Category: Teen Topics
Hey I am not a teen but wonder how things are for those of you who are not going to a school for the blind, how are youf itting in, any stories of woe or of how you are feeling like oneo f the rest? You can email me at hodgeab@telus.net or msn me at anthony_hodgetts@hotmail.com
I've gone to regular schools all my life and have had pretty good experiences. I had a hard time making friends and fitting in in elementary and middle school (I don't think that was because of my blindness), but now in high school I've found my niche with a great group of friends who accept me as a person and view my blindness as kind of cool in some ways. Some of them have tried to learn Braille and we've all made somewhat inapropriate jokes involving my cane. The whole school's been great when I brought my guide dog in. No one tries to pet it, they let me know when it's sniffing or something, and only a few people have asked me what it's name is. So I consider my self lucky in school to only have good things to report.
When I was in high school and stuff, I didn't really fit in for the most part, but I'm sure glad I never had to go to one of those blind institutions. They're too sheltered from reality in my opinion.
True. No offense to anyone who ever went to those, but I don't think people from those schools turn out right socially. They don't really know how to interact with sighted people, most of them anyway.
I think blind camps or after school programs can be good though. I did go to an after school program in elementary school where we learnt just basic stuff like tying shoe laces, elementary cooking, pouring, braille, cane techniques, all that good stuff. I also think blind communities are good to a point, you can share problems/solutions and just talk about stuff, but blind only schools, I don't think they are a good idea. I would never have made the friends I have today nor really succeeded in life if I had gone to a blind only school. Of course different folks need different things so this holds true for me personally whereas it may not hold true for others.
cheers
-B
Yes, blind camps are great things, especially if you go to a regular school and don't know any other blind people.
Hi. I've gone to regular school pretty much my whole life, nto counting pre school. I have two blindies at school with me. One is in my grade and one's one grade ahead of me. I've had no problems. I've always been pretty social, I love meetings new friends. So I've always pretty much fitted in.
Caitlin
I went to a conventional school and had a hell of a time from a group of neds who made no attempt to get to know or learn about me in any way ..this culminated with us fighting and somehow, to this day I couldn't tell you how, I hammered him..despite this setback I made 4 great friends who were Goth and therefore on the outside to begin with, hey were fascinated with every aspect of my life to the extent that they protected and amused me, to no end..smile
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I'd say the blind schools are a good thing for the less confident children, as they feel more integrated and can develop their skills in a more supportive enviroment many of these schools have visits to schools and shopping centres ect,so the children learn how to socialise with their sighted peers..
Here in Glasgow we have a school Darnley which takes blind/vi and sighted children who learn equally together but its only 1 of its kind in Glasgow, so the majority of blind/vi children go to the school in Edinburgh..which caters for children with additional disabilities...something the conventional schools aren't able to offer.
Drkinking makes everything better, everyojne loves you when your drunk, or at least you think that. Maybe blind people wouldn't ahve such a hard time if they wouldn't be little bitches and would actually go out and do shit like play football not be like oh no I can't do that!
Blindguy, I think some of the reasons some blind people don't try sports or stuff like that might be because of bad experiences they've had with that, or they might not trust themselves enough to do that. I personally wouldn't mind playing sports, but I've been run into stuff by my friends or family members that I guess werent paying much attention at the moment, and I knocked down a little kid once while running by myself and felt so bad for that. But I think I would try sports again, as my family is really into baseball and basketball, so I do still play once in awhile.
Leilani
Hi.
I have also gone to a regular school all of my life. I am currently a sophomore in high school right now. I like school. I have friends at school, but we really don't talk or do stuff outside of school, unless you count the computer, and chatting on all of the various instant messengers and things like that. I have had some good experiences, and some bad, but hasn't everybody?? All of my school friends are nice to me, but we also have made some sort of inappropriate jokes about my cane. Smiles. I am going to wait until I graduate from HS to get my guide dog, my school is so big, and some of the kids aren't very considerate, that I just think that it would be better for me to wait and get the guide dog before I go to college. I hear that the environment is a lot different there as well. Well, those are just my thoughts.
Thanks.
Kolby
I will agree with blindguy. I think blind people need to do mor einthe way of sports. I mean. wrestling is possible, and some aspects of football are possible. and track is totally an option. I've been mainstreamed my whole life, and I'd have it no other way. I had very few friends in highschool, but I never needed friends to function so it never bothered me. There's nothign wrong with school's for the blind, but I will agree that a large percentage of students don't seem to turn out quite right.
