Thankful Post 1: I am thankful my mom was brave enough to have me and my siblings. Being visually impaired, many people don’t think you can do the everyday things. Some people are also scared about how they will care for a sighted child, chase them around the house, or change diapers. But my om did it four times. She was awesome!
Thankful Post 2. Sometimes it is easy to get carried away looking at someone who is different. We notice all the things that they can’t do, or don’t do as easy as us. Growing up with a blind mom, I learned that it is truly the whole person and not their disability. I learned to find each person’s strengths and see them for those things. So many people are kind and caring, but don’t get a chance to show it when others push them aside because all they see is their disability (difference).
Thankful post 3. I am thankful how my mom showed me to keep going through hard things. Having to grow up without vision was a struggle for sure. But going to college, spending time in Africa, and raising the four of us kids was even more challenging. I am so thankful that my mom did that. She showed us that the only thing stopping you from meeting your potential is yourself. Sometimes that means taking a break, and other times it means not to quit on a hard or difficult day.
Thankful Post 4. I am thankful for a Mom who can play games with us. Growing up we only had to games in braille. Uno and Scrabble. As I hit my teen years, I wanted my siblings to be able to play more games with mom. We brailled up Apples to Apples and Sorry Cards (we used glitter glue on the board to outline the squares.). We have also read her the cards for Scattegories so she can play on her computer. We have included her in Catchphrase. We recently brialled up Phase 10! My daughter wanted Gram to play with her, so we braille up Go Fish and Old Maid.
It might take a little bit of creativity or just buying a pre-Brailled set of cards, but including my mom in our games has been so much fun!
Thankful Post 5. My mom taught me about music. My mom was a Music Education major in college. She instilled a passion for music in my life. All four of us at some point tried out musical instruments. And us girls enjoy singing together. Here is a clip from a song we did for ACB’s convention in 2021!
I'd Like to Teach the World to sing
Thankful Day 6. I am thankful that my mom taught me to be descriptive. If you can’t see well, or not at all, you miss many things. My mom taught each of us to describe what we see. And we were supposed to use colors, textures, shapes, size, and attributes. Audio description is such a huge need in the United States and other areas. There are so many things that blind people miss out on because us sighted people forget to add describers. I am going to link to my presentation on audio described movies. But I want to show you the difference here. https://childrenraisedaroundtheblind.net/how-important…/
Thankful Day 7. My mom taught me about public transportation when we lived in downtown Atlanta. I also learned to read maps and count bus stops. This is a skill I still use today. Even though I don’t often take public transportation, the Hartsfield- Jackson International Airport require you to know your stops, read the signs, and make sure to be ready to exit the “Plane Train.” Learning my way around malls, and streets prepared me to drive and know my surroundings. Even though my mom couldn’t see, she was able to memorize routes and know where to go. There were no GPS apps and most of our time on public transportation we didn’t even own a cell phone.
Thankful Day 8. Never give up. Here is a short video. But mom never gave up on her dream. She became a Music Education major. She also got married and raised four kids. She homeschooled us for many years. Sometimes it is easy for us to become discouraged. But don’t stay down. Keep working towards your goal if you truly believe it is what God has called you to do.
Thankful Day 9. I am thankful my mom taught me to advocate. She has taught me to not just advocate for teaching those around us about blindness. But we also advocate for the rights of the blind in our state. We take time to teach people about interacting with blindness. We talk about braille, computers, cellphones, waitresses at restaurants, doctor’s office staff and more. There are many who still are timid and do not understand blindness. Our goal is to make that number a little bit less.
For more information check out: https://childrenraisedaroundtheblind.net/crab-course/
Thankful Day 10: My mom taught me to read Braille. Now for those who don’t know Braille is a code. And it has three levels (basically). Grade 1- everything is written out one letter at a time (like standard English). Grade 2- contraction braille uses different combinations to make shortcuts like (en; ch; also one letter can stand for a whole word k= knowledge. “The” has its own combination.). Then there’s Grade 1 1/2 and also Nemeth which is for Math. I know Grade one and a few contractions.
But Braille is vital for those who are visually impaired. Some may disagree, but technology can’t always help. That is why we have braille tags on my moms clothes. She used to braille label her food cans. And braille is her main language as she reads books, and email on her braille notetakers. I would encourage anyone and everyone to learn the alphabet. And then try to find signs you can read in Braille around your house.
Thankful Day 11. My mom taught be how to care for a house. Now I will admit I am not a great cleaner. Never have been, I have to work really hard to keep things neat and orderly. But my mom did work very hard to try and train me to clean a room. here is a video we did a couple years ago of her “checking” my daughters room to see if it was clean.
Thankful Day 12: My mom taught me how to pay bills. Having a blind parent means that there were some things she couldn’t do. I will say not every blind person has to have someone write checks for them, but many do. Online bill pay has helped, if the banks are willing to make their website accessible. But I learned to write checks by age 9/10. Once my writing was good enough. I learned how to read bills and due dates. I learned to address envelopes and what not to do.
