892847822024-03-12T22:03:45.527-07:00A Mom's MusingsHexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.comBlogger160125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-39394684603146827192023-04-12T19:11:00.005-07:002023-04-12T19:19:25.787-07:00Orion Goes Fishing for Easter Eggs<div style="text-align: left;"><i>By Heather Withrow, Mom, COMS</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Photos by A. Withrow</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>April 12, 2023</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This is not a tall fishing tale, it really happened! I'd mulled about how to make something that's not really accessible to a DeafBlind child like my son Orion. Easter Eggs are deliberately hidden, and an entire backyard's going to take forever to systematically search independently or via hand-under-hand! How about some beacons that just point down below going, "Here's an egg right below me!" Waitamin, a different "B" can do this... balloons tied to eggs!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">Orion experienced a chocolate bunny [the Monday night after Easter]. He'd been introduced on Easter day to gathering "eggs" tied by string to helium-filled mylar balloons. [Monday] was day 2 for finishing up finding the last of them. One was tied to a good-sized chocolate bunny!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidBDUw-J32XKWesItR-BkXCwGgLrLdqRIZNkotk0b7trUGtXehyrZgwHoO5iIM26pOQ-tkbupGqhyr4vWwb0-C1-93khlA8WdNYyWB0_lCHZ2ILfEoOIExoAi1lNsercdRjRnxzvAKm-F-_jdHQ0MpM3go9AaWBkN10l0usTGvXUUC_vrO0belL2AC/s1080/FB_IMG_1681174382062.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="ID: A white haired, white 12-year-old DeafBlind boy is laying on a carpet. He is holding a chocolate bunny in his right hand, a piece of its ear is missing. The bunny has a red ribbon collar that has a string tied to it that stretches out of frame to the balloon it is attached to (out of frame). He has pieces of foil in his left hand." border="0" data-original-height="695" data-original-width="1080" height="413" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidBDUw-J32XKWesItR-BkXCwGgLrLdqRIZNkotk0b7trUGtXehyrZgwHoO5iIM26pOQ-tkbupGqhyr4vWwb0-C1-93khlA8WdNYyWB0_lCHZ2ILfEoOIExoAi1lNsercdRjRnxzvAKm-F-_jdHQ0MpM3go9AaWBkN10l0usTGvXUUC_vrO0belL2AC/w640-h413/FB_IMG_1681174382062.jpg" title="Orion enjoys a nip off a chocolate bunny ear." width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Orion enjoys a nip off a chocolate bunny's ear. <i>(Photo by H. Withrow)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>ID (Image Description): A white haired, white 12-year-old DeafBlind boy (Orion) is laying on a carpet. He is holding a chocolate bunny in his right hand, a piece of its ear is missing. The bunny has a red ribbon collar that has a string tied to it that stretches out of frame to the balloon it is attached to (out of frame). He has pieces of foil in his left hand.<div><br /></div><div>Here's what I hunted for to pull off this activity:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Small bag of little peanut butter cups</li><li>Small bag of wrapped bite-sized Snickers</li><li>A handful of dark chocolate chips</li><li>At least 10 re-closable plastic eggs (they had two holes on both ends of the egg)</li><li>10 helium-filled mylar balloons (They were $1.25 each at Dollar Tree)</li></ul></div><div><p>For each egg + balloon combo, take the string from a balloon and thread it through two holes on a plastic egg and tie them off when the height of the balloon was satisfactory. I had the balloons float around the height of Orion's shoulder. Divide the candy amongst the eggs, close 'em up. We spread them around within the space a familiar room that was enclosed by furniture, in our case, it was our TV/family room. When it was GO time, I took one egg/balloon to Orion for the purpose of familiarizing him with this creation. That first egg had the dark chocolate chips that I knew would get Orion's interest right away. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB7JQeHUmbWLc3eJOxg2ihtyRt10_mvvfCx8T4yMhsSIezRO5GsCyI4Yz5EcQ-eV39bfSVoTyFs-R8AXrgRIGXM97OTKM676FJa42jwP6kE6TGPfJlIHhVENJP_tuR5gawgh9W8GKtckAbCZDFGpkTg9khfMqTzUKVVlqcAq_o98uMQPfDvolrBtVc/s641/DSC_0699.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="428" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB7JQeHUmbWLc3eJOxg2ihtyRt10_mvvfCx8T4yMhsSIezRO5GsCyI4Yz5EcQ-eV39bfSVoTyFs-R8AXrgRIGXM97OTKM676FJa42jwP6kE6TGPfJlIHhVENJP_tuR5gawgh9W8GKtckAbCZDFGpkTg9khfMqTzUKVVlqcAq_o98uMQPfDvolrBtVc/s320/DSC_0699.jpeg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">ID: Orion is sitting up and using both of his hands to touch a plastic egg that is in Mom's hand, a balloon that is tied to the egg is partially obscuring Orion's face. <i>(Photo by A. Withrow)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Orion KNOWS balloon characteristics and what it does. Every now and then we would get a balloon and tie it to a toy or something and give it to him where it will stay near him. He would "reel" the balloon down by its string to grasp it. When I introduced the first balloon with egg payload to him, the string was available for him to feel and we both pulled it up until we both had the egg. Orion then, in his way, requested assistance with the egg. I supported holding the egg from below while leaving it for Orion to try to part the egg. Aha, fine dark chocolate! These weird eggs that the big people were so bubbly about were worth it! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsr7cU5YAe5OQ51etKTZgoGwvyMZ_mn_snRZurP_NmFl6-k7U-f9wKgnXyu8mmPRSHdk4Gq7TMimPgiWB6KLW4xlaTnBY_E55cb0P-_E-9jnv5zcJJCYA5U0A_PT8Z_5XO189O04D6Hmx-_xG5CdlPotWe82OYB7C6jvja8EJq3nUUN1QnFLzgoZ6r/s641/DSC_0709.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="641" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsr7cU5YAe5OQ51etKTZgoGwvyMZ_mn_snRZurP_NmFl6-k7U-f9wKgnXyu8mmPRSHdk4Gq7TMimPgiWB6KLW4xlaTnBY_E55cb0P-_E-9jnv5zcJJCYA5U0A_PT8Z_5XO189O04D6Hmx-_xG5CdlPotWe82OYB7C6jvja8EJq3nUUN1QnFLzgoZ6r/s320/DSC_0709.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">ID: Orion walks from the back side of the couch toward the front of the couch. He is supported by an adult holding his left hand. His right hand is free and just about to contact a silver mylar balloon. The egg it's tied to is not in the image. <i>(Photo by A. Withrow)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg32JygW_YsduShNp2VdnmNi-0nwOyou_mj6unXqtxVR-j8lWc4e2I03eZoevFzg6-TgzS97tezg5zIeZBFixZsR3J5fP3F60tBmWGpjY799Rl4PuxgBH9vqNkmirOc3LwzLYet6JhO2aPosQK3NO4uVIpQozli8162gSe11gRuqClrFBXsLXOn-wEF/s641/DSC_0710.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="641" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg32JygW_YsduShNp2VdnmNi-0nwOyou_mj6unXqtxVR-j8lWc4e2I03eZoevFzg6-TgzS97tezg5zIeZBFixZsR3J5fP3F60tBmWGpjY799Rl4PuxgBH9vqNkmirOc3LwzLYet6JhO2aPosQK3NO4uVIpQozli8162gSe11gRuqClrFBXsLXOn-wEF/s320/DSC_0710.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">ID: A "next step" image of the situation described above. Orion's forearm or wrist is in contact with the string of a silver mylar balloon. <i>(Photo by A. Withrow)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZAaNtFjo_8j6q_bM_F2EYTRxfcrTQBLjvbZgNSa_k8AIwkDcpgXBidgalx8PLBqwjAyqZLLW3nAyZj7xqOllZgdPYcyuOzcp1Ub5qVaJWc4A0n5iOe6-vRFqvuTSPQE3ATW4FkrOA6R-uK_beXfhc5NdoD590_hMsrFVmMSvkonnGawx4oLisORxp/s641/DSC_0711.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="641" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZAaNtFjo_8j6q_bM_F2EYTRxfcrTQBLjvbZgNSa_k8AIwkDcpgXBidgalx8PLBqwjAyqZLLW3nAyZj7xqOllZgdPYcyuOzcp1Ub5qVaJWc4A0n5iOe6-vRFqvuTSPQE3ATW4FkrOA6R-uK_beXfhc5NdoD590_hMsrFVmMSvkonnGawx4oLisORxp/s320/DSC_0711.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">ID: A "next, next step" image of the situation described above. Orion has seized the above-mentioned balloon by folding his right arm around the string, with his right hand close to his chest. His left hand is touching the balloon. Mom has moved her supporting hands to his torso. <i>(Photo by A. Withrow)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbbrxG94sOMHBVUNHAw5MjqZeGFY_eNg0LKlQ-YmxS177m6oDfmZgL3YJ4pXvAPoGZsSHNWIUPqltxxdahj2vjfJDD0WCOoz_30QUHBQitdsN8XSfEm98imc2Dh0qXCFsaQ-RqhSnW9ZJEsS44DMMlvY43LE_I-yWsGFkoqMKCyqYp-sJVBp7WKd9Z/s641/DSC_0715.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="641" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbbrxG94sOMHBVUNHAw5MjqZeGFY_eNg0LKlQ-YmxS177m6oDfmZgL3YJ4pXvAPoGZsSHNWIUPqltxxdahj2vjfJDD0WCOoz_30QUHBQitdsN8XSfEm98imc2Dh0qXCFsaQ-RqhSnW9ZJEsS44DMMlvY43LE_I-yWsGFkoqMKCyqYp-sJVBp7WKd9Z/s320/DSC_0715.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">ID: In a different view of the TV room and with Orion still enclosing the string of a silver mylar balloon in his folded right arm, he appears to reach with his left hand toward an orange mylar balloon in front of him. Mom is supporting him at his torso. In the background are three more colorful mylar balloons. <i>(Photo by A. Withrow)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Orion walked out of the bedroom to the TV room with support twice on Easter. The following images are from the second trip out to the egg + balloon buffet he was not done with.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX_MXCmRd0BkrdOJWoZfDZxvRJOTIEwc3wfImoaKMA__-IV_LbKau80DsAq5WlNx2nU1l_-F7Fk8u7x47JCY9m4UHsfyJRJqGLaZ3v2seMzoMJFibtxG-TqeFI9qEXuYC5pNICnX7CJsoazwhnN7yyrn8ZhNu5RbvRSluW4mP7Lnl3_BMmgJpKZrlU/s641/DSC_0798.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="641" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX_MXCmRd0BkrdOJWoZfDZxvRJOTIEwc3wfImoaKMA__-IV_LbKau80DsAq5WlNx2nU1l_-F7Fk8u7x47JCY9m4UHsfyJRJqGLaZ3v2seMzoMJFibtxG-TqeFI9qEXuYC5pNICnX7CJsoazwhnN7yyrn8ZhNu5RbvRSluW4mP7Lnl3_BMmgJpKZrlU/s320/DSC_0798.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">ID: A shirtless Orion leans back in a recliner with Mom. He's multitasking, holding a pillow in his legs, his right hand grasping the string of a balloon and his left hand open and ready to grasp the egg at the string's end. Mom is looking at Orion's focused facial expression. <i>(Photo by A. Withrow)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Hr0W0rsSmTxACL1w4Q2GDtRN-SiXWBkzlAcdELu2zrkmcJQtaHigc6ZBM0Lisxei4V0hx3xBCZ2y5N7IbtGibSR0SVlacksNeXatQw6_dLelLjGoaoS8D9gj39mmCp-39F9sBW6sBwEvKhUVlC5gJZtXEx79Qa5EjncWnd3HAEAKPpo4O7ASzJGo/s641/DSC_0799.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="641" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Hr0W0rsSmTxACL1w4Q2GDtRN-SiXWBkzlAcdELu2zrkmcJQtaHigc6ZBM0Lisxei4V0hx3xBCZ2y5N7IbtGibSR0SVlacksNeXatQw6_dLelLjGoaoS8D9gj39mmCp-39F9sBW6sBwEvKhUVlC5gJZtXEx79Qa5EjncWnd3HAEAKPpo4O7ASzJGo/s320/DSC_0799.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">ID: The topic of the image is the side view of Orion's hands on top of a blue plastic egg. One of Mom's hands is supporting the egg from below. <i>(Photo by A. Withrow)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6DyHiGCcf5ML96g_totQFXHTqioEMCtRDUvswAG4aUbyZjdruHdCcCZ9ID_grFQcAsoWVA0xBd-oRl42JX4C66fxrtlLJZDkpSWsY7eAnHjlUefbJhqGq3eHiIdSG0MPJZFGERbqL1pDdiB05EBQ-ybGK2pwMJ4cLtj5ifNWs8xO2Vs8d64J-6MJu/s641/DSC_0800.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="641" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6DyHiGCcf5ML96g_totQFXHTqioEMCtRDUvswAG4aUbyZjdruHdCcCZ9ID_grFQcAsoWVA0xBd-oRl42JX4C66fxrtlLJZDkpSWsY7eAnHjlUefbJhqGq3eHiIdSG0MPJZFGERbqL1pDdiB05EBQ-ybGK2pwMJ4cLtj5ifNWs8xO2Vs8d64J-6MJu/s320/DSC_0800.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">ID: The topic of the image is a close-up and top view of Orion's hands on top of a blue plastic egg. Orion's thumbs appear to be pressed against the egg's center. One of Mom's hands is supporting the egg from below. <i>(Photo by A. Withrow)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjDIqnnaUyTeV5aW4yqdUDwWG05uLvJ4EV-8siC1nMq7RV2Qq6JJSHzwkZRLaVYfZCFuGHACBFed03wtLhBlTMt59WA1kstnXLMcQ8_h1xaaksD7pFopwhDVxbshAX0OiTdV_ejZDmjTkF26A9boT-z76gMtMc-pCf5a5fTRLtblke8vgVogyO0vm4/s641/DSC_0801.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="641" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjDIqnnaUyTeV5aW4yqdUDwWG05uLvJ4EV-8siC1nMq7RV2Qq6JJSHzwkZRLaVYfZCFuGHACBFed03wtLhBlTMt59WA1kstnXLMcQ8_h1xaaksD7pFopwhDVxbshAX0OiTdV_ejZDmjTkF26A9boT-z76gMtMc-pCf5a5fTRLtblke8vgVogyO0vm4/s320/DSC_0801.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">ID: This is a "next step" from the image above, where Orion's hand positioning changed, as if his fingers lightened up in order to re-grasp the egg. <i>(Photo by A. Withrow)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWay1lzVEpLrnvedTj2UJCJYmHAW_GxxbX_83KzEI-bo2zqxJHZfP4UGdYYbSMYL5pmPDzvlHl9migAgaN8d0JYzma3lKQC4AS8PxbU9L8L2QkafJnApeYdEgPlWQZr1AzfeQF3U_Qh3zGardKVMowNO13jjgAlOYs93D2kJkkxRWzYae6itwrOjjE/s641/DSC_0802.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="641" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWay1lzVEpLrnvedTj2UJCJYmHAW_GxxbX_83KzEI-bo2zqxJHZfP4UGdYYbSMYL5pmPDzvlHl9migAgaN8d0JYzma3lKQC4AS8PxbU9L8L2QkafJnApeYdEgPlWQZr1AzfeQF3U_Qh3zGardKVMowNO13jjgAlOYs93D2kJkkxRWzYae6itwrOjjE/s320/DSC_0802.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The blue egg has opened at last!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">ID: Orion has a half of one blue plastic egg grasped in each hand, a brown-red-white-wrapped candy is visible within. A string is visible coming from beyond his fingers and egg, going straight up and out the top of the image. <i>(Photo by A. Withrow)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBKXGYQ2XANO8jMXSyUo3sUYSQmFmPlQWwk4xBsjAo5L8nSkdikY_0S87H55UAlp2VlARYb7lrEBjT9uPeE4D_3l7mbj1R0zA2qfbFzCbaScwAjQc8KJu64GQ0REcvDz9yK5HVDcOoKEylWpt9Y_vnzp9hAstLQOB9Ew9Nvl97KxKNHTVxq4VDbAY/s641/DSC_0803.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="641" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBKXGYQ2XANO8jMXSyUo3sUYSQmFmPlQWwk4xBsjAo5L8nSkdikY_0S87H55UAlp2VlARYb7lrEBjT9uPeE4D_3l7mbj1R0zA2qfbFzCbaScwAjQc8KJu64GQ0REcvDz9yK5HVDcOoKEylWpt9Y_vnzp9hAstLQOB9Ew9Nvl97KxKNHTVxq4VDbAY/s320/DSC_0803.jpeg" width="320" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">ID: Both of Orion's hands are lightly touching their halves of a blue plastic egg; specifically his left pincer is touching the edge of a half while his right pincer has a wrapped bite-sized piece of Snickers candy. <i>(Photo by A. Withrow)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Fast forward to Monday, the day after Easter. I corralled some balloons that drifted away from the previous day's action so it'd be in Orion's anticipated path of travel. Orion hooked them with his arm, fished up the eggs and retrieved his prizes. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I snapped close some empty eggs and he'd found them, opened them and become upset. I realized I needed to leave them open so that he'd know with a quick touch that it was empty. That quick realization didn't help his immense disappointment. I had to find something fast. The extra candy from Easter went AWOL already! Luckily there was a foil-wrapped Lindt chocolate bunny that Dad bought for Orion earlier. I managed to tie a balloon, with only half an egg still attached, around the bunny's red ribbon collar and positioned it near our vexed Orion. That was definitely a haul to reel in, actually, to pull toward him because he was on the floor already. Holy mackerel, the biggest piece of chocolate ever, to date! <i>(This bunny is being nibbled on by Orion in first photo at top of this post.)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ironically he didn't finish it off. He was back to searching the rug and space just above it with outstretched arms--- perhaps for Snickers and peanut butter cups?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/uDMwI3QSPJs" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/uDMwI3QSPJs/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">VIDEO: Orion considers and proceeds to nip off pieces of a chocolate Easter bunny's ears. The setting is a living room rug, shirtless Orion holding a chocolate bunny in his hand. The bunny is tied at the neck with a string to a balloon floating above. (36 second video.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Musings</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tying balloons to eggs or other fun items would be an accessible activity for people of all ages who may not always be able to crouch or bend down to retrieve items on the ground.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><p></p></div>Hexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-46269310138337705032022-10-26T20:59:00.002-07:002022-10-26T20:59:21.769-07:00An Unexpected Orion Skill: Window Treatment Artist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Heather Withrow</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>October 26, 2022</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I thought I should share one of Orion's latest window treatment projects. I've included photos of the process and how it gets his "community" involved.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-wnDbwbYWqsMYgR0_s2hg0nG4Cubw3gP3DtYIgvZIgd1buJ5f84l0fwIs7zJNNtjOjumyfCu9DMXgq3kbr5Y0j5gg1oa4t9g0c-oJ5gEOIiqktvjUOm83LlIggx9T_NZqPBBu5WZ9R4/s1600/1666841419564907-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-wnDbwbYWqsMYgR0_s2hg0nG4Cubw3gP3DtYIgvZIgd1buJ5f84l0fwIs7zJNNtjOjumyfCu9DMXgq3kbr5Y0j5gg1oa4t9g0c-oJ5gEOIiqktvjUOm83LlIggx9T_NZqPBBu5WZ9R4/s1600/1666841419564907-0.png" width="400" />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Aiko peers back at me from outside the window through Orion custom-separated honeycomb blinds (inner cords visible). Me, the <strike>octop</strike> Mom who was able to photograph the photos in this post. Photo was taken at night. Aiko is a white German Shepherd Dog.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_tUfLcoEg4t_NhyphenhyphenCtax6amcye7iZSwyVDhBmIGzE__AzXgUakemW3_hJCzoYJLqJMs60cUjVoFGlb40Fkh9xis-ptEloVvmGHFa4pt9nD8f5POIYG-4cMokA0rImXK5uFYR7OSckurc/s1600/1666841418158375-1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_tUfLcoEg4t_NhyphenhyphenCtax6amcye7iZSwyVDhBmIGzE__AzXgUakemW3_hJCzoYJLqJMs60cUjVoFGlb40Fkh9xis-ptEloVvmGHFa4pt9nD8f5POIYG-4cMokA0rImXK5uFYR7OSckurc/s1600/1666841418158375-1.png" width="400" />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">See how the artist, Orion, compels his community to take part in the activity?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Description: Shot of two hands addressing a split honeycomb blind, the left hand is holding an upper section downward as the right hand has a blue mini stapler.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3hOxjj_ovyG-BkWGKegAfXV5mgPlh3gmnXCWBXFGfarepAufcT8nQXJwdU16HPCxYYxUiPv9OB5THOIXsMWNOkPj_Q6W9tcZFwV9shYPCSxOzqBOEgo5IsBePSfMp9dVf3zuEW-_Byzo/s1600/1666841416701958-2.png" width="400" />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The co-creator (Mom) staples the two sections back together. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Description: honeycomb blind, two hands-- left hand is holding two separated parts together that you don't see the split anymore and the right hand is holding a little blue stapler.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnHmXkG0starMOMSoF3yRv10WmAoiiKstgy8_l6dMXUlLLbUYJ-WwbZH4qhzRxgYGP6OxQmMSpnr5FpaM-nniZcScYySEzVstcgudfWhbYjz7GVPjvT4ocUFJ0tn8d6lIyVMb9ANiKQs/s1600/1666841414864854-3.png" width="400" />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Check out the honeycomb blinds bling! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ok. Multiple staples per row... and at least 4 rows of staples. Orion has an interesting artistic process going on here. Only the artist knows when to stop adding "brushstrokes". </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Description: The majority of this image is a crumpled blinds with staples "bling" going on. The window on the right, is yet another window with honeycomb blinds that are vertically, asymmetrically split in two. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDIEKKvLYcAnCW_qoCToxPP41mdRSRQG6NswRcHvjIcDytwGhljPyZD6Bc8rVX39cebp6aMJmSCShJnLAWqx2tsfNMAqftxFmUmp83CqFaxn3Ve8EatmxJP_M-T76Z-oBPHSAunJ_qghE/s1600/1666841413118572-4.png" width="400" />
