Jeff Thompson:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Introducing Hilda Dunford, a parent of a child who happens to be blind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda Dunford:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My advice is to just work with them, and it\u2019s not always going to be as hard as it was in the first years. The first year was probably the hardest, having a blind child, because I was learning about all these new things, but later on I\u2019m really grateful that I\u2019m able to have the lessons that I\u2019ve had through my son. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:
Sharing advice with parents of blind children and also with the teachers of the blind and visually impaired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just be understanding of these parents that this whole new world\u2014this is all new to them, and let them be as involved as they want to be. You\u2019re going to be the first\u2014pretty much one of the first doors to open to this blindness for them, this blind new world that they\u2019ve never been in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a parent to a blind child, learning about blindness from a crawl, to a walk, to a full run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But once he started walking, and then he learned how to run, and he was running\u2014it was kind of funny, but he never stopped, you know, he just took off from there, and it\u2019s just been a whole new world, discovering, you know, learning about braille and learning about orientation and mobility, and all the things that come into play when you\u2019re raising a child that\u2019s blind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can follow Hilda on Instagram at OurBlindSide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s still things that I need to work on, but I really do love the time that I get to work with my son, and learn with him, and I learn from him too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:
From becoming her son\u2019s best advocate, to distance learning today, it\u2019s just life now. Please welcome Hilda Dunford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was hard at first, I\u2019m going to be honest and say that the very first day was really hard and was not what I expected. I used to be a preschool teacher for children in a special ed preschool, and so I love teaching and I love being able to work with my son, but, I mean, third grade math is hard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Welcome to Blind Abilities, I\u2019m Jeff Thompson. In the studio today we have Hilda Dunford, and she is a parent of a blind child going to school, or doing school, during this pandemic, all of the changes that have come about, and advocating, and life itself. It\u2019s just the new life. Welcome, Hilda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thanks, Jeff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:
Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day\u2014I know it\u2019s busy, you\u2019ve got three kids, and you\u2019ve got your son who is blind and going through setting up homeschooling for him and making sure all of his needs are met, so thank you for taking this little time to share with our listeners what it\u2019s like to be a parent to a blind child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, it\u2019s definitely not the same as raising a sighted child. I have two children that are sighted, and my son is blind, so having a child that is blind definitely changes all the different\u2014I guess, what you expect from parenting, so I have learned\u2014I think probably the first year was the hardest, coming to terms with all the different developmental milestones and the way he was going to reach them was going to be different than how I thought it was going to be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:
Did he just surprise you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He really did, he really did surprise me. I mean, he isn\u2019t completely blind\u2014he\u2019s visually impaired, so he does have a little bit of vision, but with the vision that he has, he\u2019s able to ride a bike without training wheels now that he\u2019s eight years old and that\u2019s something that I never thought he would be able to do. That really surprised me. He didn\u2019t walk until he was almost two, but once he started walking, and then he learned how to run, and he was running\u2014it was kind of funny, but he never stopped, you know, he just took off from there, and it\u2019s just been a whole new world, discovering, you know, learning about braille and learning about orientation and mobility, and all the things that come into play when you\u2019re raising a child that\u2019s blind, it\u2019s totally different from\u2014my oldest doesn\u2019t have any vision problems, and so I didn\u2019t know of any of these things before Ashton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:
And what\u2019s it like to enter this world of raising a child with a disability? I mean you had to become his advocate, you had\u2014it\u2019s one way to fast track, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:
Yeah, I\u2019ve had to advocate for him since he was born, because at first, actually, the doctor didn\u2019t believe that there was anything wrong with his eyes and so that\u2019s kind of where it all started is I wanted to know why they were bouncing. I actually had to talk to different doctors to get a referral to be able to get an MRI done to find what he had, which is septo-optic dysplasia, and that he was actually in fact legally blind. It was from then that I learned that I was going to be the first one\u2014like, his, pretty much the most important advocate in my child\u2019s life because me and my husband, we were going to have to speak for him and stand up for him for the needs that he had, because we are the ones that are raising him, we know him the best, and so I\u2019ve just taken that into his schooling, at his IEP meetings. Ashton, he was actually supposed to go into only a special-ed preschool, but he was so social and did so well at a regular-ed preschool that I thought \u201cWhy can\u2019t he do both?\u201d And that was actually never done before, the district\u2014my school district had never done that before, our school district. So that was an IEP battle that I had to fight for my son, to be able to have those two types of classrooms, and what that did is that when he entered kindergarten he was actually able to enter a regular kindergarten class. So that\u2019s kind of where the advocating is just so important as a parent of a child who\u2019s blind, you have to advocate for them because you know your child the best and you know what they need, and you have to help them so that they can grow and do the things that they want to be able to do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mm-hm. Now you started your Instagram site, and it\u2019s called OurBlindSide, and you just posted something on the first day of school this year, where he had to go to an appointment\u2014you witnessed your son advocating for himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, Ashton has septo-optic dysplasia, and one of the things\u2014well, there\u2019s a lot of things that come with it, but he needs to follow up with an endocrinologist every three months to make sure he\u2019s growing and his hormone levels are good, and one of the things that can come up is diabetes insipidus, that is like drinking too much water and not knowing that you\u2019re thirsty, so it\u2019s all because of the hormones, and the needs that he has with his medication. So the doctor was explaining this to me, and Ashton was listening, and then Ashton started asking his own questions where I just kind of stepped back, and the doctor was asking me, do you think he\u2019ll need the medication, is he going to the bathroom too much, does he need\u2014is he drinking too much water, and Ashton just started answering all the questions on his own, and he said \u201cYeah, I think I really want to try this medication to help me,\u201d and I was really impressed, because I had never\u2014usually Ashton sits at the doctor\u2019s appointments and listens to me and the doctor talk, but he started advocating for himself, and even though he knew he would have to have more blood work done to really find out if this is what he needs, he thought that it was something that was really going to help him, and of course I supported him and we did the extra blood work and everything, and now we\u2019re just waiting on the results to see if this is what\u2019s going to be best for his treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wow, that\u2019s great. What a thing to witness, a stage in his life. Now when the IEPs come up he might do the same, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, yes, I do want him to\u2014I mean, when we can do his IEP meetings in person again, right now we\u2019re doing them over Zoom, he was actually part of the last one a little bit. He actually talked about how much he would rather not have as much Zoom time, and have a little bit more activities for me and him to do instead of having a lot of Zoom, so we actually combined Zoom meetings where two of his service\u2014so he has OT, he has orientation and mobility, he\u2019s got vision, and then he\u2019s got his resource teacher, and they all want to schedule different Zoom meetings, so we\u2019re combining them so that two of his therapists can come into one of the Zoom meetings, and that makes it so he only has three Zoom meetings a day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, great. So, what\u2019s that like for you and Ashton to adjust to this new way of schooling, you know, from home, going on Zoom\u2014I mean, as parents you want to limit how much time they\u2019re on the internet, and now we\u2019re pushing it, but what was that change like for you and your family?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was hard at first, I\u2019m going to be honest and say that the very first day was really hard and was not what I expected. I used to be a preschool teacher for children in a special ed preschool, and so I love teaching and I love being able to work with my son, but, I mean, third grade math is hard, and it\u2019s even harder when you\u2019re visually impaired, and so I have to get creative. I have a whiteboard, so I enlarge everything for Ashton on our whiteboard when we have it on the ChromeBook, and then I also have learned how to use the ChromeBook accessibility tools to magnify the screen, to make things a little bit easier for him to see them, and then on top of that I also have some manipulatives that he can use, some math base-10 blocks that he can actually count on using his fingers and touch, and that helps him a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, wow, math-based\u2014is that something unique for children with blind and visual impairment, or is that just a typical tool for teaching?