I agree with Liam about schooling and all. Nothign at all wrong with blind schools, but I love bieng mainstreamed. i think I'd be lonely at a blind school. But Liam come on, you don't have to do sports. I did track for awhile, and like to skate and swim and bowl socially not competitively or anything. I had fun doign Track though, but why shoudl a blind person go out there and do sports jsut to fit in, if they're not enjoying it or interested in it? Maybe guys think differently about this. And ya Kolby that's cool about your guide dog. I'm thinking about getting one before my junior year of high school. I may not pass, but I'll at least apply. My school's big, but everyone's really considerate and I've alredy broken oen cane and my friend Derek three, and I'm sure a gudie dog would greatly help me navigate. Caitlin
i go to regular public school for two classes, and the rest of time is spent at the school for the blind. the important thing to remember, is to not be afraid to be yourself, cause thats whatll get you farther in the long run.
I go to a regular school and i love it!! I think if i were 2 go 2 a blind school my social skills would turn out bad -- i mean yeah i have some social aspects i need 2 work on, but dont we all? and i know i may b a little behind on the hole social thing but, hey, ill catch up someday....
I am also going into a regular high school now, but I was going into a primary and elementary (or how you call that first 8 years in school) school for blinds. When I signed in a regular school, I was very excited about it and thought I'll have a good time there. I must tell you that the school that I am going in is the best Slovenian high school in all ways, that's why I didn't have any doubts of any unsecceed. But when I came in, first few months there was everyone around me, they were helping me all the time, but then, suddenly, it was noone there anymore. It shocked me. I was sure that people who were with me in the beginning were my friends, but I found out that they were with me just because it was told to them by our professors. I heard that they don't want to walk with me because they feel too responsible! We weren't talking in the classroom, nowhere. I couldn't believe that such a thing could happen on such a great high school as this one is!
Now we are talking, but just casual things, we don't go out or anything like that, but it's still much better as it was during the biggest crise.
Huhgs, Aleksandra
I am also going into a regular high school now, but I was going into a primary and elementary (or how you call that first 8 years in school) school for blinds. When I signed in a regular school, I was very excited about it and thought I'll have a good time there. I must tell you that the school that I am going in is the best Slovenian high school in all ways, that's why I didn't have any doubts of any unsecceed. But when I came in, first few months there was everyone around me, they were helping me all the time, but then, suddenly, it was noone there anymore. It shocked me. I was sure that people who were with me in the beginning were my friends, but I found out that they were with me just because it was told to them by our professors. I heard that they don't want to walk with me because they feel too responsible! We weren't talking in the classroom, nowhere. I couldn't believe that such a thing could happen on such a great high school as this one is!
Now we are talking, but just casual things, we don't go out or anything like that, but it's still much better as it was during the biggest crise.
Huhgs, Aleksandra
I've done the mainstream thing all my life. Although the support hasn't always been there when i've arrived, the trick was to work things out as i was going and it always worked itself out.
the problem is too many people give up at the 1st hurdle and see specialist blind schools as the easy option. Having never been to one, i can't comment. Neither would it be right for me to do so.
I have also gone to public school all my life, but I've put up with bullying so bad that in fifth grade I pleaded with my parents to let me go to the school for the blind where there would be no bullies. Well, I'm glad I stayed in public school 'cause I went to TSB for a camp this year, and boy, howdy, I made good friends that went to the camp, but the regulars I bumped into... most of them were not good. I got betrayed and mind screwed countless times, and I'm sick of it. I will never go to the school for the blind, not on my dead body! I swear, blind people are the meanest to each other sometimes, even meaner than the bullies were to me in fifth grade!
agreed. having only just recently starting to chat to blind people, i fast realised that it can be an insestuous, in-bread bitch and gossip fest. people seem more than happy to wash each other's dirty laundry in public and i'm glad i was out of it for 20 years.
U can't generalize. Blind poeple arent meaner than sighted ones. The fact is, people in gneeral r mean, envious and selfish. U can't find a couple of people who arent, and if u do, u have to thanks God for it. But it dont deal with being blind or not, believe me. Else, maybe if ur blind u've learned since the beginning to stand bullies or bad times, so ur stronger and deeper than the common folks.