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</div></div><div>The artist, Orion, deep in his creativity.*</div><div><br /></div><div>In this photo, Orion brought down the bottom of the honeycomb shade to behind his head and neck--- as if he's showing off how easy it is to do this. </div><div><br /></div><div>Description: Orion is on. his stomach on a bed that is in front of two windows. The blinds he has managed to pull down/separate is from the window on the left. The inner cords are visible from where he has accomplished separation. The window on the right shows darkness outside, the blind is up and spared... briefly!</div><div><br /></div><div>*Note: We specifically installed CORDLESS honeycomb blinds because of the risk of children/pets becoming dangerously entangled in blinds that have cords. Now that Orion has exposed them, we're keeping the blinds up and out of reach if we can help it. We need to find a new "artistic medium" for Orion! I'm so glad we're also past the "That's no chocolate!" stage, too. <i>Grin.</i></div>Hexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-69292287020645312932021-11-13T06:58:00.009-08:002021-11-13T10:32:19.043-08:00Orion and COVID Vaccine #1: They Met!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Heather Withrow</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>November 13, 2021</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Guess who got his Pfizer COVID vaccine injection #1! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCp3DcQB10oeh0Q5Q0kClzCQn6jYx6s2mRTOdF9vajm74Q5uORZDLC0FFR1631pdGNf2IK-auSwfvNpf77sklFrG6ns9YsdJT66PE9Em6xwsyrZDyhBNoJMpI-RN70FnBjd6THCFXVTFs/s1440/253342968_3091969997758964_5661513635009504803_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCp3DcQB10oeh0Q5Q0kClzCQn6jYx6s2mRTOdF9vajm74Q5uORZDLC0FFR1631pdGNf2IK-auSwfvNpf77sklFrG6ns9YsdJT66PE9Em6xwsyrZDyhBNoJMpI-RN70FnBjd6THCFXVTFs/s320/253342968_3091969997758964_5661513635009504803_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orion, post-injection and waiting.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-NkviJG6NkTQLtxF7ANenLCFcI4jrMjSkr5z1cvc-rWTqaGtmQWYXkwgJaPB29EPKS4ucjpMLHnt_UNWpQHD5XqGMLxSQqF_W9Si23_DamOPzng6ppk8EIZOWkyTq48WIsuRT20PlDE/s1440/251591500_446758790142862_9175018204243230769_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-NkviJG6NkTQLtxF7ANenLCFcI4jrMjSkr5z1cvc-rWTqaGtmQWYXkwgJaPB29EPKS4ucjpMLHnt_UNWpQHD5XqGMLxSQqF_W9Si23_DamOPzng6ppk8EIZOWkyTq48WIsuRT20PlDE/s320/251591500_446758790142862_9175018204243230769_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Thank you, Dell Children's and Orion's clinic, for partnering to make this COVID drive vaccine happen a.s.a.p. for 5 to 11-year-old patients like Orion.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><br /><p><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Orion's behavioral response just before the COVID vaccine shot for 5 to 11-year-olds leads me to believe he knew a ouchie needle was coming.</span></p><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="42hca-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="42hca-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="42hca-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">I had whisked him out of school in the late a.m. on Friday for a nearby drive-thru vaccine clinic hosted by his (God-sent) comprehensive care clinic*. Filled out the appropriate forms as he crawled out of his carseat and onto my back, feeling the paper and pen as I scrawled my responses. I carried him over to the people giving the vaccine and sat down. I advised a nurse that we'd need 3-4 people to stabilize Orion's limbs and shoulder (he'd injured himself years ago when he jerked away his shoulder when a flu shot syringe needle was still in it).</span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="459rl-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="459rl-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="459rl-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="1gjgh-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1gjgh-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="1gjgh-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">I lifted Orion's left t-shirt sleeve and he became tense and started making a continuous soft "upset" sound. He intently indicated "drink", using my hand and both his hands (or maybe he could've meant "Mom"?). </span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="dbbnr-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dbbnr-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="dbbnr-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="ag828-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ag828-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="ag828-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">I used a "finger" protactile (PT) list (I tap Orion's index finger for item #1 and then tap his middle finger for item #2) for 1st: shot (lifted his left shirt sleeve again) and 2nd: drink (using his PT sign for drink). </span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="3nn8s-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="3nn8s-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="3nn8s-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="cfj9-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="cfj9-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="cfj9-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Orion (with my hand and his): drink (PT).</span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="a6ldp-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="a6ldp-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="a6ldp-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="7s8et-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="7s8et-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="7s8et-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">I repeated the list.</span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="34er2-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="34er2-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="34er2-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="aiij5-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="aiij5-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="aiij5-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Orion tried to get away from me, standing up and started taking steps, pulling away from me as if he were a kid who has been skipping, running around for years. It struck me, wondering what if I let go? What if he indeed starts doing that but in reality he'd fall straight down onto the parking lot pavement?</span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="1jogd-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1jogd-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="1jogd-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="6go6j-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6go6j-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="6go6j-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">I stood up holding him, his body started to relax again. Staff nearby handed him a tactile toy and he took to it, touching the toy along its length.</span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="9lp20-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9lp20-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="9lp20-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="bd92b-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="bd92b-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="bd92b-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">It was time. I sat down again with Orion in a "hug" facing me, lifted his t-shirt sleeve. Orion started struggling, including jerking his shoulder backward and forward, I was holding his left lower arm. People closed in to hold Orion still. I closed my eyes for some peace!</span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="9cg9p-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9cg9p-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="9cg9p-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="48doa-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="48doa-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="48doa-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">All done! Orion vocalized his displeasure and made me rock gently side-to-side for the first part of the post-shot waiting period. I took some selfies that you now see in this post. </span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="s56a-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="s56a-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="s56a-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="fb03h-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fb03h-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">As soon as Orion was returned to the classroom and touched food he was going to be able to eat, he was all right! Food is definitely a love of Orion's. </div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fb03h-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fb03h-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">Orion also had a lung specialist visit the same day but in the afternoon. We do want the flu shot for Orion but this was dropped because there were not enough people at the office to hold Orion to safely get the flu shot. (We'd read that it's OK to get both on the same day and why not deal with symptoms for both shots than two different times with likely the same symptoms of soreness and feeling crummy.) We are watching Orion for symptoms.</div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fb03h-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Musings</h4><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I am SO excited for Orion and for us to soon start our own journey to near-normal activities. Our whole family has been and still is very protective of Orion. It's a new feeling... the excitement and the protectiveness, </span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">being cautious, calculating and avoiding risks. While going through the list of questions that come before receiving the COVID vaccine, I was asked if Orion had COVID before. I replied, "No." </span></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="fb03h-0-0"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="fb03h-0-0"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In my head, thought along the lines of, "Are you kidding?! We worked so hard, gave up so much to protect Orion! We're here now, finally!"</span></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="fb03h-0-0"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="fb03h-0-0"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">COVID is around to stay, I understand, just like the flu. I am so used to wearing masks including being annoyed by masks but they're worth it. They work! (This is a whole 'nother story that has us true believers of masks that protected Orion in a close-contact situation early last year in which the family quarantined/canceled appointments & in-person school for 2 weeks.) And they hide stuff going on with your face, ha! </span></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="fb03h-0-0"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="fb03h-0-0"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Stay well, everyone! Thank you to everyone who helped keep (and continue to keep) Orion, children, and vulnerable members of our communities safe as much as they could during the COVID pandemic.</span></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="fb03h-0-0"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="1mkln" data-offset-key="fb03h-0-0"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">*I was in love with CCC when clinic staff came in the exam room and offered me some water or coffee. So simple but so... embracing.</span></div>Hexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-71149898006376711442021-09-12T06:00:00.002-07:002021-09-12T08:41:53.160-07:00Finger Tap-Tap, Nail Clip-Clip<div style="text-align: left;"><i>Heather Withrow<br />September 12, 2021</i></div><p style="text-align: left;">Like the title of my blog mostly on Orion, "A Mom's Musings", fellow parents, friends and educators move me to muse, too! </p><p style="text-align: left;">A question, or a need, came up this past spring regarding clipping the nails of a DeafBlind child. Funny, my strategy since Orion's birth is to wait until he is deep asleep and clip his nails, especially if he had a bath earlier that night. However, since one of Orion's interveners, Nanette, tried out using a Protactile practice of giving natural, practical tactile information, we've been able to clip his nails while he's awake. Nanette tapped the finger of the nail about to be clipped. What you'll see in the video of Orion and I are edited selections of the introduction of the nail clipper, tapping/clipping and letting Orion know that I was done. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="327" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kk7Glu5Rlfc" width="393" youtube-src-id="kk7Glu5Rlfc"></iframe> <a href="https://youtu.be/kk7Glu5Rlfc">https://youtu.be/kk7Glu5Rlfc</a></div><br /><p>It's important to note that Orion's willingness to have his nails clipped did not happen overnight. He currently allows 2-3 clips per nail. It used to be 1, then a hard limit of 2. Sometimes we could clip a few fingers and he would end the session. Whatever happened, we kept circling back and trying, even if spread over a a few days. No kidding--- it usually takes me 2 days to cut his hair! </p><p>However it ends, by Orion or by actually finishing all 10 fingernails, we give Orion the nail clippers for him to keep and control. This way he knows he's done, will be left alone (at least for a few hours or a day). When done for good, I sign "Done" on his chest. This gives Orion closure on this activity and he has control of his body and environment. (Check out this great Texas DeafBlind Project <a href="https://txdeafblindproject.org/blogs/the-impact-of-cognitive-closure/">blog summary</a> on Maurice Belote's presentation, "The Impact of Cognitive Closure for Students who are DeafBlind".)</p><p><i>(For your child or student, you know whether or not you can let them handle nail clippers safely.)</i></p><p><b>Related fun Orion fact</b></p><p>He loves to explore long fingernails! We discovered this during early intervention when he was a baby. One of the providers always had long, painted fingernails and he would take his time tactually explore her fingernails. The cool thing about this is she was the only one and I just knew he recognized her every time.</p>Hexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-67365819033646685232021-07-13T21:00:00.002-07:002021-07-13T21:00:34.110-07:00Orion Goes On the Defense: Tactile Experiences at the Doctor's and Dentist's Offices<i>Heather Withrow,</i><div><i>Wednesday, July 7, 2021</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Orion KNOWS when he's in a medical or dental establishment. I'm so curious what the clue was. <i>(Brainstorming here: maybe it's the smell? Orion's sibling concurs.) </i>He's probably just tolerating us sight and/or sound-reliant folks as he JUST KNOWS. With him knowing, he's already on the defense, freestyle--- slouched down almost on his back, legs and arms up and ready to grab whatever touches... akin to a venus flytrap. Well, mostly arms, and we don't want to go down that route with Orion. We want to keep Orion's experiences with touch as positive as possible. (Positive must outweigh negative, by far!)<br /><br />This morning, we had to go to the dentist because yesterday I noticed Orion's cute, uniquely shaped tooth's tip broke off and there was flesh-coloring in the middle of it. The tooth is on the lower jaw, second one on O's left from center. Its original shape was a pretty much a tooth, yes, but with a niche, as if it were human sized, it'd be an egg pod chair. Unfortunately, the cavity squad also thought that was fantastic. <div><br /></div><div>Once in the waiting area at the pediatric dentist, Orion went on the defense! He would not let me pull his blanket away from over his head. I kept in touch positively with Orion throughout our waiting, knowing that's helpful than him sitting, sitting, sitting and then being wheeled to the exam room and then being touched plenty right away. That's why the continued, comforting touch as we waited. </div><div><br /></div><div>The team readily knew that I'd tactually facilitate what needs to happen--- based on what we all learned from his last exam/cleaning 6 months ago. We usually collaborate to have Orion do lap exams and they usually work but for today and during his last visit 6 months ago, he did not want to get out of his stroller seat. </div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><b>Tangent warning!</b> Another experience that likely contributed to O being defensive in medical settings: Last fall--- 9 months ago--- we had to have 4 people to safely give 50+ lbs octopus Orion his much-needed flu vaccine. 1: Mom, 2: the nurse with the syringe and 3 & 4: two others to gently hold his arms and legs. Orion also has a scar from a flu vaccine injection from an earlier year where he flinched his shoulder forward as the nurse inserted the syringe. Poor kid, poor nurse! That's why he needs someone to hold his shoulder in place! The doctor who came to check said it could use stitches but we both acknowledged it's better left alone than to... stick Orion a few more times! Now it's a neat little dash of scar.)*</i></div><div><br /></div><div>I gave Orion loving squeezes with both hands (open hands following the shape of his cheeks... that he likes), mommy hums on his forehead, and tapping his mouth to prompt him to open it. Of course he doesn't open it. The dentist offered Orion the little mirror tool for touching at his own pace. <i>I love it when professionals offer tools for kids to explore--- not only kids learn, they are being communicated with, they're getting more information than they'd get if there weren't tools around and were being offered abstract words in whatever form.</i> When O was done with the mirror, I had his hand touch my mouth as I opened it slowly and repeatedly. Tap-tap Orion's face near his mouth with my finger, hoping to suggest he copy me. Nope. Again, I modeled my mouth opening. I had to gently pull down his lower lip and he let me hold it out of the way, showing his huge cavity on The Tooth with ample time for the dentist to look, look, look. Eeek! (That's me getting a really good at his geode-like cavity tooth).<div><br />That geode-niche egg chair tooth was going to get pulled out eventually as Orions lower jaw is kinda small, thus his teeth are crowded. Orion's going to be sedated for his next cleaning, x-ray, extraction and have addressed whatever else they'd find in the operating room at Dell Children's at some point soon, depending on scheduling. It's shockingly booked up into December! I was advised that openings do come up much earlier anyway. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>On our way out, Orion got his stickers. He enjoys stickers. I love that pediatricians and pediatric dentists have stickers at the office. We picked up some fries from Hat Creek, too. Orion needs something positive from all this! </div><div><br /></div><div><i>*Note</i></div><div><i>I'd LOVE to know if anyone has a safe way to let their DeafBlind loved one know that a needle syringe is going to be involved. I'd use an actual syringe but... needle. If the needle were removed, it may be similar to an oral syringe. We use oral syringes every night. 3 separate syringes to dispense meds so Orion may keep tactile track, 1-2-3-done. </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Currently, I tap Orion's shoulder a few times where the vaccine syringe will go. Nothing light, playful, loving or comforting as I don't want to mix up signals. Nothing startling or scary about the taps intended either. A surprise approach is not an option, I'd rather he know... if he defends, fine. I'm working toward Orion just knowing and "hanging in there" just enough to get the job done and be on his way.</i></div></div>Hexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.com0Austin, TX, USA30.267153 -97.74306081.9569191638211549 -132.8993108 58.577386836178846 -62.586810799999995tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-58260232866771766452020-09-19T19:46:00.002-07:002020-09-19T19:47:27.021-07:00ProTactile Connections to the World by Oscar Chacon<i>The following e-mail is from a listserv that I am humbled to be part of, shared in its entirety with permission from the author. In this post, my musings follow after Oscar's thoughts. </i><div><i>-Heather Withrow, September 19, 2020</i><br /><br />From: Oscar Chacon<br />Date: March 16, 2019<br />Subject: PT Connections to the World<br /><br />PT squeeze ‘hi’ to you, family and friends,<br /><br />ProTactile Connections to the World (OH MY!)<br /><br />I had been going to Chicago Loop public library by L Train for a while. As I traveled and navigated through the city, I came to realize there are three PT major connections to the world. We are actually living in the tactile world. There are auditory and visual worlds out there meshed to this world. I have access to the visual world in low resolution stimulations. But in the tactile world I will write about is where my stimulations are high resolution. So these connections that I will describe had given me fascinating thoughts and insights to live in this amazing historic moment as a DeafBlind individual.<br /><br />Before I go on, I want to define one term beforehand: background information (info for short.) I’ll be describing tactile world as if I assume you the reader is following me in tactile world. So that means some of us will have additional info in addition to tactile info as they move through the world. These types of info are what I call background info in this essay. Sometimes I describe these info, other times I don’t.<br /><br />PT Connection #1: Direct tactile interactions.<br /><br />I wake up to the tactile world in the morning, feeling my blankets and sheets surrounding me. I feel for how to remove these and do so. I feel my body moving off the bed. I walk with my feetwear or without, feeling texture and other tactile info on the sole of my feet. I feel different things put in the space I wake up in. I may or may not change any spaces I will travel through. I can feel with tactile sense if I am designing a room. For example, if I had a room for PT users to converge for various discussions, I may design with small tables with three chairs in front of them against the wall spaced few feet from each other, around the room. Then if there is enough space to feel too spacious to me, I will add central table-three chairs cluster(s). Then add rugs of varying designs that fix my position with ease. I feel details as I wash dishes. Many more examples of direct tactile experiences with loaded information in themselves (background info is always given for various individuals.)<br /><br />First connection is direct tactile info when you touch anything.<br /><br />PT Connection #2: Tactile Interfaces with Tools<br /><br />I like feeling various bumps, motions, wheeling along, and many other sensations as I walk with my white cane (a tool). I may have some visual background info as I walk in the public. Still, these sensations are full of info if I want to derive patterns needed. Braille displays encodes English language in tactile dots. Plus they come with their own buttons that I feel and learn their functions. The train is a tool even if I may have the background info of watching scenery pass by. I still am fascinated by various bumps, motions, rolling of body, etc because I realize I can get a chosen pattern I need. It doesn’t matter what it is: we can get secondary tactile information from things. One thng I am dreaming is in relating to elevators. I know it have Braille numbers/letter to push the button labeled so. I will love it if the elevator also have vibrator and maybe refreshable Braille display indicating floor numbers. <br /><br />Having tools giving me tactile information is the second connection.