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The base-10 blocks I think they use for all the kids in the classroom, but I don\u2019t think that the other kids in the classroom use them as much as Ashton does. That was something that he started using I think in first grade. It really helps him because he knows that\u2014they\u2019re just like squares, so there\u2019s one that has 100 squares, and then he knows there\u2019s one that has only 10 squares, and then one that is just the one, so that he can count it out when we\u2019re adding and subtracting, those kind of things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The abacus is a whole other that\u2014I\u2019m still trying to learn how to use the abacus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So you\u2019re both learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:
Yes, so when he does Zoom with his vision therapist I sit with him, and he\u2019s got\u2014he\u2019s actually got a braille clock so he\u2019s working on learning how to use the braille clock, and how the time goes on there, and then he\u2019s working on the abacus, using the abacus, and we\u2019ve also got a smart Brailler, so the teacher is teaching him contracted braille right now, and the smart Brailler will repeat what he\u2019s writing so she knows that he\u2019s writing the correct contraction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, cool. So he has the braille keyboard, he types it out, and then it speaks it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s awesome. That\u2019s one thing that a lot of people who go blind later, lose some vision, and they try and learn braille, it doesn\u2019t come as quick as someone who learns it when they\u2019re younger. I mean, just like anybody else, like in music or something, but braille, it\u2019s a good thing to take seriously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, it\u2019s been great for him. According to his IEP team and his vision specialist, he\u2019s most likely going to be a braille reader. He can read large print, but it gets really\u2014it\u2019s hard, it\u2019s hard for him, so we\u2019re really pushing\u2014we\u2019re trying to teach him that braille is going to be a lot easier for him. He can read both, right now, but he\u2019s not in a third grade level yet, that\u2019s what we\u2019re working towards, is that his reading level will be the same as his peers. How long did it take you to do braille fluently\u2014do you feel like you enjoy reading braille? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You know what, my teacher had me pick a book that I had just read before I lost my eyesight\u2014well, I knew that book. Or a story, I would suggest a story\u2014a kids\u2019 Doctor Seuss, stuff like that, something pretty simple that someone can almost recite because then you\u2019ll almost flow over those words. Little games, that you can play, write a knock-knock joke, because everyone knows\u2014knock knock, then who\u2019s there, but it\u2019s the punch line that\u2019ll be new, stuff like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, those are all great tips, I really should try those with Ashton. It\u2019s hard to get him\u2014because he has that vision, that little bit of vision, he really\u2014he\u2019s so determined, when he\u2019s determined it\u2019s hard to get him to\u2014he\u2019s so determined to read what his peers are reading, and so he always goes \u201cWhy can\u2019t\u2014let\u2019s just use the magnifier!\u201d I tell him \u201cNo, but Ashton, you know, this is going to be easier for you when you\u2019re older,\u201d and it kind of turns into a battle, so we\u2019re working on that, that\u2019s probably the hardest part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:
Can he read grade one? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, so grade one is what he\u2019s reading right now, and yeah, he can do some of the simple books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A game we played one time was you get a notecard, and it might say \u201cKitchen drawer, spoons,\u201d something of that nature, and then in there there\u2019ll be another card, okay, now it says, \u201cLiving room, lamp,\u201d so then he\u2019ll have to go to the living room lamp, there\u2019ll be another card, and at the end of it there might be a treat, some type of thing. It\u2019s just a little game that we played with students. So we had games like that, where they were on a scavenger hunt type of thing, anything that you can incorporate into\u2014like when you go to hotels, but then no one\u2019s travelling nowadays, so-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actually, we did travel, we went to Florida, and it was interesting because I did have him touch the room number for the hotel. It was good for him to do that, and he actually\u2014he really enjoys travelling, he took his cane and everything, took it to the beach, took it to everywhere we went\u2014the airports and everything, and he did really well with that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the biggest things that, for me, I didn\u2019t want to use my cane, because I had enough residual a while back, but you know what? When I used my cane, when I walked into a store and I wanted something, they used to just say \u201cAisle three, left side.