Thankful Day 13: I am so thankful my mom taught me to cook. She has never been a big fan of being in the kitchen, but she does want to make sure everyone eats. My mom taught me to cook many different dishes once I was 6 years old. I learned to make foods from scratch, use my sense of smell to know when foods were almost done, and to use touch! My mom no longer cooks (I do that for her.), but she still knows many recipes and is helpful when I need an extra hand in the kitchen.
Thankful Day 14: My mom showed me how to interact with other blind people. It is very often that we all keep inside our comfort zone. I know my mom is bind, but that doesn’t mean she is identical to others who are visually impaired. But my mom still chose to teach me how to use sighted guide techniques, talk to others, and show me how to offer help without offending. I am so thankful for this gift. I can now help people of various disabilities and see the potential that they have.
So step out of your comfort zone, and learn about someone different from yourself.
Thankful Day 15: I’m Thankful for a blind parent who taught me to grocery shop. Sometimes we don’t see a person with disabilities in a grocery store, so we don’t think about it. My mom had a good friend when I was much younger, who would take her kids plus us and mom shopping. It was an all day ordeal. They would coupon together, pack coolers for the meat and get all the deals between 2-3 stores.
Mom still enjoys going to the store to get her groceries is one of us kids. There is an app called Aira that can help blind people shop by using their phone (or a special pair of glasses) camera and help them shop independently. For awhile I was doing grocery delivery for mom since I was struggling to do it with two small kids.
Thankful Day 16: My Mom taught me to love baseball. During her childhood, mom was into track and field sports. But as an adult she does not enjoy playing. She does enjoy listening to baseball and basketball. I have grown up with the radio on every night possible listening to the Atlanta Braves . She loves to bring her radio when she goes in person. It can be nice since she knows all the calls and reasons things happen before they tell us in the stadium. And we describe the in-between innings games they do. Mom has shown us how not to give up on our team even when they stink. And how to shout from the rooftops when they win late in the game. I love spending time talking about baseball with her.
Thankful Day 17: Thankful my mom taught me about legislation. My mom has always been an advocate for what she and other visually impaired people need. Over the past 10 years, Mom and I have spent many hours heading to our state capitol to show support for bills. Most recently in the state we worked and almost got passed a bill for a Commission for the Blind. This would provide vital services to those with visual impairments to receive the services they need for independent living and job training. Legislation takes a lot of work and my mom has always been ready to get started.
Thankful Day 18: Today I am thankful my mom is teaching my kids about blindness. So many children do not grow up around someone who is disabled. And I truly believe they are missing out on so much. My kids have learned how to guide my mom, give her directions, help find things, and many more. Even though they are almost 2 and almost 5, they enjoy being with their Gram. This past weekend we went to our states blind convention and they were both so good. My daughter was able to help guide people and hold doors. My son brought his usual smile and happy self to all.
Thankful Day 19: My mom taught me how to shop for clothes. There are people who don’t seem to understand that blind people shop for their clothes like we do. My mom doesn’t shop by the newest style or a different color scheme. But she shops by touch, length, and size. Mom doesn’t like items that feel sheer or see-through. She likes pastels and prefers solid colored skirts as that makes matching so much easier.
My mom shopped for my kids at consignment shops. I have brought her along with me to some of the big sales because I can give her a section of clothes to look through. And she will find the right length and style. It is so much fun. My mom taught me about modesty and making sure what we wear is appropriate for the situation.
Thankful Day 20: I am thankful my mom taught me to drive. How can a blind parent teach you to drive, you ask? Let me explain. I got my learner’s permit at 15. But in our state you can get it at 14 if you have a blind parent. Even though my dad was still with us, he took me out for the first couple times I was behind the wheel. The true test came when you add a totally blind person next to you. It made me have a better understanding of being careful. There were times mom would panic because I slammed on the breaks too hard. So I started telling mom as I would break. I would also let her know the things we were passing on longer trips. Each of my siblings got their permits at 14 and were good at driving mom. The true test is if mom would be able to sleep during your trip!
Thankful Day 21: I am thankful my mom taught me about guide dogs. My mom didn’t get her first guide dog until I was 16. She has had two and will not be getting a third. A guide dog was a huge transition for us as we were used to being moms eyes. Being replaced by a four-legged animal took time. We had to learn trust the dog and let mom be more independent.
Thankful Day 22: I am thankful my mom tries new things. She is always looking for an adventure. As You can imagine having four kids was an adventure. But she does even more now. From trying out ice skating again, to teaching local kids how to show them her bag at our local trick or Treat on Main Street, to driving a boat. Mom loves adventure and has taught me how to enjoy it a bit more too.
Thankful Day 23: My mom taught me to be thankful for the small things. From finding a great deal at the store, to being grateful there was food in the cupboards. My mom has always taught us to be thankful for the small little things in life.
Thankful Day 24: I am so thankful my mom taught me to do hard things. Sometimes it’s easy to follow the crowd, but that’s not always right. My mom taught us to be leaders and do right. She also showed us that doing hard things meant standing up to people who treated you wrong. I never thought I would still live a world that doesn’t understand blindness. I struggle sometimes to remain calm watching those who are visually impaired still have to prove to those around them that they are capable to live independent lives.