<br /><br />PT Connection #3: ProTactile Languages<br /><br />DeafBlind people including me had came together and had these first two connections to the tactile world. We also have the feeling of reciprocity between us. These inspired us to express ourselves in interactions by touching and stimulations related to touch which lead to PT languages flourishing in various places.<br /><br />ProTactile was an idea presented and practiced by DeafBlind people starting in Seattle in 2007 then spreading ever since. It started with the idea that we need to be extra supportive of touch in the prevailing culture in order to inspire awareness in DB individuals to touch their world more. Now we are living in the tactile world with much more opportunities for DeafBlind people.<br /><br />I was struck by these three connections to the tactile world. A world awaiting more explorations! And high resolution!<br /><br />Any more PT connections you can think of or your own high resolution tactile exploration experience? Please add your thoughts!<br /><br />-- <br />[End of e-mail]<br /><br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br />My Thoughts on Oscar's Experiences</h3><br />Oh yes! Oscar's e-mail and his use of "high resolution tactile exploration" was a massive buzz-word for me for the reasons shared in my September 15, 2020 post on <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Tactile Resolution and Attention</a>. Oscar's perspective on resolution was quality of information that came in through his senses, whether directly, or through secondary, indirect ways. I never thought of resolution that way until Oscar's version was associated with it being rich in information. This is different from my original, personal definition of "resolution" by the number of nerves through our tactile sense. <br /><br />Oscar's thoughts on direct contact reminded me of 1st generation images (here we go, more graphic design talk!); and his thoughts on secondary tactile information is comparable to 2nd generation images. Basically 1st generation images are original media (a.k.a. direct contact) while a 2nd generation image is a photocopy of the original. Taking a picture of a picture of a picture; or a copy of an original documents' copy... with each level further away from the original, the information quality degrades but you are still somehow getting information. Just like Jude Nicholas (2010) shared, areas of skin with less nerve density still contributes information to the brain. I also see a connection with the first principle of ProTactile (granda & Nuccio, n.d) which focuses on "contact space"--- when more body surface areas (arms, leg, back, etc.) on the receiver are being used there are more opportunities, or wider bandwidth, for information to flow in.<div><br /></div><div>More musings on this to come!<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">References</h3><br />granda, a. & Nuccio, J. (n.d.) Protactile Principles. Text within the body of an e-mail received August 3, 2020 via Introduction to Protactile Theory (course by John Lee Clark).<br /><br />Nicholas, J. (2010). From active touch to tactile communication--- what’s tactile cognition got to do with it? The Danish Resource Centre on Congenital Deafblindness.<br /><br /><br /></div></div>Hexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-41679426018830877452020-09-15T19:26:00.004-07:002020-09-15T19:39:53.229-07:00Tactile Resolution and Attention<i>Heather Withrow<br />September 15, 2020</i><br /><br />Here's another DeafBlind rabbit hole journey I'd like to share. (Or after reading this post, you might think that an elaborate rabbit warren would be a better analogy?) <div><br /></div><div>A lifetime ago, I studied for a B.A. in Graphic Design at Gallaudet University. It is still beneficial to me these days and I was pleasantly amused when it came to musing on the topic of tactile perception, information and <u>resolution</u>. A couple papers I have read (see references) and people’s thoughts have also converged in an exciting way for me. Such as:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Learning more in 2018 about our somatosensory system, nerve density, tactile perception, and cognition in a 2010 paper by Jude Nicholas; </li><li>Reading a very enlightening e-mail in spring 2019 from Oscar Chacon as he described his tactile experiences, describing different tactile interactions and mentioning ProTactile bringing “high resolution” connections; and</li><li>Taking a truly profound, thought-provoking 4-week correspondence course this recent summer titled “Introduction to ProTactile Theory" led by John Lee Clark. This helped me understand much more about ProTactile and contact space. </li></ul><div style="text-align: left;">In this first post of a few, I’ll focus on a comparably small pearl of a takeaway from Jude Nicholas’ paper. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Tactile Resolution: Nerve Density and Actively Attending</h2>During one of my DeafBlind-focused graduate courses at Texas Tech, I came across a paper that was fascinating, overwhelming and worth re-reading several times: <i>From active touch to tactile communication--- what’s tactile cognition got to do with it?</i> by Jude Nicholas (2010). Nicholas (2010) wrote that the density of nerve endings in a specific area brings in more information than a large area of skin area perceiving tactile information. His paper included an illustration of a brain and a visual representation of body parts lined up just off the the brain's surface (Nicholas, 2010, p. 9). The body parts are visually exaggerated, not exactly in order and not in size proportion because they are decreased or increased in size according to its number of nerve endings. For example the hands and face are larger compared to the elbow, shoulders, and the rest of the lower body through to the toes. This is a visual representation that our face, eyes, lips, hands, fingers have a higher nerve density than the rest of our body. <br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Exploding into my mind was the analogy of resolution in visual print media that we know as pixels per inch (p.p.i.) being similar to the number of nerve endings for the amount of information perceived via touch. Perhaps another way of saying it is nerves per inch, “n.p.i.”? The higher density of nerve endings is similar to higher p.p.i. images. Images as you see it (without zooming in) on your computer monitor are shown in 72 p.p.i. resolution (low p.p.i.-> smaller file size-> easier web page loading... at least for in 1997 with dial-up Internet services!); photo prints are usually 300 p.p.i. You can go higher to 600 p.p.i. but 300 p.p.i. is already great. If you zoom in on an image locked at 72 p.p.i. on your computer, you will see jagged or blurry edges that are not well defined like higher p.p.i. images). (The numbers of pixels is controlled in how you plan to take photos, scan and create digital art that are eventually printed out.) This higher resolution via density of pixels in a single printed square inch brings us to the topic of nerve density throughout our bodies.<br /><img alt="Two side by side copies of an illustrated "peace" sign. The copy on the left (300 PPI) is well defined compared to the blurry copy (72 PPI) on the right." border="0" data-original-height="759" data-original-width="1117" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRSHnmwXRbtxqsphCRtol8M8keWIHrS1Av41cCqyq7nMK8XvfWQXR-j1OYInI8C-MdZYzmtRg2ldS-4JLD5tf4PYeJX4H-baR2SAe5Qh2owpOgyRDqzgRjoYVG6T91aogOBle1_dJ8rKY/w500-h340/300_72ppi_comparison.jpg" title="Comparison of image quality based on pixels per inch (if printed at 300 ppi)." width="500" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>[Image: Comparison of image quality based on pixels per inch (if printed at 300 ppi).</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Image created by Heather Withrow.]</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Nicholas (2010) points out that many things we do still require tactile input anyway. Basically if an area on your skin area has a lower number nerve endings, akin to 72 pixels per inch, like the outside of your upper arm or all your toes, it still contributes to perception. It is using whatever is available and perceiving, thus helping information reach your brain for processing.<br /><br /><img alt="Two white squares are side by side, the square on the left has more dots (high density) than the square on the right (low density)." border="0" data-original-height="759" data-original-width="1117" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEj_J8P5cjTQ19g6Yt-xNJIhX55LYcEI6yeiOv3LK_STNfLJ5E2hIbHSxEjZJZ5JhaMCUle4Ob7mnIT8KH1SoX5fpdlmkt34StgVxIthZHp4bQdi_OxJ1oo3cyXwmGgkOomsWzTkiUsRk/w400-h271/density.jpg" title="Comparison of high density and low density in dots." width="400" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><i>[Image: Comparison of high density and low density in dots.</i></div><div><i>Image created by Heather Withrow.]</i></div><br />Pixels per inch or density is just one of the working components of the brain show biz. In order for the brain to benefit from information coming through these nerve endings, the brain needs to be interested and paying attention to what may come (Nelson & van Dijk, n.d.). The hands, lips, whatever it is that is being used by a person to perceive, needs to be actively touching and interacting with the object at their own pace (Nicholas, 2010). This is another shout-out for giving DeafBlind people— babies, children and adults alike— time to explore… to think about what they’re feeling, the incoming information interacting with available pre-existing information in the brain and deciding on what to do next. Is it safe? Gross? Delightful? Toss it? What is being asked of me? Explore more? Speed-dice it and sauté it?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Since our back, outer thigh, arms, to name a few, do not actively interact like our dexterous feet and hands, they need to be freely and actively attending (the brain feeling via skin) to the tactile input in order for the mind to process what is going on. This is a nod toward people using ProTactile, how they use more of the receiver's body beyond tactile-signing only via hands. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">A functional example of paying attention is that you’d definitely feel the prick of a vaccine being delivered as you’re awake and dreading it. An example of not attending would be a when small snake drops onto you from a tree branch above as you’re in deep sleep during a camping trip, I would guess that you’d not shriek. You might continue to sleep or be startled awake but still unaware of the nope-rope's fall. Perhaps confused. Another example would be that you receive a generous swirl of cool whip sprayed onto your limp open hand as you sleep but only waking up a little to use the aforementioned hand to respond to a man-made itch on your nose.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><i>Note: These pranks may or may not have actually happened.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><h3 style="text-align: center;">Reference</h3><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Nelson, C. & van Dijk, J. (n.d.) <i>Child-guided strategies for assessing children who are deafblind or have multiple disabilities</i>. Netherlands: ivdmtw Noot Muis. AapNootMuis Productions.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Nicholas, J. (2010). <i>From active touch to tactile communication--- what’s tactile cognition got to do with it?</i> The Danish Resource Centre on Congenital Deafblindness.</div></div>Hexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-45160312462906141742020-03-27T12:45:00.000-07:002020-04-21T12:32:14.630-07:00Orion and Family, Staying Safely at HomeHeather Withrow<br />
March 27, 2020<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIM9CN-pcQGJ3uWP8cn5se2cNZV1vXhd7MVotFa2GX50Km5TfD1Kqanpahmoee7bPVU2N8VrVKxbHT7b9CXU7pWRICan3XzKf47FGPUJyzg_J640OGrK3ZHKEdUlOXz2sk5iMLgqOCMNQ/s1600/P1020781.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIM9CN-pcQGJ3uWP8cn5se2cNZV1vXhd7MVotFa2GX50Km5TfD1Kqanpahmoee7bPVU2N8VrVKxbHT7b9CXU7pWRICan3XzKf47FGPUJyzg_J640OGrK3ZHKEdUlOXz2sk5iMLgqOCMNQ/s400/P1020781.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Wide-brimmed hat-wearing Orion is crouching/sitting on his bottom, feeling bark pieces in the front yard at home.</span></td></tr>
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No school for our kids at this time as their schools are looking at their options and resources; getting ready to teach through a distance format. It'll be an interesting sea to sail when it comes to teaching across a distance a child who is totally DeafBlind. We'll find out through this sudden "opportunity" what it looks like. <br />
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Now, on the home front, we know kids like Orion benefit from routines wherever they are. It is so much easier to follow routines in school than at home. I'm sure I'm not alone in needing to take a very deep breath to ummmpphhh and commit to them for Orion's sake. Anything for Orion! He doesn't have as much access to information and make-do activities like his siblings have.<br />
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<h4>
Our Decision to Reduce Social Contact</h4>
Our family decided to stay homebound when our oldest child came home from school two Fridays ago. We would only go out for necessities. We have two family members who would be considered high-risk if ill with the novel coronavirus, Orion is one of them. We had our last intervener for Orion a week ago. *frown* We decided with Austin's <a href="http://www.austintexas.gov/news/stay-home-orders-announced-further-contain-spread-covid-19">stay-at-home order</a> issued earlier this week for 3/25 through 4/13, and perhaps interveners would be considered necessary personnel (not sure yet, doubtful), we would make absolutely sure that our family and interveners remain healthy by not having them come to work with Orion until the coast is clear. We know it'll be quite a while so our family needs to do more to keep Orion sane and comfortable. We miss our interveners and I know the feeling's mutual!<br />
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<h4>
Looking for Interesting and Family-Maintainable Routines</h4>
As for routines, I realized we needed to elaborate on activities already happening on a daily basis. One is to dress Orion in the mornings so he would experience that every day. (Then he would take his own clothes off! He'll leave them on at school, though.) I don't know why I hadn't thought of this before. We'd always permitted him to chill in the attire he prefers at home, which is just pull-ups.<br />
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I wanted to be careful not to overwhelm myself and our family with a schedule of activities we had to hurry and check-off for Orion. We could add activities, yes, but we could look at including Orion more often on things already happening on a daily basis. We need to move forward carefully and know we need to give Orion and ourselves grace with having plenty of down time, too. Every one of us have our own needs, especially during these concerning times.<br />
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Yesterday, I decided to start an additional daily activity which was watering the plants in our front yard. He was not interested in the bigger "landscape" of the activity except for discovering the water coming out of the hose/nozzle and my showing him the different spray settings. He sat on my lap, in between my legs during that moment. I signed, both on him and on myself, "Water."<br />
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Today was day #2, he didn't have the same interest longevity with the water hose as yesterday. He wanted to be carried in the house by his brother but he needed to walk walk walk his short distances as much as possible. I know he walks more at school, so trying to keep up with that especially as I'm studying orientation & mobility and want him to keep on movin'! Orion dropped to his bottom, not wanting to walk but he was provided "wait time" to consider his options and for us to see what he would do. Orion decided to scoot and found the edge of the sidewalk and explored the bark. I noticed he was leaning forward onto his feet, lifting his bottom ever so slightly from the concrete. He seemed to be exploring, testing this delicate balance. Whoo hoo, Orion!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Orion appeared to explore balancing himself onto his feet and back onto his bottom.</span></td></tr>
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He spent a while in that crouch/bottom-sitting position then lowered himself to laying. It was really nice and cool outside, bright and sunny, relaxing in the shade with the familiar, constant Texas spring breeze blowing/massaging our skin. <br />
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My point in sharing this is that the only thing that was actually planned by us was for him to go outside, with clothes on and water the plants that needed watering. Orion experienced and pursued, with us observing and following along with his cues, his own interests in that moment without any time expectations or demands. Such a welcome, enjoyable moment for all in a practical, natural setting. A nice way to start a day!<br />
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<span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Skyler encourages Orion, using hand-under-hand technique, to discover the blueberry pot to his right. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">At a closer look, you'll see it's more like a forearm-under-forearm technique but that works, too!</span></div>
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A Mom's Musings</h4>
With Orion's siblings home and with opportunities for them to join in Orion activities, it's another way for me to coach them on hand-under-hand, wait/processing time, "Do With, Not For." I'm conscious about not wanting to overdo it with the kids because I want them to continue their natural interaction with Orion; it's mostly wanting to maximize the opportunities during these interactions. It feels like a delicate balance. I want to sensitively explore this more.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Two brothers, lounging in the comfortably warm Texas breeze.</span></td></tr>
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As for Orion's routines, we have interveners who look for/maintain activities for Orion at home. This is all without interveners. It may look like, "Why hadn't I done this before anyway?" Yeah. I have my own mom guilt I deal with and being a graduate student which is akin to "people with not much social time at all", I put in much of my extra time in my family and tried to create "Taking Care Of Myself" time. I'm almost done with graduate school. I've had enough of doing things with the gray cloud of "graduate assignment due soon" hanging over my head as I try to parent. I'm almost there! I had just come off of an approximately 5-month orientation and mobility (O&M) internship of full school days just last month (early February)! As I was getting near my internship goal, I was also eyeing the increasing coronavirus spread, especially with the first COVID-19 positive patient in the United States being in Washington state, my home state. I was relieved to be able to reduce my frequent contact with multiple people and concerned for those who were still teaching (both employees and interns). I'm starting to be able to focus more on what we all can do at home. Great timing. I'm grateful. </div>
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I know each family has their own needs and resources, varying between family units. I'm musing that it's not about <b>what</b> and <b>how many</b> activities, it's about it being <b>regular, interactive and enjoyable</b> for our DeafBlind child... the bonus is these are great <b>human connection </b>and <b>communication opportunities</b>!<br />
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I hope we all are able to reduce our social contact as much as possible while staying in touch with our DeafBlind family members. Y'all stay healthy and shut down that nasty viral spread!</div>