\u201d Okay, well, that doesn\u2019t help me too much, but if I had my cane with, they would say \u201cHey, just a minute,\u201d and they\u2019d go \u201cIt\u2019s up this way, it\u2019s down in aisle three, here, okay, do you want the blue or the red or the yellow,\u201d you know? So it told other people that I might have some vision problems. It was my\u2014I always called it my scarlet letter, but it told the bus driver, like when I asked, \u201cWhat number is the bus?\u201d and he would say \u201cIt\u2019s on the front of the bus,\u201d you know, of course it is, but I can\u2019t read it, and I\u2019d say, \u201cI\u2019m visually impaired,\u201d and he\u2019d say \u201cWell, how would I know?\u201d So from there on, I started using my cane, and people step aside, move a little bit, you know, that extra\u2014or when I walk up, \u201cCan I help you?\u201d \u201cUm\u2026\u201d and they say, \u201cDo you want me to read you something off the menu?\u201d It just gives the other person a clue instead of the awkwardness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, yeah, his orientation and mobility specialist, she told me that, and so we try to encourage Ashton. It\u2019s funny that you said that, because he has this shirt that says \u201cYes, I\u2019m blind,\u201d and he just happened to be wearing it the last time we were at the hospital for some blood work, and it was amazing the way people were treating him. I mean, the tech that took his blood was explaining every single step of the way, whereas-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Isn\u2019t that something?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:
-other times I\u2019ve had to say, \u201cHe\u2019s visually impaired,\u201d and I think he\u2019s even had his cane, other times, so I don\u2019t know what it was about this shirt, but it was like\u2014I guess because it was right there, and his shirt just said \u201cYes, I\u2019m blind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The cane does help. I\u2019ve had the cane at Home Depot and they\u2019ve tried to charge me for it thinking it was a shower curtain rod.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, really? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s that, a shower curtain rod? Can I scan that?\u201d \u201cNo, it\u2019s my cane, I\u2019m legally blind.\u201d \u201cOh, oh, okay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s funny. Yeah, it does help a lot. I need to get him more used to taking it everywhere, it\u2019s just sometimes it can be hard for him. I don\u2019t know, I just-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:
That\u2019s great. Sounds like you\u2019ve got a really good support team in your education field, how was that to get on board with them for his education? I mean, orientation and mobility through Zoom, that sounds interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, so that\u2014orientation and mobility, she\u2019s great, he\u2019s got a great orientation and mobility specialist. She\u2019ll let me know ahead of time when she schedules the Zoom meeting, he does it once a week, and she\u2019ll let me know have him outside and bring the Zoom outside, or I\u2019m just going to do the routes. So she\u2019ll teach him about L routes, or about left and right, she\u2019ll have a contrast, she\u2019ll share her screen on Zoom, and she\u2019ll teach him, oh, the airplane is going left or the airplane is going right, and where should he go if he wants to do an L route, or what should he do if he\u2019s\u2014I don\u2019t have all the routes memorized that she teaches him from, but that\u2019s how she does it, and then when we go outside, she\u2019ll tell me \u201cTap left to right, and hold his shoulder, and walk towards\u2014\u201d she\u2019ll just tell me towards the next house and then come back and I\u2019ll watch him on the screen, and then she\u2019ll tell me \u201cTry doing this,\u201d and so it\u2019s mostly\u2014it\u2019s kind of like I\u2019ve become the orientation and mobility specialist in a way, but I\u2019m still learning all these things as we\u2019re doing them. I still reach out, I mean\u2014his IEP team is amazing, they have all been with him since he was in preschool, like especially the vision side and the orientation and mobility side. The other ones change every year, but I love that the vision ones and orientation and mobility have been the same since he was in preschool, so we have a good relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:
Well, that\u2019s great. I mean, orientation and mobility, once someone can self-determine where they want to walk to, find their way around, that\u2019s a great skill to achieve. So on a daily basis, now, you\u2019ve got your schedules and stuff\u2014I\u2019m going to go back to your Instagram, OurBlindSide, you guys do something special on Fridays as a family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, so on Fridays he has only two Zoom meetings, and so we get done with school pretty early, and so I like to ask my kids \u201cWhere do you guys want to go?