ugh! I don't fit in at all when I'm at school. i have maybe a few friends, and my dad always gets mad that i'm not more popular. he wishes I were homecoming queen, and I'm just not like that. and as for the sports thing, I hate sports, so why should I go do them if I don't like them? I feel like no1at my school wants to give me the time of day because of my blindness, and well, if that's the way they want to be, then fine, fuck them all!! the friends I do have, i treasure them dearly. but I'd have to say my online friends are the best friends I could ever ask for. i love you guys so much you make my life not lonely and I just feel like so..normal, whereas in my mainstream school I don't feel "normal" and i'm always the "blind chick"
Hi! I also go to a regular school. I agree with Caitlin, that most of the people who go to blind schools don't come out right, socally. It's a shame that those who do attend blind schools, that when there there, after they graduate, they recieve no High School deploma. I actually almost wanted to attend a blind school, (I had a horrible 9th grade year!) but Mom decided against it. (which I am glad for now). As for regular school, I've been mainstremed all my life. As for HS, I don't fit in, but that's what my online friends are for!! :)
-Amber
I was mainstreamed all my life, andthe only blind student at my school until I was in grade 11, I think. So I had to learn pretty darn quickly that friends weren't going to fall into my lap. I made friends by being myself, and while my friends and I have very little in common, we got along surprisingly well. They didn't eel like they had to help me with anything, so when it came time that I needed help, it wasn't a problem for them to give me a hand. Now that I'm an adult, I almost view my blindness as an asset. I started a new job this week and people are fascinated by the technology that I use. They ask me questions, which allows them to get to know me and understand my irreverent sense of humor about blindness, which puts them at ease. I can't tell you the number of times people ask me, "I don't know if you mind that I ask this..." and I say, "if I mind, I'll tell you," and they continue on. It's allowed me to get to know people better than simply being another new call center employee.
I've always gone to regular school and would hate to go to a blind school but I've never really fit in. People are kind of afraid of my blindness as I'm the only one in my school. They don't know how to talk to me I think. I do have some close aquaintences but we never talk outside school, not even online. All my friends are online lol. You call it sad, I call it great.
but I'm not a social butterfly, so I'm ok for now with my situation.
I was mainstreamed all of my life and I didn't always fit in in high school, either, but when I got to college, things changed a great deal. Friends still don't fall into your lap as we all learn quickly but I have found that, for the most part, people here aren't bothered or put off by my blindness and they don't assume that I need help all of the time.
I've gone to regular school basically my whole life and love it. In elementary I had a hard time because I'd never met another blind person besides my parents, and perhaps I need the comaradery, but in middleschool and now highschool I have many blind friends out of school, and also a great many sighted friends who I love just as much.
Hi,
When I was in Jr. High I remember I wanted to go to a school for the blind. Not that I didn't like public schools, but I thought I'd get to know many other blind students and make more friends. Now that I graduated from High School I'm glad I stayed in the public system because I have very good social skills, and I made many sighted friends, but I still met other blind students in camps.
Sandra
I fit in in a regullar school by knowing when to and when not to egknoledge my blindness. When I think that people might be getting uncomfortable I make a blind joke. that always seems to do the trick. when people give me a picture I porpusefully turn it over to the white side and say "oh. that guys cute." just to show them that I can't see as mutch as the think.
I never went to a school for the blind and visually impaired. I was always in public school, and thank God I stayed because I wouldn't have all of the support for my musical skills that I've developed over the years with the help of many wonderful teachers. Plus, if I had gone to a school for the blind, I wouldn't have been in an orchestra, nor would I have had the privelige to work on some very difficult music under a very good conductor, and meet some great friends. Of course, if you're blind and go to a public school, you'll have those idiots who don't tolerate you because of your disability, but I've just learned to tune them out. There's no point in retaliating unless things get really bad. Then, just go to an administrator.
Back in the days of dinosaurs and wooden underwear, I went mostly to public school, although I did attend a school for the blind for three years while going to a high school for some classes. Hard to say if I fit in because I was pretty much an introvert in denial, and the introvert is a misunderstood creature. In most cases I was the only blind kid in school and I had people who hung out with me, but I doubt I was popular at all. Since three out of four of my high school years were spent just going to classes part-time, I doubt I fit in because I just went to classes. I suppose people either thought I was really nerdy or just belonged in the Braille Jail with the other inmates. Oh well, I suppose my social skills are decent, as people don't go running away and screaming when I approach them, but I doubt I radiate any amount of charisma or anything like that. Hahahahahaha!
That's okay. I was kind of a loner, and people just got out of my way, most of the time. That was only because I used my cane and backpack to make them do it. lol
I also go to a regular school and I'm in eighth grade now, even though I should be in 9th, but I started one year later. Oh well. I don't fit very well in it, mainly because I'm the blind guy who is aproached by little kids who make fun of me and ask dumb questions. Yes, here in Spain, some schools hold all 12th grades. So as I was saying I sometimes trip kids accidentally with my cane, or they pick it up, or they run into me, etc etc. I could say all of my friends are online friends, and I don't care. It's life, let's live it!
Yeah, go to regular school. Problem? Don't really fit in. I am bookish, and people think I am odd I do so much work with my studies. It's also who I hang around with outside. I have more acquaintances then anything. Yeah, most of my friends outside of schools tend to be quiet, and afraid. Well... so...