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Hexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-10252415880283138882019-04-23T15:49:00.001-07:002019-04-23T16:12:40.332-07:00Feeling It: Orion is Eavesdropping!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Heather Withrow</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>April 23, 2019</i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjplKUu2O8Eo5WyjaHz0OwFwjp9BEnninrAANDb6xsqNNXkuBYgYr7vs_g0S5R0H6vzmeLKpSZcifKRVrzmrblF9NqieWkAqgDpJmtZ-nHWg55kNXlKoqbOqMexfXKP-puOwTAXXEIeYo/s1600/OrionFeelingConversation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjplKUu2O8Eo5WyjaHz0OwFwjp9BEnninrAANDb6xsqNNXkuBYgYr7vs_g0S5R0H6vzmeLKpSZcifKRVrzmrblF9NqieWkAqgDpJmtZ-nHWg55kNXlKoqbOqMexfXKP-puOwTAXXEIeYo/s400/OrionFeelingConversation.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">With his right hand, Orion feels the hands of Roxanne, his teacher aide, and Elizabeth, his teacher, having a tactile conversation at school.<br />April 16, 2019. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Orion is eavesdropping at school. Yes. This is mom-approved! A DeafBlind child tactually nosing in on conversations!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He’s been checking out tactile conversations through him touching the hands two adults in his classroom. A three-person unit! Two adults signing to each other and Orion is touching them with his hands. Using his feet are always an option for Orion. I know other DeafBlind children can relate to him this way--- being handy and footy. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZprzEYmxROkV-V_GIPsi4UcLfQ5VJdTZt0hOYoO_zDCq9925wGWOg5aQkXGPHE_cHfz_zk_X4fndS4JJQHttftq7Yn3sQUv1D1aVlfIG1q-fhRrk6aqgdVSPKOsm5xoSabDDxuwQs6c/s1600/FeetFeelingConversation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="1024" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZprzEYmxROkV-V_GIPsi4UcLfQ5VJdTZt0hOYoO_zDCq9925wGWOg5aQkXGPHE_cHfz_zk_X4fndS4JJQHttftq7Yn3sQUv1D1aVlfIG1q-fhRrk6aqgdVSPKOsm5xoSabDDxuwQs6c/s400/FeetFeelingConversation.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">With his right hand already there, Orion brought his feet in to feel a tactile conversation between two happily amused educators.<br />April 16, 2019.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Observing conversations are a natural way of learning language and about the world; that doesn’t happen naturally for children who are DeafBlind. It dawned on me, perhaps during one of my past musing moments, that Orion didn’t have the benefit of just observing conversations happening between two other people, whether they were mundane or captivating. Growing up (Orion is now 8 1/2), when Orion experienced conversations, hand-under-hand observations, and hand play, it usually was between himself and another person. He had not extensively explored a tactile conversation between two other people. Orion has felt my arms or hands signing in the air, but not the hands of the person I was signing to. Children who hear can listen in on conversations, Deaf and hard of hearing children can see a conversation flowing through hands, facial expressions, body language. While conversation tones can be heard and seen, it can be felt as well. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Symbolic words on the hands and body may still be abstract or elusive to him (I’m assuming… it’s a work of love in progress); I am thrilled he gets to observe the characteristics of a conversation between two others. He can feel the tone and responses of conversation participants. The best part is that he gets a kick out of it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Moving onto an area I believe is an important part of this--- the home and school connection. I truly appreciate Orion’s team at school. They can sign visually with us parents and tactually with Orion and other students who benefit from it. They’re interested in tactile information, tactile feedback, ProTactile. When a school team picks up different ways to communicate, they’re ready to use them with any unique DeafBlind child who comes to them. Orion’s teacher is constantly reflecting on what’s happening in the classroom, accessibility and on the conversation topics between home and school. As a Deaf person, I know what it is like to suddenly realize I’d been unaware of a spoken (or signed) conversation happening nearby. That perspective helped me consider the DeafBlind version of the same thing--- missing a tactile conversation nearby simply because the Deafblind person was not made aware of it. Orion’s teacher was listening to us parents, and of course, she reflected and now Orion has opportunities to "eavesdrop". I love it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The delightful photos shared in this blog post were the roses that we just had to stop and smell during this bustling "rat race" season for our family. We want to create the time and space to do the same thing at home as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As a parent, I can say that having open lines of communication between home and school nurtures learning opportunities, whatever they may be, within the classroom and at home.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzToY7oD3U3AHECtrq2K73MBgFZ9-H7VpuIfSeLQpmhPCuoVsL8BxufXnXPthWu64CaIgHqa15GgHoe1KBD4_nJ18nlVa1bC3PH7HI8LM5_dwjok8jZMIdbN1tb_6Yqzz6jgLhNRDfbY/s1600/OrionPTLaughGroup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="1024" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzToY7oD3U3AHECtrq2K73MBgFZ9-H7VpuIfSeLQpmhPCuoVsL8BxufXnXPthWu64CaIgHqa15GgHoe1KBD4_nJ18nlVa1bC3PH7HI8LM5_dwjok8jZMIdbN1tb_6Yqzz6jgLhNRDfbY/s400/OrionPTLaughGroup.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Orion experienced the laughter of others, Roxanne and Elizabeth, through ProTactile--- one way is feeling the laughter at the throat and the other is "tickle fingers".<br />April 16, 2019</span></td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mom's note: I'm learning bits of ProTactile here and there from my DeafBlind friends. One etiquette tip I want to share with you that I've learned is that if you are watching a tactile conversation between two DeafBlind people and they're unaware of your presence, please let them know you are observing. (Strategies may vary. I've seen putting hands on the shoulders of the signers, or "looking eyes" (index and middle finger) touching on the shoulder.)</span></i></div>
Hexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-67575411297749893932018-12-30T20:42:00.003-08:002018-12-31T12:37:53.600-08:00Musings on Playthings for DeafBlind ChildrenHeather Withrow<br />
December 30, 2018<br />
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<i>This post was started sometime in 2016 and left alone as a draft. The recent experiences with Orion immediately enjoying some new toys this month reminded me of this older post I started. Here I am, finishing it and hoping it offers ideas and insight to other people with a DeafBlind loved one in their lives.</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orion moves the beads on an abacus (by Melissa & Doug). <br />
Photo by Heather Withrow.</td></tr>
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Looking for a toy or gift for a DeafBlind child? It doesn't have to be a toy to be a total hit with the kid. Let's call 'em playthings!<br />
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<i><b>Disclaimer #1: </b>When you've met one DeafBlind child; you've just met ONE DeafBlind child. On top of unique personal preferences, every child has different etiologies of deafblindness, may have additional disabilities, health issues, communication, school and family backgrounds that may influence their level of interaction and progress with people and toys. </i><i><br /></i>
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<i>Orion currently does not have usable hearing and as a Deaf parent, I give more weight to tactile, vibro-tactile and functional features when considering items for Orion.</i><br />
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About Orion </h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orion's white hair is highlighted in the sunshine, November 2018. <br />
Photo by Heather Withrow</td></tr>
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<i>He was born on July 19, 2010. He does not use vision nor hearing but uses his senses of touch, taste, smell and proprioception to learn. To get around, he scoots/drags himself while laying on his back, rolls over or walks with assistance from an adult or sibling. He's an emerging communicator who mainly takes peoples' hands to where he wants attention- food, toys, seatbelt and assistance in getting up and around.</i><br />
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<b>Forever #1 on top of the list: Orion's and any other DeafBlind child's favorite playthings are their <u>family members</u>! </b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhKWmyS0KwmmGZrsVC0l2ZpPj4UC9aStlkx3fkfCIXymu-UvWLijrkHu2gLSouTGJH5oPjD-Xb6tympSkFVGvmPqkLa52XdM5Mz7qHfqxwwk2mNplV3Z1JUA4TssXsscb6IYQBvPR0IM/s1600/532865_10150841823506205_1358086277_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="604" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBhKWmyS0KwmmGZrsVC0l2ZpPj4UC9aStlkx3fkfCIXymu-UvWLijrkHu2gLSouTGJH5oPjD-Xb6tympSkFVGvmPqkLa52XdM5Mz7qHfqxwwk2mNplV3Z1JUA4TssXsscb6IYQBvPR0IM/s320/532865_10150841823506205_1358086277_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orion (almost 2) and big sister, A (6), sit together in her classroom.<br />
It was Kindergarten Graduation Day at Glenn Dale E.S. (MD).<br />
Photo by Heather Withrow, June 2012. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of the hopes I have for Orion is for<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB8HB5BPLFdYR1Rj2Xgmh7NSkzF-nw3ySpBpHURY1xX30PqG_qsxbbR11RasxN0Uu1Kl4Da8uHvT3AF32avfLEYxCcV1nrHuQJBzIPdHIIyupm3MDK2dlxkTlkVTN7UrhTNRzae3K_L6M/s1600/10603246_10152386552176205_486594342982823849_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="635" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB8HB5BPLFdYR1Rj2Xgmh7NSkzF-nw3ySpBpHURY1xX30PqG_qsxbbR11RasxN0Uu1Kl4Da8uHvT3AF32avfLEYxCcV1nrHuQJBzIPdHIIyupm3MDK2dlxkTlkVTN7UrhTNRzae3K_L6M/s320/10603246_10152386552176205_486594342982823849_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Orion's big brother, S, pulls him around the house on a blanket.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Orion is around 3 to 4 years old in this photo.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Photo by Heather Withrow</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
him to continue to enjoy interacting with others, particularly taking turns and mutually exploring objects and activities. He has initiated requests by taking our hands and putting our hands on what he wants help with. Reciprocal play is an unique connection between two people, especially without the use of words. This fun interaction may as well be the "soft skills" required for communication.<br />
<br />
Orion's dad, Thomas, and I participated in a series of interaction trainings with TSBVI DeafBlind outreach staff (Chris Montgomery & Deanna Peterson) during the 2017-2018 school year. The priceless insight we gained from these trainings not only benefitted us but also Orion's interveners when we shared discoveries, tips and cues to watch for with Orion. We realized that any adult may initiate turn-taking interactions with Orion, he will determine if your topic is of interest to him and respond back. That may be the "easy stuff", however, if Orion playfully<b> invites you</b> to interact with him, that's the golden stuff right there... and please respond to him!<br />
<br />
<h3>
Some 'How-Tos' for Interacting with Orion</h3>
<ul>
<li>Tactually inform Orion of your presence <i>(initially contact a knee or his lower arm near elbow, if interested, Orion will bring his hand to find yours).</i></li>
<li>Mirror Orion's actions respectfully.</li>
<ul>
<li>This lets him know you're there.</li>
<li>He may be amused you're connecting with him at his level (a.k.a. his "topic").</li>
<li>You might answer your own question of "Why does he like doing that movement?"</li>
</ul>
<li>Have a hand touch on his shoulder or leg, in a way to let him know you're watching him or are present. <i>(I go ahead and use my index and middle finger as "watching eyes" touching his shoulder. This tactile impression of the handshape is ProTactileASL used for communicating that I am watching the person I am touching. Orion doesn't understand the sign itself but he knows I'm there. That's the important part. Read more about <a href="https://www.tsbvi.edu/tools-items/573-tx-senseabilities/fall-2017/5651-what-is-protactile-and-what-are-its-benefits" target="_blank">ProTactile</a> in the Fall 2017 issue of Texas SenseAbilities.)</i></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfxW-EVinueMJUgpSaEH7Nt4ofjc8f0iqaXzQuOKmQ0A8gi2Kk4YPhsWpSuZ1XVZjIlmg-evalM0c9UAf9pS0rl1gn1ILKsRp-mRj3LzDznoegQvA3AMyvAwZQB2a8dRViPsXQZ6TX2Ac/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-12-30+at+9.55.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="598" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfxW-EVinueMJUgpSaEH7Nt4ofjc8f0iqaXzQuOKmQ0A8gi2Kk4YPhsWpSuZ1XVZjIlmg-evalM0c9UAf9pS0rl1gn1ILKsRp-mRj3LzDznoegQvA3AMyvAwZQB2a8dRViPsXQZ6TX2Ac/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-12-30+at+9.55.47+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orion (2) eats dinner in a high chair with tray. His feet are touching the leg of an adult which assures him she is still present even though there isn't any active interaction.<br />
Photo by Heather Withrow, October 2012.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<ul>
<li>Take notes on particular deliberate hand/arm movements in case he initiates those moments out of context (when he's away from the toy or playroom).</li>
<li>Accept Orion's invitations to play with him.</li>
<li>Affirm/respond to Orion's deliberate movements, sign-babbling, and approximate signs.</li>
<li>It would be a good idea to have a duplicate object of whatever he is playing with... you never know he's not going to share. He may notice you playing with it similarly or differently. On top of that, he's going to notice similar characteristics between the two objects.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Orion will push people away with his hands. We think there are two different purposes for this action, depending on the context. First, he may need some space. Observe and wait until either he comes to you or after a while you can try again to make contact. Sometimes Orion would take a quick sweep of the area with his hands to see if you're actually still around and goes back to playing. The second and most recent realization is that he's pushing you (or if he's sitting in a chair, dragging you behind him) to go get something or more of something (that we have to try and figure out 'checklist' style).<br />
<br /></div>
<h3>
Playing Independently</h3>
Now, for the times that no one is available to interact with Orion, we hope he would enjoy playing with toys/playthings independently.<br />
<br />
The cool thing about not always "entertaining" Orion ourselves is that when Orion can settle down and play by himself, he's playing at his own pace, giving himself time to process what he thinks and tactually feels at his developmental and emotional level, he can actively play <strike>without us helicoptering over him.</strike><br />
<br />
As Orion is developing, learning and figuring out new skills and actually manipulating playthings- he's learning to play at his own will, what his hands discover and the changes he is able to cause.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Various Ways to Look at Toys</h3>
<ul>
<li>Open-ended versus single-purpose</li>
<li>Healthy Tactile/Sensory Diet</li>
<ul>
<li>Real is preferred over "junk" playthings. Real objects are self-explanatory, expandable and great for scaffolding concept development, building ideas on top of existing observations and knowledge.</li>
<li>The rate of information input through our skin is slower than would be through distance senses of sight and sound. We want to make sure that time is spent on quality, rather than junk- things that are fake, plasticky, miniature, thus confusing and misleading.</li>
<li><i>I learned the term "sensory diet" from a discussion by David Brown (who didn't take credit for that term), with the focus on input for sensory needs, a.k.a sensory nutrition (not about toys) in a Perkins School for the Blind webcast on <a href="http://www.perkinselearning.org/videos/webcast/charge-syndrome-sensory-processing" target="_blank">CHARGE Syndrome: Sensory Processing</a>. Brown also discusses the vestibular and proprioceptive senses in this webcast.</i></li>
<li><i>Extra: Read more about "<a href="https://www.sensorysmarts.com/sensory_diet_activities.html" target="_blank">Sensory Diet</a>" and activities directly benefitting sensory needs.</i></li>
<ul>
</ul>
</ul>
<li>FUN above all!</li>
<ul><ul>
</ul>
</ul>
<li>Available for independent <b>Active Learning</b></li>
<ul>
<li>Anyone can play!</li>
<li>Many thanks to the late Dr. Lilli Nielsen for the attention on playing (a.k.a. learning!) There's a new collaborative website on this topic: <a href="http://www.activelearningspace.org/">http://www.activelearningspace.org</a>. I highly recommend this website and going to Active Learning workshops near you.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9kax_QCPNWnk9wl93WixteLaSynUsckaM5_vD7LupFppq1wu2pk9d68SLm-Cb3RxBFTGd4aM84rz3Utwhyi2mju-Cko77YxAxngZv8hWeYe6iOrOW_7CGb7EMS7645M0CcSTLGpWsX8/s1600/1168_10151178035731205_1925014957_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9kax_QCPNWnk9wl93WixteLaSynUsckaM5_vD7LupFppq1wu2pk9d68SLm-Cb3RxBFTGd4aM84rz3Utwhyi2mju-Cko77YxAxngZv8hWeYe6iOrOW_7CGb7EMS7645M0CcSTLGpWsX8/s320/1168_10151178035731205_1925014957_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2-year-old Orion in an Active Learning "little room" loaned from TSBVI Outreach.<br />
Photo by Heather Withrow.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Think about it this way: If a toy is designed for and enjoyed by a DeafBlind child then it will be accessible and potentially enjoyable for all children. (Many toys may be fun for children younger than the DeafBlind child's current age.) If a toy is designed for sighted/hearing children it's likely it will not be a DeafBlind-friendly toy. However, when there's a will to play, there's ways items may be repurposed for fun!<br />
<br /></div>
<h3>
Forgotten/Unconventional Playthings</h3>
There were no Toys'R'Us monolith stores in the 19th Century! Imagine what children did for play back then. I think it's safe to assume everyone had fun playthings to spend time with and they turned out all right.<br />
<ul><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihr8fg4sm8XU2VT1Aa54vyI7SX7EKkFfTeTLVlDlK2IuVpSgjriblo7fzOaNSfnbVMxmHXpy49uI9rk8XsLVg8xWHq3BeKFK7-T-WA6Mb8yOnJ6gh3yS_cEYaFAnWVLQWEojLYmbxgPMU/s1600/964655_10151421400186205_2086199726_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihr8fg4sm8XU2VT1Aa54vyI7SX7EKkFfTeTLVlDlK2IuVpSgjriblo7fzOaNSfnbVMxmHXpy49uI9rk8XsLVg8xWHq3BeKFK7-T-WA6Mb8yOnJ6gh3yS_cEYaFAnWVLQWEojLYmbxgPMU/s320/964655_10151421400186205_2086199726_o.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Orion smiles and holds Mom's pink discus on his belly. (He appears to be around 3 or 4 years old in this photo.)<br />
Photo by Heather Withrow.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</ul>
Orion loves folding, pulling, tearing or holding materials such as:<br />
<ul>
<li>carpet samples</li>
<li>eggshell foam mattress toppers</li>
<li>plush blankets</li>
<li>boxes (All kinds! Metal, plastic, cardboard, wicker goes!)</li>
<li>stickers</li>
<li>masking tape</li>
<li>sticky lint-removing rollers</li>
<li>large plastic information labels that you peel cleanly off a plastic product (after purchasing it from a store)</li>
<li>sticks</li>
<li>hula hoops</li>
<li>white mobility canes (kid height)</li>
<li>branches (trimmed down, of course)</li>
<li>Yardsticks/rubbery rulers</li>
<li>sand</li>
<li>river rocks</li>
<li>beans</li>
<li>rice</li>
<li>very stretchy headbands or exercise resistance bands</li>
<li>nylon stockings pulled/stretched over a large loop or racquet-like frame</li>
<li>brushes</li>
<li>metal bowls & utensils</li>
<li>racquetball racquet</li>
<li>kitty tunnel</li>
<li>empty cardboard box</li>
<li>yoga ball <i>(There is a type of yoga ball with a weighted sack inside it so it doesn't roll away).</i></li>
<li>balloons</li>
<li>discus</li>
</ul>
<div>
Did you notice that you wouldn't have to go to a toy store for the items in the list above?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For Orion, simpler is better, less confusing and frustrating, more fun and easier to manipulate.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHlCIbvh1-tbQS9mlZA_kf7EYCCM6xPxNftpxmPPAKVliwUqeTl51zKeVDWbjLrVJWxcuTeuPUuIw6PuPm1ZMjZ4UULxFo7ibOf3iHiOTpmosi8ybdMx6peS01zuedv7xpmuTt5esmEHE/s1600/20160801_150419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHlCIbvh1-tbQS9mlZA_kf7EYCCM6xPxNftpxmPPAKVliwUqeTl51zKeVDWbjLrVJWxcuTeuPUuIw6PuPm1ZMjZ4UULxFo7ibOf3iHiOTpmosi8ybdMx6peS01zuedv7xpmuTt5esmEHE/s320/20160801_150419.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orion put himself in this narrow and crinkly kitty tunnel at his grandparents' home.<br />
Photo by Heather Withrow, August 2016.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<h3>
More Activities Orion Enjoys Independently</h3>
<ul>
<li>He loves dumping the box of youth size 1 shoes (his current shoe size at 8 years old) near his playroom doorway and deliberately picking a matching pair of shoes to hold in each hand. <i>Note: He will take any size shoes, whether there's still feet in it or not. </i></li>
<li>Dumping any boxes' contents, really! I have differently textured boxes of themed contents: music hand instruments; things of six (think braille!); balls; kitchen bowls/utensils; bristle blocks; push and play/vibrate thingamajigs...</li>
<li>He played in the cat tunnel more than his grandparents' cats ever did. </li>
<li>He enjoys the sky hammock chair his grandparents gave him for his 6th birthday.</li>
<li>He enjoys the catch scratch arch as much as our own cats but in his own way.</li>
<li>A length of lycra knotted together at the ends make a great stretchy swing/body sock.</li>
<li>Spinning around on the platform swing</li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5WnadGK0Jvv3ZdKcA3w0bMyQzvGSAhJg7uzZclMGOFKBBk9wE-zEHe2pJCk7nTVtZisiTBa25J_2_sJ86bLB6SuwoEpnoM2AsjI-G9N4MOsmsipnOKLBcOGhZH2kJOq0Yvr2h1pp9_4/s1600/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_2dcc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="Orion sits in a sky hammock swing chair" border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5WnadGK0Jvv3ZdKcA3w0bMyQzvGSAhJg7uzZclMGOFKBBk9wE-zEHe2pJCk7nTVtZisiTBa25J_2_sJ86bLB6SuwoEpnoM2AsjI-G9N4MOsmsipnOKLBcOGhZH2kJOq0Yvr2h1pp9_4/s320/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_2dcc.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orion works to find the right lounging position in the hammock swing. <br />
Photo by Heather Withrow, January 2017.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Independent Play as an Infant and Toddler</div>
</h3>
When Orion was a baby through to around 2 years old, he enjoyed time in his<b> infant play gym</b> that was placed within the safe walls of <b>an empty, round inflatable kiddie pool</b>. Tactually interesting objects were hung from the play gym. Toys were kept from rolling away out of reach by the swimming pool walls.<br />
<br />
Some toys in that little play gym, <a href="http://hexwit.blogspot.com/2010/10/orions-cute-little-accomplishments.html" target="_blank">first introduced when Orion was around three months old</a>, included a plastic brush, comb, baby links (tactile features), pull and release toys (that admittedly were ignored by him), metal measuring spoons and cups, small and large wiffle balls, pom-poms, and spoons (metal, plastic, wood). (Other ideas I learned of and used later or did not have the chance to use: metal chains, whisks, pie tins, heavy bead strings... and I welcome opportunities to add more to this collection of ideas. Sources for these ideas came from Active Learning and fellow mommy bloggers.)<br />