\u201d And, you know, we just go\u2014we live right by a reservoir, by the mountains, and we\u2019ve been swimming there a couple times. We\u2019ve been to walks by the river trail, and we want to go to pumpkin patches in the fall, and it\u2019s just a great way to just get out of the house and celebrate, look at all these things we did throughout the week, like, you did so good in your math, and you\u2019re doing great at rounding, and my oldest is in 7th grade and I tell her \u201cYou\u2019re doing great with this,\u201d and then my youngest is in preschool, and we just celebrate all of those little victories that we\u2019ve worked together all week on, and we just enjoy nature and just get out, and it\u2019s just helped us so much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, even during the weekdays of classes and schools, especially during the beginning of the school year where you\u2019re just starting to feel out all the needs and everything coming together, you\u2019ve even reflected\u2014once again, back to your Instagram\u2014you\u2019ve even reflected that some good happens and you\u2019ve got to remember those, and you\u2019ve gotten opportunities to be with your kids like you hadn\u2019t been before, in a way. It\u2019s different, but you\u2019re still interacting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, so what I\u2019ve noticed is that we really do have a lot more time together. It\u2019s funny because I always thought yeah, I get a lot of quality time with my kids after school, like when they were in school last year, and you know, we do their work and everything, but I didn\u2019t realize how much more time we can have when I don\u2019t have to go drive to one school and pick one up and drive to another and pick another one up and hurry, and now we don\u2019t have the afterschool things going on, and so just us, it\u2019s just us when we\u2019re done with school, and even while we\u2019re in school we\u2019re spending time together and we\u2019re learning from each other, and then when we\u2019re done we\u2019re still spending time together, and it\u2019s just time that I didn\u2019t have before that I\u2019m really grateful to have with them, because we were so busy before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:
What advice would you give to another parent who has a child with visual impairments?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I would tell them that it\u2019s a really hard journey at the beginning, but it\u2019s also one of the most amazing and incredible ways to see the world through their child\u2019s eyes in the way that they can\u2019t\u2014they\u2019re not seeing it with vision, but they\u2019re seeing it for the things that are the most important. I mean, Ashton has taught me those things, it\u2019s just\u2014you know, it\u2019s going to be hard, and yes, you\u2019re going to meet a lot of therapists, and you\u2019re going to learn a whole new bunch of skills that you never thought, and read different books and things, and a whole new alphabet with braille but your child is going to be one of the most amazing people that you\u2019ll ever meet, and you won\u2019t be the only one that\u2014they will inspire others too. And so my advice is to just work with them, and it\u2019s not always going to be\u2014I guess it\u2019s not always going to be as hard as it was in the first years. The first year was probably the hardest, having a blind child, because I was learning about all these new things, but later on I\u2019m really grateful that I\u2019m able to have the lessons that I\u2019ve had through my son. And so I wouldn\u2019t change that, I mean, I feel like other parents miss out, because they don\u2019t get to have those lessons, they don\u2019t get to see the way that my son does, and at the end of the day they don\u2019t have a little boy with a white cane who is holding their hand, telling them \u201cThanks, Mom, for doing that,\u201d or \u201cDid you\u2014\u201d just reminding them those things. It\u2019s been amazing, and I\u2019m so glad I get to be his mom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You know, my kids are a little bit older, I\u2019m watching them spread their wings. Sometimes you don\u2019t want them to leave the nest and all that stuff, but, you know, with you having two other children, and they\u2019re growing, and seeing them change, it must be\u2014with all the advocacy that you have to do and we talked about this a little bit earlier, but seeing him self-determine or advocate or ask questions, it must have been heavy hearted to just see that happening and to realize that it\u2019s going to continue from this point, so, yeah, the first years were harder, but now it might be harder to let go too, a little bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, it is hard to let go, it is hard to\u2014I mean, I want him to be independent, I want him to do all the things he wants to do. You know, he has so many dreams\u2014he wants to be a writer, he wants to make videos, he loves recording things on this little camera that he has, he loves taking pictures, I mean, I want to support him in all the things he wants to do, but at the same time, yeah, I do think of that day when my son is going to go to college, and it\u2019s hard, it\u2019s really hard, because then I won\u2019t be the one there doing those things for him, but I will also be the one who is the proudest to see him doing those things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What advice would you have for a TVI, a teacher for the visually impaired, as a parent of a blind child?