g e t t i n g r e a d y f o r c h i l d - c a r e a n d s c h o o l 137
Helping the school get ready for your child
To help the teacher understand your child
A teacher who has not worked with children who are blind or cannot
see well may be unsure about how to teach your child. You know more
about your child than anyone else, and there are many things that you
can share with the teacher. Here are a few things you may want to talk
about with the teacher:
• Tell the teacher about your child’s skills and abilities.
• Show the teacher how to help your child move around the school.
• If your child can see a little, explain what she can see and how your
child uses her sight.
• Remind the teacher that your child cannot see gestures or facial
expressions, so instructions have to be spoken.
• Discuss any challenges your child has.
• Share information about blindness and how it affects a
child’s development.
I’m a little
worried,
because I’ve
never had a
blind child in
my class, Mrs.
Gomez.
Angela is a smart little
girl. I know she’ll do
well here.
Maybe I can
help by telling
you ways we’ve
learned how to
help her.
The section on how community members can help, starting on page 126,
has suggestions the teacher might find useful too. You may especially
want to share some of the ideas for helping children understand more
about blindness and ways to include children who cannot see well in
children’s games.
helping children who are blind