<br />
When Orion was a toddler and by that time he had better midline head control, I remember him sitting up and accepting leaning somewhat forward on a large plastic musical ball-popping toy and staying there without throwing himself backward in protest.<br />
<br />
When we moved to Austin, Texas when Orion was two years old, he was comfortable enough to scoot his way out of the dry kiddie pool. The pool was also a safe place for Orion to practice sitting up as <a href="https://hexwit.blogspot.com/2013/01/video-orion-practices-sitting-up.html" target="_blank">he'd land on the inflated sides or on the pillows</a>, lush sheepskin and memory foam mat within the pool. Easier to bubble-wrap his environment than the kid himself! Even with all that protection, we were hovering over him ready to save him until one day nobody was there to stop him from falling backwards from his seated position. The blessing went way beyond the fact he was not hurt, to him realizing he needed a safer way to get down from his floor-sitting position. And soon he did figure that out.<br />
<br />
Then there's floor mats. Alphabet squares, differently textured and colored squares, memory foam mats for standing in the garage and kitchen and so on. That same first year in Austin, a thoughtful neighbor gifted Orion a package of floor mat squares. <i>(Thanks J.P.!)</i><br />
<br />
<h3>
Activities and Playthings 8-year-old Orion is Lukewarm Toward (or Plays with Occasionally)</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99mb2QgELsZUONeYkOMl2jtzN43zv5Qb-PVWD-M8bN05U5V1ObK_-ex00DGZwaXKJjTEkW5OLWqbHn1OBxvj74weqhjMBCwBZfYzoB1hi2FJgwORDchiFKLgrSVZrXwsDYq_pn9cJzv0/s1600/20161005_144137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99mb2QgELsZUONeYkOMl2jtzN43zv5Qb-PVWD-M8bN05U5V1ObK_-ex00DGZwaXKJjTEkW5OLWqbHn1OBxvj74weqhjMBCwBZfYzoB1hi2FJgwORDchiFKLgrSVZrXwsDYq_pn9cJzv0/s320/20161005_144137.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Activity board in Orion's play room: Orion is <b>not motivated to play with the objects on this.</b> It would work better if I had added more items of interest on it. One of our cats, Sharpie, likes it. A bit too much.<br />
Photo by Heather Withrow, October 2016.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Orion does manipulate these things occasionally. I would give these toys away but seeing Orion occasionally playing with them tells me to keep them for "rainy days" or put-aside-but-still-discoverable-at-ground-level. There's always a chance he may use a manipulation skill later on and <i>really</i> play with these toys as they were designed for.<br />
<br />
Many of these toys he is just content to dump them out of the box they're in at least once a day. He's been doing them for years! For example, on Monday after school he would scoot on his back by these boxes where they sit on the shelves, dumping them as soon as he's able to touch them. Later that night, I'd clean it up and then on Tuesday he does the same thing all over again and so on. At least he KNOWS where the stuff came from, the next thing is to PUT them back which is important for concept development <strike>and Mom's sanity</strike>.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Braille, print and ASL alphabet blocks <i>(The first gift we ever received that was related to Orion as a DeafBlind baby. I was heart-touched then bawled! Thanks L.R.!)</i></li>
<li>Baby Piano</li>
<li>Bristle Blocks</li>
<li>Legos</li>
<li>Musical instruments </li>
<li>Giggly Wiggly ball</li>
<li>Resonance Board</li>
<li>Swivel board (homemade project by Mom using a 12" lazy Susan swivel ring)</li>
<li>Wood platform swing made by Mom</li>
<li>Foam outlines of shapes <i>(What we have is older, I'm not seeing it on the Internet.)</i></li>
<li><a href="https://kinderfeets.bigcartel.com/product/kinderboard" target="_blank">Kinderboard</a> <i>(Curved wood board)</i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fatbraintoys.com/toy_companies/fat_brain_toy_co/spinagain.cfm" target="_blank">Spin Again</a> <i>(Colorful discs that spin down a spiral-ridged stick)</i></li>
<li>Activity board <i>(Pegboard mounted onto a wall. Interaction with this is at the mercy of affixing items of actual interest to Orion and friends. Currently one of the cats likes it more!)</i></li>
<li>Box of different kinds of locks (latches, clasps, locks)</li>
</ul>
<h3>
Commercially Available Toys/Playthings that Orion has Shown Interest in</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieu97CaHkXImHJ74vABydQrns85LD_8tM7NQZggjT9EBFCmg7oKpwDlu3SCyThZIV3CjnIv_Kp-PYhqw_DOz87Ew8EMEJfedRYwwT7qtf4oKO2Wp8CdW0TN9rN5i5HviAHnyoBE-aQlPk/s1600/20181225_202911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieu97CaHkXImHJ74vABydQrns85LD_8tM7NQZggjT9EBFCmg7oKpwDlu3SCyThZIV3CjnIv_Kp-PYhqw_DOz87Ew8EMEJfedRYwwT7qtf4oKO2Wp8CdW0TN9rN5i5HviAHnyoBE-aQlPk/s320/20181225_202911.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orion touches the sequins on Happy the Hedgehog. <br />
Photo by Heather Withrow, December 2018.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzijOyoMXcaH_h0C1tuIfNzNy1j0QpuxJwAYLSf8YPy6qX3iVJoU4rYj4mYeOQiCKoOYVVTW14rid7mhN4tgG6vndtIBCizs25iYhHydXGCjn6ItqA9g9Shztagvt6BpCRFtdKkXqBKg/s1600/20181230_155107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="1218" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzijOyoMXcaH_h0C1tuIfNzNy1j0QpuxJwAYLSf8YPy6qX3iVJoU4rYj4mYeOQiCKoOYVVTW14rid7mhN4tgG6vndtIBCizs25iYhHydXGCjn6ItqA9g9Shztagvt6BpCRFtdKkXqBKg/s320/20181230_155107.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The blurry-looking toy Orion is holding is a Dimpl Duo.<br />
Photo by Heather Withrow, December 30, 2018.</td></tr>
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<br />
He would play with toys in the way it was designed for, or in <strike>unconventional</strike> new Orion-innovative ways.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>NEW: <a href="http://www.fabercastell.com/creativity-for-kids/products/categories/unique-and-fun/SequinPetsHappytheHedgehog/6175?fbclid=IwAR3_eTXe2Ye_FlklVRHSuqg0xu1wEWG7OKSYFMneebH1S7L0AXDfVjMlcxI" target="_blank">Happy the Hedgehog</a> by Faber-Castell <i>(A hedgehog toy with reversible sequins on it's back. Has weighted material in its base.)</i></li>
<li>NEW: <a href="https://www.fatbraintoys.com/toy_companies/fat_brain_toy_co/dimpl_duo.cfm" target="_blank">Dimpl Duo</a> by Fat Brain Toy Co. <i>(Has two rows of three silicone "domes" that you can push inward and pop back up from the other side. It happens to be labeled in braille for colors and shapes but I snapped this up due to the fact it was similar to a braille cell, depending on how you held it.)</i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.costway.com/child-pod-swing-chair-tent-nook-indoor-outdoor-hanging-seat-hammock-kids.html?fee=51&fep=3841&gclid=Cj0KCQiA05zhBRCMARIsACKDWjcwPyCHKKjNUcD5oTnsurBC34om0sy3Tw4-GK1NUPxS3uCMMbmAoysaAsnlEALw_wcB" target="_blank">Child pod swing</a> (looks like a tear-drop hung from the ceiling and has an inflatable base. )</li>
<li><a href="https://shop.subpac.com/products/subpac-s2-seatback" target="_blank">SubPac</a> <i>(A "backpack" boom box designed to be attached to a chair back, appears to boom-boom the lower frequencies. This is a great way for <a href="https://hexwit.blogspot.com/2017/02/enjoying-eighties-music-via-subpac.html" target="_blank">Orion to feel 80's music</a>. I created a <a href="https://youtu.be/JQskHkQ1f5I" target="_blank">video of Orion enjoying it</a> with his intervener.)</i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fatbraintoys.com/toy_companies/fat_brain_toy_co/squigz_benders.cfm" target="_blank">Squigz</a> <i>(Discontinued! Orion chews on them and is determined to thwock any suckers off the bathtub sides and any that I stick onto him. Some are stuck good to the tub and Orion will reposition himself to get better leverage to pull them off! The downside is that Orion likes to chew on them, too, a safety concern.)</i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.google.com/shopping/product/1?lsf=seller:4978794,store:4370315790827577456&prds=pid:7643092936477023767,oid:16448768473354325979&q=pin+art&hl=en&ei=hj4oXIKQNsP4tAWQwbiQDQ&lsft=gclid:Cj0KCQiA05zhBRCMARIsACKDWjdY--IN6vBfwP-WOUKaat2M2nCLcnTN-IVfH1IOxGOBZ3J6cnEeBC0aAqrFEALw_wcB" target="_blank">Metal Pin Art</a> <i>(Metal pins that move when you push your hand or face on it, the other side moves and is a copy of your features. Metal is better than plastic as metal is conductive of the temperature of the space it is in and it has a heavier weight that our proprioceptors appreciate.)</i></li>
<li><a href="https://fisher-price.mattel.com/shop/en-us/fp/baby-toys/snap-lock-beads-bhj27" target="_blank">Baby snap-beads</a> by Fisher-Price <i>(<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/2SLFYqK2IN2_Bslv4mhvorMfSq35EvW6QKfjw0/" target="_blank">Orion enjoys taking them apart</a> one by one. My thought is that in order to put things together, you got to experience it "whole" and then take it apart. This includes <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/2SJ5bmq2Gf-xLwUA8iNSK_MQow8hts2WcJ5ks0/" target="_blank">experimenting with the parts</a>, learning about what else it does.)</i></li>
<li>Books (braille, tactile, or <strike>sighted-only</strike> empty books) <i>He would feel the books... then start to rip it apart! Even the board books!</i></li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pack-Hand-Scalp-Massager-Colors/dp/B003NTELC8/ref=asc_df_B003NTELC8/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241947247648&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1286039857142209630&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9028305&hvtargid=pla-478543936927&psc=1" target="_blank">Wire head massager</a> thingmajig <i>(You'll have to bend it's 'tentacles' back in place after he enjoys it his way.)</i></li>
<li>Slinky</li>
<li><a href="https://specialsupplies.com/slinky-pop-toob?_vsrefdom=adwords&gclid=Cj0KCQiA05zhBRCMARIsACKDWjfjJDuWU1oEGlY5_MeVctbT4ErJk-x3rYmDDFXdNBaviFaACytHc9kaAtNsEALw_wcB" target="_blank">Pop toobs</a> (Crinkles as you stretch or contract the tube.)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/1byone-Shiatsu-Massage-Pillow-Massager-Heat-Balls-Car-Adapter-Neck-Massager-Shoulder-Massager-Back-Massager-Home-Office-Car-Use-Black/692095582" target="_blank">Neck massager with heat</a> (He would hold onto it on his chest and relax his hands, his fingers rising and lowering underneath the turning parts.)</li>
<li><a href="https://gripbell.com/" target="_blank">Gripbell</a> <i>(A kettlebell-dumbell combo at different weight intervals. It is enclosed in a silicone-like material. Orion enjoys the pressure from the weight and the challenge of trying to move them around.)</i></li>
</ul>
<h3>
The Rejects</h3>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Orion may briefly touch an object given to him and put it aside. <br />
*Blink-blink* goes Mom and Dad's eyes.<br />
"I don't think he felt that one right."<br />
We try giving it to him again. The kid touches-it-then-puts-it-down.<br />
Mom and Dad try again. The kid <b>touches-then-tosses-that-annoying-thing-in-the-opposite-direction</b>! </blockquote>
</div>
<div>
There may be several factors why Orion or your kid would not want to play with something. He may just prefer to interact with you. It may be an internal issue (sick, congested, hungry, tired, wet) or an external issue (cold/hot out, too many people, overwhelmed and not given enough time to process their experiences.). The toy may be too abstract, complicated, or baffling. In any of these cases, I would reserve these toys for a day in the future when Orion would be ready to try again, explore the object at their own pace and in their own way.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Also, the toy may be in a material that your child doesn't enjoy. I'm a huge fan of the <b>"<a href="https://www.wsdsonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/WebLikesDislikesRevDec-12.pdf" target="_blank">Likes and Dislikes" form</a> </b>on Washington Sensory Disabilities Services's website that keeps track of sensory characteristics to look for and to avoid. A .pdf of the blank list is available here. You can always return to your child's list to find sources of <b>motivation</b> for your child.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Orion's perennial plaything dislikes:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Stuffed toy animals (except for Happy Hedgehog!) <i> They're so cute but he wants to be cuddling in their faux fur instead.</i></li>
<li>Our pet cats.<i> Thankfully, Orion does not want to wear their fur. Our white German Shepherd puppy, Aiko, is persistent, still learning to be careful and I think she will eventually win Orion's heart.</i></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
Orion can be particular about some textures' "sub-categories". </div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>He would enjoy a plush blanket; however, if it were a stuffed animal, then no. </li>
<li>He would enjoy stickers and large sticky sheets; but he hates sticky food that gets all over.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Other examples of rejects, many I will <strike>hoard</strike> sit on for that "one day" as long as space permits:</div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Fisher-Price Record Player</li>
<li>Bead on wire toys</li>
<li>Jack-In-The-Box</li>
<li>Large vinyl-covered foam shapes <i>(for sliding, climbing foam-shaped stairs, etc.)</i></li>
<li>Large inflatable pool rocker</li>
<li>Flat floor scooter with wheels <i>(used in elementary P.E. classes)</i></li>
</ul>
<div>
Objects he played with but is no longer even interested in:</div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Squishy textured balls</li>
<li>The HOPSAdress <i>(It may actually be an issue of needing the next size up for Orion.)</i></li>
<li>Body sock <i>(The lycra of Orion's second and bigger body sock may be too stiff or the velcro on it bothers Orion. Orion enjoyed the first and smaller one. Makes me wonder...)</i></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3>
Mom's Wishlist for Orion to Try</h3>
<div>
Some things on this list of cool stuff I want to try with him may be a hit or a miss. Orion has an Amazon.com <a href="https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/dl/invite/8PU1bmB" target="_blank">Wish List</a> that I occasionally update with toys I want to try with him.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>80' zip line kit and add a HOPSAdress or chest harness to it. <i>Call it an outdoors ceiling track so he could "wander safely in the backyard"?</i> <i>I know the zip-line will sag and be low in the center. Should be interesting to see what Orion does.</i></li>
<li>Any riding toy Orion can "slither" onto and make it move.<i> (Can I dream? Can I just try? I have a closet of more rejected "rollers"! I have also learned that ideally, riding and push toys are usable by kids who are walking. If anyone's kid defies that idea, please message me!)</i></li>
<li>Large, powerful industrial fan <i>(rigged to be safe for Orion's prying fingers), something to "blow" him away. A personal wind tunnel? </i></li>
<li>Outdoor canopy<i> (Large enough to cover an outdoor play area so he doesn't get sunburnt if we miss a spot. Should be able to withstand the Texas weather extremes.)</i></li>
<li>Indoor rock climbing wall in the garage with crash mat and an Orion-sized cubby<i> for him to climb up to and hang out in. (Or a lifetime pass to Crux Climbing Center in Austin.)</i></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPeg6shPjhCeSNJDo3Bp7kqawbFiZGfIBTB81Mwnv6gBJ0hRhypV6TVwSidJ1Jfnc5zyyGJUc4bbZC6byQ2Qc4ZSzxqWrCpq-k1VrF2Ep7whq4feT1OO32JJIng_S2Ok70bPT22UXyNDY/s1600/20180119_153617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPeg6shPjhCeSNJDo3Bp7kqawbFiZGfIBTB81Mwnv6gBJ0hRhypV6TVwSidJ1Jfnc5zyyGJUc4bbZC6byQ2Qc4ZSzxqWrCpq-k1VrF2Ep7whq4feT1OO32JJIng_S2Ok70bPT22UXyNDY/s320/20180119_153617.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orion, with his intervener Nanette, considers his options for reaching a platform in the wall.<br />
Crux Climbing Center, Austin, TX.<br />
Photo by Heather Withrow.</td></tr>
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<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<br />
The upside of these "misses" is that Orion's siblings and other children would enjoy them anyway. Pretty awesome ideas, though, right?!<br />
<br /></div>
<h3>
Toy Lists From Sites Focusing on Children who are DeafBlind, Blind/Visually Impaired and/or have Disabilities:</h3>
I've pored over lists of commercially available toys and products for ideas. It feels challenging to find the right toys for someone who is DeafBlind, not walking yet, but when I do find something, you bet I'm going to try it. There are so many toy and gift ideas for children with disabilities through these links:<br />
<br />
Family Connect: <a href="http://www.familyconnect.org/info/after-the-diagnosis/helpful-products/gift-ideas-for-parents-of-children-who-are-blind-or-visually-impaired/125?platform=hootsuite">http://www.familyconnect.org/info/after-the-diagnosis/helpful-products/gift-ideas-for-parents-of-children-who-are-blind-or-visually-impaired/125?platform=hootsuite</a> The stuff here can be fascinating for any child. I ordered something for Orion's big brother from this list.<br />
<br />
Able Play Toy Guide by Lekotek: <a href="https://www.lekotek.org/images/stories/files/pdf/ableplay_toyguide_FINAL_web.pdf">https://www.lekotek.org/images/stories/files/pdf/ableplay_toyguide_FINAL_web.pdf</a><br />
(I found their catalog categories of "Sensory" and "Physical" more meaningful for ideas for Orion.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orion (around 1 1/2 year old in this photo) explored toys attached to a little apron.<br />
Objects include a wiffle ball, a wood clacker, jingle bell, hairbrush, cross-stitching mesh.<br />
The idea was inspired by "Hold On", by Ohio DeafBlind Project.<br />
Photo by Heather Withrow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Ohio DeafBlind Project's online slide presentation of make-at-home toys for blind/visually impaired children with or without multiple disabilities: "<a href="https://www.slideshare.net/teechkidz/hold-on-by-ohio-center-for-deafblind" target="_blank">Hold On</a>" (https://www.slideshare.net/teechkidz/hold-on-by-ohio-center-for-deafblind) When Orion was around one and a half year old, I made for him something similar to the play smock seen on slide 9.<br />
<br />
Two more Amazon Idea Lists I created and will continue to add to: <a href="http://a.co/aUrVRjF" target="_blank">New Movers</a> and <a href="http://a.co/ftplVZO" target="_blank">For Young DeafBlind Children</a>. (Please consult with your child's service providers for developmental and physical appropriateness and safety.)<br />
<br />
<i>If you know a resource available via Internet link that you do not see here, please let me know, I'll be happy to add them.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<h3>
A Mom's Musings</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
OK, I've organized the toys, right? I've attached my thoughts, learnings and observations to this post about Orion's playthings experiences so now we're all set. Right?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Nope.</blockquote>
Orion could come around and contradict everything I've discussed here!<br />
<br />
Your DeafBlind child is very likely to have different likes and dislikes from Orion's, too. If you're a family member thinking about gifts, consider likes/dislikes, developmental level being appropriate for enjoyment, accessibility, pretty much everything I discussed already. Playing independently is great but that's just part of the big picture. <b>Our kids need respectful, responsible and fun human interactions to continue to develop, learn and be motivated about what's at and beyond their fingertips. </b><br />
<br />
Let this be food for thought. A complicated, elaborate and worthwhile scheme over making sure <b>someone</b> is listening and constructively responsive and <b>something</b> is accessible and enjoyable for DeafBlind children as they're kids, too!<br />
<br />
And now back to toy-testing with Orion...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHBDov91y1C17Blt7BVIh-Kxyiab-MLZBRhVCTwbaNoUVjVvjBISKuOk1UYhw8iHJ_shhaPFaG4Vhj4pNmrVF6B-qsr8oyupGzU9JtSfVYQuxP_tto_xGmeNJLjIan0jOBEqTYIDux4Q/s1600/IMG_0930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHBDov91y1C17Blt7BVIh-Kxyiab-MLZBRhVCTwbaNoUVjVvjBISKuOk1UYhw8iHJ_shhaPFaG4Vhj4pNmrVF6B-qsr8oyupGzU9JtSfVYQuxP_tto_xGmeNJLjIan0jOBEqTYIDux4Q/s320/IMG_0930.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orion (8) independently expanded this transforming sphere to it's 30-inch maximum width. <br />
Orion's big brother spotted him doing this when I was typing this blog post. He must've found it on the bed and... voila!<br />
He has experienced the mini sphere many times before so likely he had pretty good ideas how to expand a bigger one.<br />
A perfect Christmas gift from Uncle Jk. Thank you!<br />
Photo by Heather Withrow, December 30, 2018.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT10XKDMEwRlD7xtZvW1gFZaei2yZKLm95pXmKeXhxVJeh9pJV-T5xyVgAbxIym72yb-DFZA-LUHNoqf_U0vw9CVu_cxwbb4b_wV4dnzhnO2NRNey2JiYZX8wEuhxfiJBwF3pwwOgrEzc/s1600/IMAG0330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT10XKDMEwRlD7xtZvW1gFZaei2yZKLm95pXmKeXhxVJeh9pJV-T5xyVgAbxIym72yb-DFZA-LUHNoqf_U0vw9CVu_cxwbb4b_wV4dnzhnO2NRNey2JiYZX8wEuhxfiJBwF3pwwOgrEzc/s400/IMAG0330.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orion (looks like he is 4 years old in this picture) with two of his favorite people: his big brother and sister. The three of them are in and about a very small inflatable kiddie pool, His sister is giving him a kiss on his cheek. <br />
Photo by Heather Withrow.</td></tr>