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Be as understanding as you can be, and I mean, I\u2019m really grateful for Ashton\u2019s TVI, she\u2019s amazing, and we love her, and she finds the tools that we need and brings them to our home, and drops them off, and talks to me over the phone, she\u2019s great. But be\u2014just be understanding of these parents, that this whole new world\u2014this is all new to them, and let them be as involved as they want to be. That\u2019s something that I\u2019ve always been grateful for, is that his therapists will always explain to me as much as I want to learn from it, you know, they were the ones who taught me braille, they were the ones who showed me the Perkins Brailler for the first time, they were the ones that told me everything that I\u2019ve used to help my son, and so you\u2019re going to be the first\u2014pretty much one of the first doors to open to this blindness for them, this blind new world that they\u2019ve never been in, and so help them as much as you can and work together as a team with the parents, and that\u2019s the way that the student will succeed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s great advice, and I\u2019m sure people will be following your Instagram, OurBlindSide. We\u2019ll find out more of the journey, more advice, and thank you for doing that for everybody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re welcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How can people follow you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am on Instagram, it\u2019s @ourblindside, that is my Instagram, and I just share on there. I don\u2019t have a blog\u2014I wanted to start a blog, but right now I have so much on my plate with doing school at home with my son and my kids, but that\u2019s what I share on there, everything about Ashton\u2019s journey, and what it\u2019s like being his mom, and our family, that\u2019s on my Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:
It\u2019s kind of neat, it\u2019s a package deal, it\u2019s not just about Ashton, it\u2019s the other kids, the interaction that you all have, so you get a big picture of kind of this integrated family of someone with visual impairment, and someone that doesn\u2019t, and it\u2019s\u2014you said something, \u201cIt\u2019s just life now,\u201d and I thought about that, it\u2019s just life now, I mean, some people used to use \u201cThe new normal,\u201d I like your comment, it\u2019s just life now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, it\u2019s different from what it was before, but it\u2019s just the way life is now, and I think we\u2019re all doing our best to adjust to it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mm-hm. I think the way you write on your Instagram is really good, I think that\u2019s a blog in itself. I did not know I would get sucked into it so far, I just started going into some of the pictures and you have some good writings on there, the little journeys, the little adventures, the trials of starting school from home, like when you said if someone told me I\u2019d be teaching from home a year from now, you\u2019d laugh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, I think I really would have laughed, because I\u2014I mean, his school team, like I said, his IEP team is amazing, and last year when I would drop him off at school I always thanked them for all the things that they helped Ashton with, you know, and I always thought to myself, there\u2019s no way I could do it all myself, but I mean, one day at a time we\u2019re finding a way to make it work, and I mean, there\u2019s still things that I need to work on, but I really do love the time that I get to work with my son and learn with him, and I learn from him too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:
Well, Hilda, you\u2019re doing a great job, and thank you for sharing so much on your Instagram, that\u2019s where I got all my notes for this podcast, it was good, and I\u2019m glad I got sucked in, because it\u2019s a\u2014you\u2019re a good writer, and I\u2019m looking for the blog someday, and right now the Instagram, OurBlindSide, does pretty well. So, thank you Hilda, for coming on, thank you for sharing the story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hilda:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019re welcome, thanks for having me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Be sure to contact your state services for the blind, your Voc Rehab, and find out what they can do for you. Live, work, read, succeed. A big shout out to Chee Chau for his beautiful music, you can follow Chee Chau on Twitter @lcheechau.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[Music] [Transition noise] -When we share<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-What we see<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-Through each other’s eyes\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