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<br />Hexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-7997982498610932212018-09-26T14:37:00.000-07:002018-09-26T14:37:57.379-07:00Letter: Keep Helen Keller in the Texas Curriculum<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>This e-mail was composed and sent to our Texas State Board of Education representative for District 5, Mr. Ken Mercer, on September 26, 2018.</i><br /><br />Dear Mr. Ken Mercer,<br /><br />I am writing to you concerned about the State Board of Education’s recommendation to eliminate Helen Keller from Texas’ 3rd grade textbooks and curriculum. <br /><br />I’m a Deaf mother of three children with different hearing/deafness etiologies. My oldest son is Deaf and in 8th grade, my daughter is hearing and in 7th grade, and my youngest son, Orion, who is DeafBlind is in 3rd grade. I am currently studying for my M.Ed. in Special Education focusing on orientation & mobility via Texas Tech University. Meanwhile, I will be receiving my academic certificate in DeafBlindness in December 2018.<br /><br />I understand a rubric was used to evaluate historical figures, with the goal that decisions can be as objective as possible. However, with this rubric, Helen Keller was given 7 points and recommended for removal, yet Billy Graham a pass to be kept in the curriculum regardless of a rubric scoring that was lower than others slated for removal. The rubric configuration that was used is clearly not working and is inconsistent, thus not credible in my eyes. <br /><br />Helen Keller caused change and enlightenment to take place worldwide. Taking 40 minutes of instructional time to talk about Helen Keller is not only the tip of the iceberg, it opens a door to further development understanding, empathy and many friendships with people who are different. Approximately one out of five Americans have a disability. Our curriculum needs to reflect that. We need to retain exemplary role models who have disabilities for children with or without disabilities.<br /><br />Although Helen Keller was not the first DeafBlind student in the U.S., she was the first DeafBlind graduate of Radcliffe College. She co-founded what is now known as Helen Keller International, an organization that brings awareness and prevention of blindness worldwide. Helen Keller met several US presidents, she challenged the Lion’s Club to aid the blind and visually impaired which they proudly still do to this day, she worked for the American Foundation for the Blind until her death in 1968. Her body [lies] in rest at the Washington National Cathedral. Keller was so famous that anywhere she went, people paid attention to her and what she had to say, making a positive difference. Helen Keller was not only an extraordinary DeafBlind person, she was a notable, exceptional person regardless of her abilities.<br /><br />The Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults (HKNC) was established in 1967 after the Helen Keller National Center Act was passed to provide rehabilitation training for individuals who are DeafBlind.<br /> <br />In 1964, Helen Keller received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Lyndon Baines Johnson, our US president who hailed from Texas.<br /><br />Governor Greg Abbott, proclaimed June 2018 as “Helen Keller DeafBlind Awareness Month” in the state of Texas. (Direct link to an online image of the document: <a href="https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/organization/disabilities/2018-Helen-Keller-DeafBlind-Awareness-Month.pdf">https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/organization/disabilities/2018-Helen-Keller-DeafBlind-Awareness-Month.pdf</a>)<br /><br />Initially people are impressed by Helen Keller’s story as a person who is DeafBlind. Eventually, people will see quite a resume of accomplishments by anyone regardless of ability. I will be satisfied when the Texas State Board of Education withdraws their recommendation for removing Helen Keller from the curriculum. I thank you and the State Board of Education for your time spent on considering this very important, far-reaching matter on hand.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br /><br />Heather Lightfoot Withrow<br />Austin, Texas<br /><a href="http://www.orionthekid.com/">www.OrionTheKid.com</a></span>Hexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-2773685774345856472018-08-27T19:33:00.000-07:002018-08-28T10:14:26.174-07:00Insights on Similarly-Sized HandsBy Heather Withrow<br />
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Orion always seemed to have a little more patience for little hands, even as a toddler in center-based early intervention programs (Kendall School's Parent-Infant Program & Texas School for the Deaf's Toddler Learning Center). He spent more time allowing and thinking about the hands of his similarly-sized peers. People who know Orion have recognized that there is something special about little hands for him!</div>
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I had a conversation with Eddie Madera at the National Family Association for Deaf-Blind (NFADB) conference that was hosted in July 2016 in Austin, Texas. He brought up hand sizes, how similarly sized hands were easier for him to feel/receive. That made sense... Orion liked little hands perhaps because he could recognize the other hand's dimensions quickly due to it's similar small size.</div>
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Enjoy this video of Orion's big brother and I talking about similarly-sized hands! Skyler's clip was from July 2016 and my part was from early 2018.</div>
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Hexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-91913671868842173832018-02-07T14:53:00.002-08:002018-02-08T10:00:38.302-08:00Orion's First Year at TSD (Video)God knows how long this has been sitting unpublished in Blogger! Let this video fly free! This is of our precious Orion during his first year at Texas School for the Deaf, at 2 years old in what was then called the Parent-Infant Program (now called Toddler Learning Center).<br />
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It is a delight to present to you this collection of moment snippets of Orion and Amy, his teacher, during the 2012-2013 school year at TSD. This video was created in May 2013.<br />
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Video Notes:<br />
The video opens with two women working on swinging Orion in his blanket. The woman on the left is Carolina, she is a certified orientation and mobility specialist (COMS), a key person on my son's IEP team. Amy, his teacher of students who are Deaf/HH, is on the right.<br />
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If your child is DeafBlind, blind or visually impaired, he has the right to have an orientation and mobility (O&M) evaluation and if a need is found, to then receive services. Orientation and mobility is listed as a related service under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004). No baby is too young for O&M services. Like you saw in the video, Orion received O&M at 2 years old. Movement development starts at birth!<br />
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At 3:07 in the video, Orion is sitting in his stroller and giggling along with the honking geese. While wearing his CI processors, he appeared to find the honking amusing! (He doesn't like his CIs anymore.)<br />
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At 3:27, in the shot where Orion is sitting at a floor table, he is surrounded by his early intervention team which included a speech-language pathologist (Tracy, in the video), occupational therapist and of course an ASL interpreter so the team and parents could communicate with each other.<br />
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Communication: We signed on Orion's body, also known as "touch cues", during the 2012-2013 school year. We wanted Orion to have control of his hands, so we avoided touching his wrists or shaping his fingers in any way. You will see him sometimes covering his hands over the adult signer who is signing on his body. It's my thought that this helped Orion realize his hands were powerful, that he could get more information via hands by searching his environment, people, things and finally, tactile sign language- where he could tactually observe signs at a distance (a signer signing normally and not on Orion). This work is still in progress...<br />
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Source: IDEA (2004). Related Services, Section 300.34. Retrieved from <a href="https://sites.ed.gov/idea">https://sites.ed.gov/idea</a>. (Direct link to related services: <a href="https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/a/300.34">https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/a/300.34</a>)Hexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-24351798880367838482017-12-16T20:41:00.000-08:002018-02-08T12:41:30.809-08:00Meaningful Tactile Information for Orion (VIDEO)It's been a while since I last blogged! I've been so busy juggling family and graduate school, that I've been sitting on this video, a vlog, a video log, that I created in August. I finally captioned it! So since in my eyes, it is now accessible, I will share it.<br />
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It's about touch information for Orion, how we get certain information to Orion over a small distance or directly in touch. This video was created as a spin-off of a blog post on the same topic that I published earlier this year, "<a href="http://hexwit.blogspot.com/2017/03/pearls-of-touch.html">Pearls of Touch</a>". I've included two video clip examples of sharing tactile information with Orion.<br />
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It's 14 minutes, closed captioned (click on the "cc" icon if you need it), and enjoy.<br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 15px;">"The U.S. Department of Education is inviting comments regarding their regulations. The </span><a href="https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2017-06-22/pdf/2017-13157.pdf" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 15px;"><span class="s2">June 22, 2017 Federal Register</span></a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 15px;"> contains a request for comments, </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 15px;">In accordance with Executive Order 13777, ‘‘Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda", </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 15px;">signed by President Trump February 24, 2017. The Department of Education is now seeking input on regulations that </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 15px;">"may be appropriate for repeal, replacement, or modification."</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 15px;"> This is our opportunity to send in comments to </span><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 15px;">modify</b><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 15px;"> the Related Services regulation by adding Intervener Services to that list (</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 15px;">“CFR Title 34, Subtitle III, Chapter III, Part 300, Subpart A, §300.34 Related Service)</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 15px;">." Source: personal email.</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I request a modification of the regulations to include Intervener Services on the list of Related Services. Trained interveners are difference-makers for DeafBlind children no matter what the children's ages are or skills and language they have. They are able to adapt to work WITH the child and not FOR the child, they seek out opportunities for the child to access and make connections with things, people and the environment, they are responsible for the child's social and emotional development. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, education of DeafBlind children is a very young field. Even with early DeafBlind people, Laura Bridgman (b. 1829) and Helen Keller (b. 1880) (www.perkins.org), it is still new compared to public education and Deaf Education. In the short time this field has grown, knowledge and skills, for which there are currently Council for Exceptional Children standards (CEC link below), in interveners have proven time and time again it is a best practice in the education of DeafBlind children. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My 7 year-old DeafBlind son, Orion, is one of these students fortunate to have been assigned interveners over the years, his first one was when he was 3 years old. It was at that school and the first time for Orion, the IEP team voluntarily listed intervener services, which he received 1875 minutes of per week, under Related Services in his IEP document. With the support of personnel skilled and experienced with DeafBlind children, including interveners, Orion is walking more, drinking via straw, making choices when offered, making progress with requesting things or actions of other people. Most important of all, Orion is happier on these school days where he can understand what's happening and has been "heard" by competent people who understand him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately this is not true for all DeafBlind children during the critical early years of their life. Caregivers, one-on-one aides, nurses, volunteers who are not trained or experienced in this field do not reach the level of efficiency in schools that interveners bring. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The good news is that there are training resources available, some are online resources and online training programs through a few universities. One of them is a 27-module online resource developed by the National Center on DeafBlindness, funded by the Office of Special Education Programs called Open Hands, Open Access Intervener Modules (OHOA). There is national intervener certification available through NICE (National Intervener Certification E-Portfolio) that is based on the CEC intervener skills and knowledge standards.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By modifying the Related Services list to include Intervener Services, it opens the door to educate, empower and enable our early intervention, K-12 professionals and particularly DeafBlind children to successfully access education currently offered to all the children in our country.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">References</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Open Hands, Open Access Intervener Modules. National Center on DeafBlindness. <a href="http://moodle.nationaldb.org/">http://moodle.nationaldb.org</a>. Retrieved online August 2017.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Specialty Set: Special Education Paraeducator Intervener for Individuals With Deafblindness (PDBI). Council for Exceptional Children. <a href="https://cec.sped.org/~/media/Files/Standards/Paraeducator%20Sets/Specialty%20Set%20%20%20Special%20Education%20Paraeducator%20Intervener%20for%20Individuals%20With%20Deafblindness%20PDBI.pdf">https://cec.sped.org/~/media/Files/Standards/Paraeducator%20Sets/Specialty%20Set%20%20%20Special%20Education%20Paraeducator%20Intervener%20for%20Individuals%20With%20Deafblindness%20PDBI.pdf</a>. Retrieved online August 2017.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is NICE? National Center on DeafBlindness. <a href="https://nationaldb.org/pages/show/national-intervener-certification-e-portfolio-nice/what-is-nice">https://nationaldb.org/pages/show/national-intervener-certification-e-portfolio-nice/what-is-nice</a>. Retrieved online August 2017.</span>Hexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-59140741730970363832017-07-18T23:42:00.000-07:002018-02-08T10:03:30.676-08:00Awesome Orion Doings Without Words (Running & Pediasure Request)<div>
Orion just did something awesome today and something completely different but equally awesome the other day (Sunday). What was the same: there wasn't a camera running to capture the moment. I didn't even try to get him to do it again, like we would ask of a performing monkey. <i>(I've done this before, yes, but I want to focus on letting him to know I saw it. That very one time counted, Orion! When we ask kids to repeat something we think they didn't do or so that we can capture it on video, we may not appear receptive or even bright at all to our own kids!)</i></div>
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Running Tuesday </h2>
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(Today) as posted on my personal Facebook wall:</div>
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"After happily meeting grandpa's best friend, crawling onto his lap for a snuggle, Orion ran down the hallway with lots of support from me but his legs were running! #DeafBlindKids #CanTheCant"</blockquote>
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Orion's big brother and sister saw it all, and shared in the excitement as they walked quickly alongside us! Orion was laughing out loud as he ran (with me).</div>
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Orion "ran" once before with me, just once. Today was faster and a longer distance at around 15 meters (45 feet). </div>
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He was really giggly during our visit with grandpa's friend, H, at a rehab place. I carried him to the lobby when we arrived, put him down to walk toward the friend's room. Orion, as a visitor, was just one of the people in this place practicing to walk in the hallways, among other things the rehab residents need to work on. He didn't want to walk all the way so I plucked him up again. Orion found H's wheelchair, the wheel, and H's hand and proceeded to climb up on H's lap! Orion was just at home with H, snuggling up on him. </div>
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While everyone else chatted with H, Orion provided ample laughter in the background as he stood or climbed up me with his feet and was flipped back down to standing position (his favorite).</div>
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Pediasure Sunday</h2>
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We were sitting at the kitchen table after dinner and dessert at my parents' home in Washington state. I had already unscrewed the cap of the Pediasure and poured it into Orion's hard-spouted sippy cup with him. He was feeling my hands on the Pediasure bottle and his sippy bottle. He put his fingers in the pouring stream and brought his fingers to his mouth to taste. This was an ordinary everyday thing for us.</div>
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Now here is the part I saw Orion's determination and exciting communication efforts:</div>
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Obviously finished with the sippy cup, he grabbed my hand and put it on the sippy cup. I replied via tactile ASL, "Yes. Milk. Wait."</div>
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I took the sippy cup and filled it with 2% milk, since we usually just give him one bottle of Pediasure a day, and gave it back to Orion. He took a swig, put the sippy cup down on the table, grabbed the empty Pediasure bottle that was still on the table, took my hand and put it on the Pediasure bottle! Yes! But just to make sure of Orion's intent, I gave him his sippy cup again. He drank it and repeated the same thing- grabbed my hand and put the Pediasure bottle in it. No mistake about that! I replied to him,"Yes, yes! Wait."</div>
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I scrambled to the garage for another unopened Pediasure bottle, emptied the sippy cup and brought it to the table. Orion and I did the hand-under-hand, "Do With, Not For" way of pouring the Pediasure into Orion's sippy cup whilst he dipped and tasted the drink as I put the lid back on. He drank it all contentedly and had no further requests for me.</div>
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Hexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-72218551738076965322017-05-01T10:15:00.000-07:002017-05-01T10:15:59.412-07:00Public Comment to TEA in Favor of Teacher of DeafBlind CertificationTo State Board for Education Certification at Texas Education Agency,<br /><br />We, as people in the state of Texas, have an unique opportunity to clarify and rightfully promote the needs of DeafBlind children. <br /><br />I am a Deaf mother of three completely different and fascinating children, my oldest son is Deaf, my daughter is hearing, and my youngest son is DeafBlind. It is my passion as a parent who has seen the light of what is tried and true, to contribute to the efforts of recognizing best practices, intervention, educational and communication support that is needed to make a difference in the growth of children in our low-incidence disability community. All of this started when my husband and I realized, before our son Orion’s birth in July 2010, that he would be DeafBlind. I took off into the DeafBlind horizon of information and resources on the Internet and enjoyed meeting educators and fellow parents. Here I will share what is just a scratch on the surface and why we must encourage certification for Teachers of the DeafBlind (TDB).<br /><br />Deafblindness is not just about the absence of sight and sound. It is so much more than the sum of these two parts. It is better described as “information-gathering disability,” rather than, “He can’t hear and can’t see.” <br /><br />Even with the collaboration between a teacher of the Deaf (TOD) and a teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI), the duo would still miss the practical intervention, educational and communication needs of a child who is DeafBlind. Yes, the DeafBlind child’s hearing etiology and listening aids may be the same as a child who is only Deaf or Hard of Hearing; and the same child’s vision etiology and visual correction, if any, may be the same as a child who is blind or visually impaired. The obvious similarities with blind children and deaf children end where the combined impact of DeafBlindness is considered. DeafBlindness is its own separate disability. That’s why there needs to be a certified Teacher of the DeafBlind involved to provide expert guidance to the child’s educational team through the DeafBlind “overlap” of the Venn diagram of the deaf circle and the blind circle.<br /><br />After my youngest son was born in Maryland, people remarked to me that half the battle was won because we were fluent in American Sign Language. My husband and I quickly learned that knowing sign language was not even close to half the battle and maybe just a very small single-digit percentage of it.<br /><br />We started county early intervention services when Orion was 3 months old. The interdisciplinary early intervention team of a TOD, a TVI, physical therapist, occupational therapist and audiologist were helpful, but they really shone when they could grow on the support and constructive feedback from a DeafBlind specialist from our state DeafBlind project! I always looked forward to that DeafBlind specialist’s monthly visits because we would get our DeafBlind-specific questions finally answered and learn additional strategies to help our son develop physically and cognitively. Ideally, the Deafblind specialist would be there every single home visit but she had the whole state to serve.<br /><br />Orion started attending school at Texas School for the Deaf after we moved to Austin when he was 2 years old. His teacher, originally trained as a Teacher of the Deaf, started taking workshops and online courses in DeafBlindness. The difference she was making with Orion over the next few years was constantly growing. This was because her efforts were focused on DeafBlindness and not on adding more blind or visually impaired-specific training to her resume. She has since moved onto new opportunities but her heart has “DeafBlind kids” stamped on it and she is still in touch with us. <br /><br />Now Orion is almost done with his first year at Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) as a 6 year-old. My husband and I felt the school year started off well because Orion was picking up the routines, figuring out the classroom and getting to know at his own DeafBlind pace his teacher, teacher aide and whatever IEP service provider was in the room to give services. Everyone in the classroom were good at what they do- interacting with Deafblind kids with Deafblind intervention strategies. <br /><br />I have observed and inquired various TSBVI personnel their source of DeafBlind know-how by learning on the job right there on campus over the years, they’ve attended workshops on various topics that applies to DeafBlindness and Active Learning, presentations and demonstrations by DeafBlind experts from around the world, and the enriching guidance of the personnel in the Texas DeafBlind Outreach department is right there on campus, too. Orion’s classroom teacher is also mentored by a Teacher of the DeafBlind who participated 5 years ago in TSBVI's pilot program training future TDBs. This TDB’s office is just a few doors down the hallway from Orion’s classroom.<br /><br />TSBVI clearly encourages and nurtures the interactive growth of DeafBlind skills and knowledge. We need to make studying to become a certified Teacher of the DeafBlind available as a professional goal on the state level. This way Orion’s school age DeafBlind counterparts, statewide, can benefit from the same level of expectations and proficiency.<br /><br />Orion has been making tremendous progress this past year, there’s nothing magical about it. It’s DeafBlind strategies being used appropriately, thus our son Orion is thriving in his own DeafBlind way.<br /><br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br />Heather Lightfoot Withrow<br />Austin, Texas<div class="" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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Hexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-59453024086392684722017-04-30T21:34:00.000-07:002017-04-30T22:42:07.475-07:00A Child's Thoughts In Favor of Texas Senate Bill 354, the Lead-K BillToday, my daughter Anastasia wrote a paragraph of her thoughts on Deaf and Hard of Hearing children being language-ready for kindergarten, in favor of <a href="http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=85R&Bill=SB354">Texas Senate Bill 354</a> of the 85th Legislative Session, also known as the <a href="https://www.leadktexas.com/">Lead-K</a> Bill. The caption for this bill is "Relating to language acquisition for children less than eight years of age who are deaf or hard of hearing." This bill was filed by Senator Kirk Watson who represents most of Travis County (where Austin is) and all of neighboring Bastrop County.<br />
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I'd told her that this particular bill, that we had a conversation about earlier this month, was going to have a hearing happening on it this coming Tuesday morning, May 2nd. She wanted to go but I told her she's going to school and she could write something that I could turn in for her.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here it is, all in her own words!</div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Deaf and hard of hearing children shouldn’t be denied confirmation of a proper language. If you don’t agree, look at this as if there were no spoken English test. Your hearing child would have to know ASL to have a ready language for kindergarten. Your child would have to know a language they wouldn’t normally use. That is how it is for deaf and hard of hearing kids. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Sincerely,<br />
<br />
Anastasia Withrow<br />
A hearing 11 year-old from a Deaf family<br />
(location omitted)</blockquote>
<br />
<i>Parents' note: Hearing children (under 18 years old) of Deaf adults are known in the Deaf community as KODAs (Kid of Deaf Adults).</i>Hexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-89152407229221340752017-03-04T15:45:00.004-08:002018-02-08T12:41:54.319-08:00Pearls of Touch <i>My muses for this are from two key sources: my DeafBlind, ProTactile-using (and PT inspiring) friends Hayley Broadway and Sarah Morrison, and my 6+ years of wanting accessible, yet natural feeling, interaction and information for my DeafBlind 6 year-old son Orion. These thoughts were jogged while preparing for Hayley and Sarah’s much-anticipated ProTactile presentation at the 2017 Texas DeafBlind Symposium on 3/4/2017.</i><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5SVACjWeIOzliSR6QIsfYF5O3uIh_CN-w83vVbSg-9kDV3yJ73xabIz7WUQHL5JONMWLFPEvKLV6bs47-4YQfvgYl3IqIBSx2clfBZs1MIT3pYvsPFLIlKNf6ywyXajOkwO_aEQ0RVIE/s1600/OrionAndMom26Feb2017-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5SVACjWeIOzliSR6QIsfYF5O3uIh_CN-w83vVbSg-9kDV3yJ73xabIz7WUQHL5JONMWLFPEvKLV6bs47-4YQfvgYl3IqIBSx2clfBZs1MIT3pYvsPFLIlKNf6ywyXajOkwO_aEQ0RVIE/s400/OrionAndMom26Feb2017-4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The comfort of touch.<br />
Photo credit: Anastasia Withrow<br />
Image description: A woman with faint colors of lilac and teal in her hair, on the left, embraces her white haired DeafBlind 6 year old son on the right. He is resting his head on her left shoulder, facing away from the camera, his hand is over mom's right index finger. Mom's left hand is holding his upper back and she is looking at horizon somewhere off the right side of the photo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
We’ve known since before Orion was born that touch would be a key part of his life. What we know today was refined, elaborated, practiced and it will continue to develop over time as we learn from our mistakes, discoveries, and Orion’s responses.<br />
<br />
Communication can happen at any level ranging from the level of involuntary communication, and then voluntary communication including the simplest basic refusal (such as refusing food or spitting it out) all the way through to abstract languages such as American Sign Language, English, Tagalog, etc. My thoughts on touch grows upon the basis that it is versatile through any level of communication.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Touch for Communication</h3>
Disclaimer: I’m a Deaf mom who loves any topic regarding congenitally DeafBlind individuals provided by presenters, DeafBlind-related specialists, and therapists in person or via articles and videos. For the sake of categorizing types of touch in my thoughts here, there are two— direct contact and indirect contact.<br />
<br />
<b>Direct contact</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Constantly in skin to skin contact: any part of your body to any part of his body, in any situation (floor, bed, highchair, bathtub). Touch is not only done by your fingers but any part of the great skin organ we have.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When you greet Orion, we welcome you to:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
1) Touch his knee, elbow or upper arm.<br />
2a) Orion will put his hand on where he knows your hand is, or<br />
2b) From his elbow, glide your fingers up to his hand.<br />
3) Sign “Hi”. If he still holds on to feel what you’re doing, quickly add Orion’s name sign to say “Hi, Orion”, and then “Me” and your name sign.</blockquote>
<br />
Note: if Orion withdraws contact during any step, that is OK. He knows you/someone is there. Do not go directly to his face, chest or palm of his hands without greeting/touching him in the first place. Any new comments or actions, you touch Orion the same way as you greet him (step #1 and #2 above).<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Staying in contact is providing constant feedback to Orion on your actions. Another benefit is that it’s less startling to the Deafblind child is tapping or prompting him with the same hand or body part that’s already in contact. Moving yourself or an object while in contact informs him where you/it ends up.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Tip: If he pushes you away, let him. Follow/accept where he puts your hand and stay there for a while and then go back and touch him. If he pushes you away again, accept and stay there. (Object permanence.) Orion does check and see if you’re still there even when he requires his own space.<br />
<br />
<b>Indirect contact</b><br />
Other ways to indirectly inform him that you’re there if not directly touching him is through your vibrations, movement, scent and movement of air. <br />
<br />
Some examples are sitting on the bench with him, bed, stroller, wood floor, etc. There’s no need to tiptoe around because its beneficial to be noisy or create vibrations because your DeafBlind child will know something’s up. When Orion was a baby, he’d lounge on a nice setup on the wood floor, you can feel when people walk through the room and approach you. We would touch the frame of his stroller or the edge of the playpen before touching Orion’s legs and arms because this alerts him that someone is near and perhaps approaching him.<br />
<br />
Orion loves our bed maybe a bit too much. When I get up and go to the other side of the bed, instead of just walking around and re-touching the bed, I suggest you get up, keep your hands on the mattress- drum it, push it with your fingers, anything, including bumping your leg against the bed frame wherever you are— be a klutz— until you go to the other side of the bed, Orion will have observed exactly where you were, went and are now and will not be startled when you are in contact with him again. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<h3>
Touch for Information</h3>
Touch is not just for communication, it overlaps with information/observation uses, too. If nobody touched Orion, or any other DeafBlind child, while doing their own errands or activities, Orion/they may assume people just sit or lay around all day so he will do just that. He will have received misleading information even with the absence of touch!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Another touch information example is bringing Orion to the refrigerator to get the milk jug out, taking the top off, pouring it in his bottle, putting the bottle top back on, putting the milk jug cap back on and into the fridge and giving him the bottle to enjoy. This was not easy to do, and I recommend two people working together for this one but when this is done, Orion gets input to build up concepts about the things, people and activities in his environment.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We encourage nurses and doctors to let Orion feel the medical tools first before using them on him. Tools, including utensils, bottles are concrete, self-explanatory objects that Orion knows about. We can use these objects as object symbols when we’re not currently in the situation, such as letting him know we’re going to the doctor by showing him a spare stethoscope.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<h3>
Creating habits and a lifestyle</h3>
If habit is a comfortable bed that’s hard to get out of, then touch communication is a bed I wouldn’t even try to get out of.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When this is an effort that you think of to do every day, every time, it has a chance to become a habit and then a lifestyle. It would be even better as a family, team or community lifestyle. Orion is a naturally happy boy, he is even more content and quick to play when we’re in touch with him.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This is something anybody can do, family members, teachers, bus drivers, doctors and friends can share of themselves through touch. Anyone. Abstract language is not required for touch communication and information.<br />
<br />
<br />
————————————————————————<br />
Related takeaways and my spin-off thoughts from Friday (3/3) enlightening general session presentations at the 2017 Texas DeafBlind Symposium. (Prior to the ProTactile presentation.)<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>DeafBlind strategies and ProTactile do connect with each other like the two circles in a Venn diagram. What I share here is in that overlap.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Your emotions definitely show though touch. Consider the calmness of contentment, tension of frustration/anger and the animation of excitement. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>DeafBlind autonomy for me also includes respecting the individual’s hands, no matter their age. We’ve almost always avoided doing hand OVER hand with Orion… we entice, tempt him find ways for curiosity to take over and he put his hands on ours rather than forcing the issue. When we did try hand-over-hand it did not work out anyway, he would successfully pull his hands away. He will not have any of it- of someone controlling his hands. Exceptions are asking for permission from a DeafBlind individual who understands the request and grants permission.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>#DeafBlindKids. I mention “kids” because all kids are kids first. With the complex and fluid interaction of needs, health, external situations, action/responses and strategies for DeafBlind kids, it could become easy to forget the kid part! The new main URL of my blog, “A Mom’s Musings,” is www.OrionTheKid.com. When I get overwhelmed with the growing to-do list of strategies and ideas, I have to pause and ask myself this question: “What can I do with Orion right now?” </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>...and of course, I internally answer, “Play.”</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
Hexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-44912256906993161782017-02-20T16:54:00.000-08:002018-02-08T10:01:25.815-08:00Enjoying Eighties Music Via SubPac<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
Orion's intervener came over yesterday (Sunday) to play with him. It was a very welcome change for me as we've been short on interveners lately. There's only so much I can think of to do and actually do in a day to keep Orion's days rich and nurturing during school breaks, weekends especially long weekends with no school on Friday and Monday, when I'm the only parent in the house (hubby is scouting the Deaflympics venues in Samsun, Turkey at this time*) so it helps to have other minds and hands to help out. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The photo below was of what I came home to after a quick Starbucks/HEB food run: a happy Orion hugging and moving the SubPac around with his hands and feet. Cyndi Lauper was playing via YouTube on his intervener's iPhone which was connected to the SubPac. Both Orion and his intervener were smiling and having a great time!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Accessibility was helped very much due to labeling the drawer that had Orion's SubPac in it. (Photo shown below.) And serves a great reminder that the SubPac is here and ready to play. We have not worked this activity into a schedule yet as it's hard to keep the family on a rigid daily schedule, especially on no-school days. For now it's an item to check-off a list of activities Orion enjoys. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Knowing Orion enjoyed Michael Jackson, his intervener played MJ's "Beat It". I think it's adding up that he enjoys the music of the 80's. I'll try Tina Turner next... if any of you have suggestions of musicians who have "danceable music" I should share with Orion, let me know! (I know I'll enjoy it, too!)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdEGVEjIwTW2JVfKsetQFjI7zbA5zFpf76dCuhUHDJqSOxQqMVnHcDoj3NiiRpEvEe4mZV3TGiSTzqUQpxfYFDpGvwLUpQr-yZvmvsdrGaP1PvE08Wc2KhnJKtp8tFNo1dxs9FYB_6Fok/s1600/OrionAndSubPacFeb2017-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdEGVEjIwTW2JVfKsetQFjI7zbA5zFpf76dCuhUHDJqSOxQqMVnHcDoj3NiiRpEvEe4mZV3TGiSTzqUQpxfYFDpGvwLUpQr-yZvmvsdrGaP1PvE08Wc2KhnJKtp8tFNo1dxs9FYB_6Fok/s400/OrionAndSubPacFeb2017-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think Orion really enjoys the SubPac... and according to his intervener, Cyndi Lauper's song, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," was playing during this photo.<br />
Description: A smiling, DeafBlind white-haired 6 year old boy is laying on a bed, holding the SubPac perpendicular to his chest. The SubPac is partially hiding Orion's wide smile.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6i-2dbpv0SzxsXV1brW-VE69i4QH2P3YO1yQIWSjWHJdzr5w5crb9Ou1G_YL_3aHd1E9qWYSQXWkxDMnM4SDM_JbQsnLZc5TO1wOI4kaAJTrxLZoxC1YNeO5rcwV9OI-61EFQLgstiJ8/s1600/DSC_0462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6i-2dbpv0SzxsXV1brW-VE69i4QH2P3YO1yQIWSjWHJdzr5w5crb9Ou1G_YL_3aHd1E9qWYSQXWkxDMnM4SDM_JbQsnLZc5TO1wOI4kaAJTrxLZoxC1YNeO5rcwV9OI-61EFQLgstiJ8/s400/DSC_0462.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Description: light green masking tape pieces are placed on the bottom drawer of an oak dresser, the first tape reads, "ORION'S DRAWER," and the second tape below it reads, "SUBPAC".</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
* <i style="text-align: justify;">I'm happy Thomas is able to go to Turkey, though, because unfortunately chatter on social media has been giving this richly artistic and beautiful country with many centuries of history a bad rap. Thomas reports that Samsun, in north Turkey on the shores of the Black Sea, looks good and clean, is safe at the level of any other ordinary place in the USA and the world, and the people are friendly! He's excited and ready for the Deaflympics there this summer!</i><br />
<i style="text-align: justify;"><br /></i>
<i style="text-align: justify;">[Edited to add link to DPAN TV News' segment on SubPac: </i><a class="profileLink" dir="ltr" href="https://www.facebook.com/DPANTVNEWS/videos/546292758896459/?hc_location=ufi" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/DPANTVNEWS/videos/546292758896459</a>]<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02413165483798450604noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-47006332710371070302016-12-01T11:12:00.002-08:002018-02-08T10:01:58.931-08:00An Orion-Approved Toy: SquidzIf you're thinking of a holiday or birthday gift for a DeafBlind kid who has curious hands... or any other kid no matter what their abilities are- check out Squidz! <br />
<br />
Orion wasn't interested in it at first but as time went by he learned that they have suckers. He'd pull them off the sides of the bathtub and eventually pull them off himself when I put them on him. And the best part- which happens spontaneously and only when I don't have my camera- he would put it on himself, thwock it off, then back on again and again!<br />
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here's an image of Shrek-Orion, courtesy of his mama before he thwocked them off.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Also if you look closely in this photo you'll see Orion's hands are open flat, palms up. He was feeling and keeping his hands exactly at the surface- 50% in water, 50% in air. And then his mom had to go and give him Shrek antennae.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimuX_cqauDTW10cSKTeN_fgeMzbCFnZwe5hcWNgxSobHh7C-SUFBjZC7lS7yVUQdF8bpG9xMKMrTECro88tVMHJZmHQMrErbmLrZOXlWTSr9SbWRst03YV7YEB-Hp8AqcNQ5kvOkhVd8/s1600/OrionShrekBathNov2016-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A 6 year old white-haired DeafBlind boy relaxes in the tub but also has two long 'antennae' with green suckers stuck on his forehead." border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimuX_cqauDTW10cSKTeN_fgeMzbCFnZwe5hcWNgxSobHh7C-SUFBjZC7lS7yVUQdF8bpG9xMKMrTECro88tVMHJZmHQMrErbmLrZOXlWTSr9SbWRst03YV7YEB-Hp8AqcNQ5kvOkhVd8/s640/OrionShrekBathNov2016-1.jpg" title=""Shrek" Orion in the bathtub" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A 6 year old white-haired DeafBlind boy relaxes in the tub but also has two long 'antennae' with green suckers stuck on his forehead.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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Hexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-79107254593317620622016-11-22T18:51:00.001-08:002018-02-08T10:02:28.413-08:00Orion Meets A New Tactile Music Experience: SubPacI couldn't resist adding the following lines I came up with to the video:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"There's a new tactile music experience in the house...<br />
It's boom in a packpack,<br />
Power in a pack,<br />
Subwoofer in a seat,<br />
Bebop for the body,<br />
tactile tunes for Orion!"</blockquote>
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JQskHkQ1f5I" width="560"></iframe><br />
<i>The video description is in the information section under this video's original YouTube location. </i>Hexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-82010700006580024042016-11-16T21:18:00.000-08:002018-02-08T12:42:41.874-08:00Accessibility Anxiety<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTxBWOzLPTuWUlxLZzSnLZsIZQ4QEstXUlRA1rta5RF2KhbpXeST7V6LBlhHF26qXIukIX8jDKL6N1Ss4NktDV4euCrEOOkuVseIGDCH1USp4wSKnCSbsxICkYME44w6bvrB57y-zzK8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-11-16+at+12.23.22+PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTxBWOzLPTuWUlxLZzSnLZsIZQ4QEstXUlRA1rta5RF2KhbpXeST7V6LBlhHF26qXIukIX8jDKL6N1Ss4NktDV4euCrEOOkuVseIGDCH1USp4wSKnCSbsxICkYME44w6bvrB57y-zzK8/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-11-16+at+12.23.22+PM.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">A screen shot of a happy Orion and tired mom waiting in an exam room around 90 minutes past appointment time, apparently while the staff figure out what to do about a no-show interpreter and finding a VRI unit. There's more to the story of the no-show interpreter, one agency transferred all their contracts to a new agency during that very week. Problems arose, obviously! *frown*</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">(Image description: This timered selfie was taken in an exam room, the facing wall is white, ceiling is white, wall on the right is a dusty green color, a computer monitor sticks out of the white wall. A brown haired woman is holding on her lap her white-haired 6 year-old son who is happily hugging a piece of teal-colored egg foam. The boy is wearing dark green pants and just visible is the heel of one of his bare feet close to the camera.)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Accessibility anxiety.<br />
<br />
Ever heard of that? This term caught my eye when it was brought up in my community- the Deaf Community. It's for worrying about any form of access- communication, physical, whatever barrier that usually is and should be there. This, I can see applied to any disability. Will an ASL interpreter be present? Will they even be certified and qualified interpreters? Are there strobe fire alarm lights in this hotel room? Will it be wheelchair accessible? Will I have to roll through mud? Is there a ramp next to the flight of stairs so I can enter where everyone else will? Is there a braille label for the women's bathroom and the men's? These are just some examples I could think off the top of my head.<br />
<br />
Today, I called to confirm Orion for an appointment tomorrow with a new speciality doctor. This was a new speciality to add to Orion's list- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, a.k.a. "PM & R". The receptionist pleasantly said, "Don't worry, we called that number and got confirmation that an interpreter will be here tomorrow." <br />
<br />
The last two Dell Children's visits, both during one week in September failed to produce an interpreter and they pulled in VRI (Video Remote Interpreting) iPad/tablets that had serious technical problems both times. What happened both times were the same problem- the interpreter in the iPad could not see me but I could see them. How could they see my signs? I salvaged the situation by speaking to the doctors and nurses and looked at the VRI interpreter/tablet to sign what the spoken responses were.<br />
<br />
Hospitals and clinics like VRI, I suppose because it is cheaper. However, delays and technical issues happen often. I went to the ER once and rejoiced when they conceded the VRI was not working and called in an actual, in-person interpreter and that was another hour of waiting, sleeping on the exam room bed.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
VRI is not even DeafBlind accessible- you can't tactile or improvise the physical situation for accessibility for the DeafBlind patient. The size and clarity of the image of the Lilliputian-sized interpreter is at the mercy of the 9-inch tablet. </div>
<div>
<br />
If a Deaf person is really sick, they cannot sit up or be coherent enough (mumbling signs, fighting pain, etc.) I've woken up from abdominal surgery wanting to be put back to sleep, I don't even remember an interpreter in the room! A VRI would have had a heck of a time reading me in that state. I know there was a live interpreter because I put my foot down before the procedure, delaying the start by a couple hours, that I would have nothing to do with VRI.<br />
<br />
As for Orion's doctor's office visits, I often wished I had a second person in the room with me- Thomas, an intervener, or a friend- so I could sign easily, without wrangling our restless Orion who's had enough of this boring little room with nothing to touch.<br />
<br />
"Still," I asked, "is it a live person, right there in the room with us? I don't want VRI."<br />
<br />
<div>
"Don't worry, an interpreter will be here tomorrow."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That still doesn't answer my question. I could only wonder if the receptionist could differentiate between a "live, in-the-room interpreter" or a VRI interpreter? I settle for a wait-and-see approach.</div>
<div>
<br />
Sighted, hearing people don't have to deal with accessibility anxiety. *sigh* I don't envy my neighbors one bit but sure wish our society was accessible for ALL people. ALL.<br />
<br />
<b>Update, 11/17/2016</b>:<br />
<br />
We got one of Austin's finest... in the room! (Interpreter, that is.) I felt I was able to express all my concerns and observations, the doctor asked thoughtful questions including one of my favorites which makes him an awesome doctor in my eyes: "Other than food, what motivates Orion?"<br />
<br />
Motivation.<br />
<br />
Doc knows that likes and dislikes are important to consider for each individual child. I couldn't help grinning and feeling thankful for the reminder. Oh, and to his question, I answered, "Water."</div>
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Hexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-75973550348655761162016-09-26T12:56:00.003-07:002016-09-26T12:56:55.629-07:00Different Signed Languages; Same Passion to Connect<div style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Note: It is wonderful how the signed languages are different between countries as the spoken languages also are. Fascinating also is that even though England and Australia are English-speaking countries, their signed languages are totally different. There is British Sign Language (BSL) and Auslan! I had to resort to lip reading when conversing with Deaf Australians and luckily they knew the ASL alphabet and spelled out English words. -Heather "Hex" Withrow</i></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp_vrjS-UGffNLmiKdZSex1yiqmOn3qluaVk5mu4fZvZ-xcBNldGLZ77covDyYvyWIS2qo_DOjbEvvyPdQVFxbocZXf69Sia7DfQxImGzcu4uMoPHAfmFBjoQguiLiVH8Wp5Mv1-GV-fs/s1600/HeatherNearVolga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp_vrjS-UGffNLmiKdZSex1yiqmOn3qluaVk5mu4fZvZ-xcBNldGLZ77covDyYvyWIS2qo_DOjbEvvyPdQVFxbocZXf69Sia7DfQxImGzcu4uMoPHAfmFBjoQguiLiVH8Wp5Mv1-GV-fs/s640/HeatherNearVolga.jpg" width="440" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">19 year-old Heather sits on the grass with a beautiful red Russian church with spires rising out of the background. The setting is remote, grassy and there are trees behind the church. This was on the grounds of the spring that feeds into the Volga River. The Volga is Russia's largest and longest river and the "life of Russia", the beginning of history in Russia.<br />Photo taken in 1995.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My first time traveling outside of North America was a memorable one, it was with an educational group exchange visit during summer 1995 in the Moscow, Russia area by MIUSA (Mobility International USA). In our group, there were three Deaf students total, a blind boy, two used wheelchairs, one had epilepsy, and the others were typical students. I was newly 19 years old and had just finished my freshman year at Gallaudet U. I’ll talk about communication here, figuratively a little square inch out of a bigger painting of experience that this trip was. It was during this trip I had a handful of opportunities to gesture and converse with Deaf Russian citizens. In my trip journal, I wrote in such a naive and upbeat 19 year-old chatter but what was obvious then and still is something I enjoy now is that I love the challenge of communicating with other people without an initial mutual language between us. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZjVkD1D-LRKys4Tp1069tO46AfxtXqLlFSvaKrAtc6eUIqUiFO49P5K3iz6VeLmj2Ju-kSnoQA4w1brShNlqtjvooC1L8emOQTG-944jAPPa4rjntrgF3DAlzVVA6h8O4Ojxox12FhM/s1600/RussiaVolgaLandAnimals-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZjVkD1D-LRKys4Tp1069tO46AfxtXqLlFSvaKrAtc6eUIqUiFO49P5K3iz6VeLmj2Ju-kSnoQA4w1brShNlqtjvooC1L8emOQTG-944jAPPa4rjntrgF3DAlzVVA6h8O4Ojxox12FhM/s400/RussiaVolgaLandAnimals-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The American delegation, student with or without various disabilities, dressed up as land animals, improvised our costumes from what we could find in nature. The Russians were the sea creatures (not pictured) and were a hilarious sight! I was an ape, and am crouching in the front of the group in this picture at our campsite along the Volga River.<br /> Photo taken August 1995.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We found a lot of deaf people in Moscow’s Red Square, many were selling souvenirs, and we met a guy in his 40’s whose name I know I got wrong but we’ll call him “Tis”. It was not easy but a rewarding challenge working with gestures. We started to pick out each other’s signs so that it became a mixture of gestures, ASL and Russian sign language! At one point we had our ASL-spoken English interpreter, Russian-English interpreter, Tis, and us Deaf American students in a circle along the side of the Red Square. Our English-speaking group leaders wanted to pass a message along to Tis, the Russian-English interpreter was no use since the Russian she knew was spoken and not signed. The message was spoken in English, translated to ASL to us and we gestured and signed to Tis; and his response went back through us. Fascinating!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEispXqlVhU8MLZiQXIVoNBzyEmxZ0U1j8aV6A6PDR0PLc_2fk_UbnaBZX9f88Qoa3K6lpgBuX5lEgDmTkH7Nurjt98dXUtmpPbWBE9iQWs9jPt38WmHl4PNMht31E2b1dCd1ORGbb7bTCo/s1600/RussiaHexTisRedSquare-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEispXqlVhU8MLZiQXIVoNBzyEmxZ0U1j8aV6A6PDR0PLc_2fk_UbnaBZX9f88Qoa3K6lpgBuX5lEgDmTkH7Nurjt98dXUtmpPbWBE9iQWs9jPt38WmHl4PNMht31E2b1dCd1ORGbb7bTCo/s400/RussiaHexTisRedSquare-1.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heather and "Tis" in the Red Square. St. Basil's Cathedral is in the background.<br />Photo taken August 1995.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Another ASL and Russian sign language crash experience was when everyone in our exchange group was sent home with different host families for just one night, one of the Deaf students and I were sent home with a Deaf couple who also had a Deaf roommate. We had a hearty meal in their humble kitchen, which of course, had potatoes peeled with the new veggie peeler I gifted the mom and bottles of Coca-Cola purchased earlier at a street kiosk. We stayed up most of the night gesturing, picking up each other’s signs and looking up the Russian word for that English word and vice versa. We were bummed this was just one night, still it was yet another profound experience during my Russia trip.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYVJGbKiJhadA6d9sOdHoievYl6KnSp_7J2Qs9lw6v_Mg3DEl_m3nAPJceklEBNQAgMfAi8bdHS5kKH8XAS1DemyBw6QXMMWrPOq0bfvl2kzGLdF1kBB6eDxZf3P7BnBTzLUa1QdwKL0c/s1600/USADeafiesRussia1995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYVJGbKiJhadA6d9sOdHoievYl6KnSp_7J2Qs9lw6v_Mg3DEl_m3nAPJceklEBNQAgMfAi8bdHS5kKH8XAS1DemyBw6QXMMWrPOq0bfvl2kzGLdF1kBB6eDxZf3P7BnBTzLUa1QdwKL0c/s400/USADeafiesRussia1995.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three American students, Heather, Tracie and Edo, and two Russian men; all are Deaf. <br />The guys were much friendlier than they appear in this photo and were the ones Edo and I chatted with all night with Peter's wife. Peter is in the leather jacket.<br />I'm on the far left. Photo taken August 1995.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Over the years, I went on to participate in the Deaflympic Games, where the world, with its many different signed languages, was brought together in one place. I’ve gone on to visit and gesture with deaf citizens in other countries during my travels. Meetings with Deaf people were pre-arranged but often we just somehow find Deaf people by luck. It helps when we sign amongst each other making us visible and then signs of our sighting travel fast through the Deaf community in the area. The first of all the communication barrier ascents, profound due to it’s newness to me, was in Russia where something awoke within me; I felt I was born again. The fire within me liked very much the oxygen that I was in the midst of.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlGFTb_o9qCqrA5Bop_IOWbelPua8so_415I0j-ybUET-hqDqNH6CQMRHXsLlViXymVEigIWjggIHJ9Vk7VR6D1QroY1YNfBdpRwbPp_L0TUwfxRZKMVplFie4AQy-CNhDgG_wT7EZI8o/s1600/Russia1995+3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlGFTb_o9qCqrA5Bop_IOWbelPua8so_415I0j-ybUET-hqDqNH6CQMRHXsLlViXymVEigIWjggIHJ9Vk7VR6D1QroY1YNfBdpRwbPp_L0TUwfxRZKMVplFie4AQy-CNhDgG_wT7EZI8o/s400/Russia1995+3.jpeg" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Fish-eye" sketch in blue ink of a cozy bath house from my Russia 1995 journal. <br />August 1995.</td></tr>
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Hexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203318612989284782.post-4040684076463695882016-09-24T14:19:00.000-07:002018-02-08T10:02:57.957-08:00Touch That Cake!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBGwOscC3jhC9E0gXnb48_xiwy-Jn41ZUnftj0GMxVSsnMy_TyJQRj3Z6eL9533jSw5Q7gbic59nPa5cUIh6kjmomk8eo791mY_kcWXzlzeCsJMaHQ_1-TEbEIpBw0GyyH-05B0HvIDY/s1600/DSC_0384.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdBGwOscC3jhC9E0gXnb48_xiwy-Jn41ZUnftj0GMxVSsnMy_TyJQRj3Z6eL9533jSw5Q7gbic59nPa5cUIh6kjmomk8eo791mY_kcWXzlzeCsJMaHQ_1-TEbEIpBw0GyyH-05B0HvIDY/s640/DSC_0384.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orion enjoys a chocolate ball from somewhere in his name.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Orion had one of the most unique and DeafBlind-intriguing birthday cakes ever to celebrate his 6th birthday! This special cake was created by Tina and Amy with that. specialty cake company, located in Austin, Texas. It had beautiful marbleized blue and purple fondant, Orion’s name was spelled in braille with white chocolate balls, and you can see/feel a few candied constellations along the cake’s side. Inside was the chocolatiest triple-chocolate I’ve ever tasted, so yummy that there were none left over after the party.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVl-jGk4j1zeFeoCpEp5u5LaJtcVLHu9lPZaOXXeEa3ivmGA5CC6Trr6auL5MLTOC79OyLX_tNLYCW1q6uJ5IGheqF2qrnSSWIgOZKkP3UjpJjRGI73HHmQm_FOyQZxXeKKGX9oqMRwYs/s1600/OrionsCake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="433" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVl-jGk4j1zeFeoCpEp5u5LaJtcVLHu9lPZaOXXeEa3ivmGA5CC6Trr6auL5MLTOC79OyLX_tNLYCW1q6uJ5IGheqF2qrnSSWIgOZKkP3UjpJjRGI73HHmQm_FOyQZxXeKKGX9oqMRwYs/s640/OrionsCake.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No mistaking whose cake this is, it is Orion's.<br />
Image description: A flat, circle blue marbleized fondant covered cake has "o r i o n" spelled in braille chocolate balls on top. Constellations are visible on the sides- Orion and the Big Dipper. Yellow balls are strung around the entire bottom circumference of the cake.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Amy and I talked about doing a special tactile and interactive cake for Orion’s 6th birthday, a great idea right from the start! I’ve always included candles for his birthday even though it was so awkward, perhaps a tactile oxymoron, that I wanted him to touch but then didn’t want him touch when they were lit. The chocolate balls were on top of toothpicks that were inserted on top of the cake for Orion himself to remove and enjoy thoroughly on his terms, instead of candles. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0CXcZC7RLoHHbV7nngO2J9ZT_veOL2UX1lu2fB3Md03WEI6vp7GK5yqGeIOTTN2ZSyXlAg77uB3VhbUMlJUrsmQ2EdUyDxdaW_u2X3w5nfLfZuxTRAI3Y_W9YhXJZoV4ionC5926wCyo/s1600/DSC_0365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0CXcZC7RLoHHbV7nngO2J9ZT_veOL2UX1lu2fB3Md03WEI6vp7GK5yqGeIOTTN2ZSyXlAg77uB3VhbUMlJUrsmQ2EdUyDxdaW_u2X3w5nfLfZuxTRAI3Y_W9YhXJZoV4ionC5926wCyo/s320/DSC_0365.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Birthday To You! (Everyone's finger-pointing "You" at Orion while Dad signs "Birthday" on Orion. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">He was already fussing when we were about to present the cake to him. To let him know that we were going to have cake, I gave him a cupcake wrapper to help clue him in on what’s going to happen. He’s always had cupcakes for his birthday so this one was going to be a surprise in two ways, it’s not cupcakes and it’s awesome! The wrapper calmed him down as he crunched it in his hands. We set the cake down in front of him sitting in his red wagon, he touched the cake, picked and pulled at the fondant and once he discovered the Orion braille in chocolate balls, he committed to eating them. He totally touched that cake! Each slice a guest had was blessed by Orion’s fingerprints. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLUiNDHvtalCVB8_jzWzw54y6kkWz8Sm6T2Q2EcIjrxlEzDZwZa6vkw5Ug7-b1EvZZIxJfNqZRIxD8C2HA400_slg8hgjfTEgkfFYONgoTisdbSEjUxVnix9M94FXpX9BhE8EpwBHtcFk/s1600/DSC_0416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLUiNDHvtalCVB8_jzWzw54y6kkWz8Sm6T2Q2EcIjrxlEzDZwZa6vkw5Ug7-b1EvZZIxJfNqZRIxD8C2HA400_slg8hgjfTEgkfFYONgoTisdbSEjUxVnix9M94FXpX9BhE8EpwBHtcFk/s320/DSC_0416.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orion works on the last braille dot and feels Mom cutting apart the last pieces of cake.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQX7fZ3mYtpQ_izs8Mz9FPCXcCO3FeJGZB2L18VJ45gqykZUalPSROb0w_JwaE7r16_4B8SY81elsvwJtnm49niGvTqENCZAhbIaj9aaoFEFAw9i6NwqqHIKi-TPIiRdB-_ZvCfuOUsqs/s1600/DSC_0385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQX7fZ3mYtpQ_izs8Mz9FPCXcCO3FeJGZB2L18VJ45gqykZUalPSROb0w_JwaE7r16_4B8SY81elsvwJtnm49niGvTqENCZAhbIaj9aaoFEFAw9i6NwqqHIKi-TPIiRdB-_ZvCfuOUsqs/s320/DSC_0385.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A, Orion and S pose with the cake after Orion started picking off the chocolate balls.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Amy has a special place in Orion and our family’s life. She was Orion’s first teacher, even though she trained as a teacher of the Deaf, when we moved to Austin, Texas just in time for the 2012-2013 school year. Amy dove in head first, learning how to work with our precious Deafblind 2 year-old son. We immediately saw her on the floor with him, putting herself in his skin (I’d say “his shoes” but Orion doesn’t like wearing them) as well as going to workshops, taking intervener courses and geeking out on DeafBlind strategies. Orion was so very fortunate to have her on his team early on! Now the same Amy we know is in a different setting and is not a stranger to Orion. She’s in the kitchen now, creating eye-catching specialty cakes with her business partner, Tina. She still does intervener work with Orion.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKn_poOGHw1XPj8_aLVfUgOxlqFEU_-ca3MlK9C_caaLptS7ggzbxWXkUqAB2zNzAli3v8H_txgBr0nH7R-3b5Y1ahx3tPMCXGH8zW2QtXEETMxLIgTlnpC5sdGD-O1rExBkoVOPhvSwY/s1600/DSC_0421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKn_poOGHw1XPj8_aLVfUgOxlqFEU_-ca3MlK9C_caaLptS7ggzbxWXkUqAB2zNzAli3v8H_txgBr0nH7R-3b5Y1ahx3tPMCXGH8zW2QtXEETMxLIgTlnpC5sdGD-O1rExBkoVOPhvSwY/s320/DSC_0421.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amy holds chocolate-mouthed Orion!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Little did I know, she and my husband, Thomas, schemed up yet another awesome surprise cake to celebrate my 40th birthday.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrr4K5S4uXlOPktsymFrHXD1TWgaKaXR4KuiXe4K_eEje4LPfmGy7cgus88q1ms8wp2JLPH5XPbubRhhim6ycH0h6lDt3f87BcVX2ZfsiGB8CfX3zzWFY2CuqgcoiU6n7HQ-LgsLBguj4/s1600/DSC_0374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrr4K5S4uXlOPktsymFrHXD1TWgaKaXR4KuiXe4K_eEje4LPfmGy7cgus88q1ms8wp2JLPH5XPbubRhhim6ycH0h6lDt3f87BcVX2ZfsiGB8CfX3zzWFY2CuqgcoiU6n7HQ-LgsLBguj4/s320/DSC_0374.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">that. specialty cake company also made my birthday cake!<br />
Two tiers of cake and edible art! Bottom was white cake while the top layer was angel food.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXLGLkFz9kDVK95aXkBVOKc-J-KIaP5OVhxTxNeneO69ibpcU2ZwEkshInRjLbwU7fz2td2rMMfDZ00P-1Cg5I7Wm6KfLCgPaRZehSBVm_9wvopgJR4nhkQ-ILKPVj3S3mdb1NHMPGyc/s1600/DSC_0373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXLGLkFz9kDVK95aXkBVOKc-J-KIaP5OVhxTxNeneO69ibpcU2ZwEkshInRjLbwU7fz2td2rMMfDZ00P-1Cg5I7Wm6KfLCgPaRZehSBVm_9wvopgJR4nhkQ-ILKPVj3S3mdb1NHMPGyc/s320/DSC_0373.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close-Up: A sweet version of me painting a photograph of the kids and I on a sugary easel.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRoWlNnrnLMI7kE8ha46woqiUCbJORNWZ8JQXSoeWasvVCsTNOPfqzu3l1pcBlPai6LwQukAzMgjGLQozj_YxhOmC7AohnUW3O9c7YAerLyX4rAxa8b8bbNM7fU2bshoyTI9F3_ZbIfo/s1600/PinkPlatesThat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRoWlNnrnLMI7kE8ha46woqiUCbJORNWZ8JQXSoeWasvVCsTNOPfqzu3l1pcBlPai6LwQukAzMgjGLQozj_YxhOmC7AohnUW3O9c7YAerLyX4rAxa8b8bbNM7fU2bshoyTI9F3_ZbIfo/s320/PinkPlatesThat.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: start;">Photos of cakes created by that. specialty cake company can be found on Facebook, </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/thatspeciatlycake" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: start;">http://www.facebook.com/thatspeciatlycake</a><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: start;"> and on Instagram, “thatspecialtycake”. You can make appointments by e-mailing </span><span style="text-align: start;">hello(at)thatspecialtycake.com</span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: start;">.</span></span></td></tr>
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Hexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13332939151987721134noreply@blogger.com1