…We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For more podcasts with the blindness perspective, check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com, on Twitter @BlindAbilities. Download our app from the app store Blind Abilities, that’s two words, or send us an email at info@blindabilities.com. Thanks for listening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Transition Coordinator Sheila Koenig by email<\/a> or contact her via phone at 651-539-2361.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out the Blind Abilities Community<\/a>on Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page<\/a>, and the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impaired<\/a> group<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Full Transcript Jeff Thompson: Introducing Hilda Dunford, a parent of a child who happens to be blind. Hilda Dunford: My advice is to just work with them, and it\u2019s not always going to be as hard as it was in the first years. The first year was probably the hardest, having a blind child, because […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6249","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P6rcRg-1CN","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8414,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=8414","url_meta":{"origin":6249,"position":0},"title":"Minnesota Wild Blind Hockey: Passion, Community, and Opportunities on the Ice and announcing a Career Networking Event for Blind Students","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"September 26, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Podcast Page Full Transcript Brady: We've gone to Pittsburgh for what they call a diversified hockey festival. I've gone to St. Louis. I've gone to Fort Wayne for a fall classic. I've also gone to Chicago.\u00a0 Jeff:\u00a0Welcome to Blind Abilities. I'm Jeff Thompson. Today, I'm excited to have Brady and\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5002,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=5002","url_meta":{"origin":6249,"position":1},"title":"Career Expo: From College to Blindness Training and Not Living Within 10 Minutes From Home, Meet Teacher of the Blind and Visually Impaired, Beth McGarr.","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"May 15, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Jeff Thompson:Welcome to Blind Abilities. I'm Jeff Thompson. Speaker 2: Okay, so State Services actually played a huge part in everything that I'm doing. Speaker 3: Don't be afraid. Get out there. Meet people. Be friendly. Nobody is judging you. Speaker 4: Think big. Look at what do\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Image of man with cane and woman with service dog and City Skyline with Job Insights in bold letters.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9397,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=9397","url_meta":{"origin":6249,"position":2},"title":"Fear Less – Do More! Envision Blind Sports Is Here!","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"February 22, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Podcast Summary: Envision Blind Sports\u00a0is expanding to Minnesota\u2014and that means more chances for blind and low vision youth to move, compete, and discover what they\u2019re capable of. In this episode, Jeff talks with Minnesota Regional Manager Ricky Ties and Program Director Jillian Stringfellow about how adaptive sports build confidence, independence,\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Envision blind Sports Logo Fear Less. Do More.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/EnvisionBlindSportsLogo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/EnvisionBlindSportsLogo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/EnvisionBlindSportsLogo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/EnvisionBlindSportsLogo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/EnvisionBlindSportsLogo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4592,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=4592","url_meta":{"origin":6249,"position":3},"title":"Holly Scott-Gardner: Catch These Words \u2013 Graduating University and pursuing the Career She Wants","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"February 26, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript {Music} Holly:Oh god, what am I going to do? I don't know how to travel. I'm 17 years old and I can't spend the rest of my life holding someone's hand. Jeff Thompson:Meet Holly Scott-Gardner. Holly:Life takes you in all directions. And what I try and do is\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5138,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=5138","url_meta":{"origin":6249,"position":4},"title":"Career Expo: The Importance of Soft Skills, Gaining a Diverse Skill Set and Putting Yourself in Uncomfortable Situations \u2013 Meet Rev. 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Speaker 2: Think big, look at what do\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Image of man with cane and woman with service dog and City Skyline with Job Insights in bold letters.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4997,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=4997","url_meta":{"origin":6249,"position":5},"title":"Career Expo: Self Advocacy and Self Determination Led Matt To His Current Job, and a Big Skill He Added Was Saying, \u201cOk, I Need Help with This\u201d","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"May 14, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Jeff Thompson:Welcome to Blind Abilities. I'm Jeff Thompson. Speaker 2: Okay. So state services actually played a huge part in everything that I'm doing. Speaker 3 Don't be afraid. Get out there, meet people, be friendly. Nobody is judging you. Speaker 4 Think big. Look at what do\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Image of man with cane and woman with service dog and City Skyline with Job Insights in bold letters.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jobinsights.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6249"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6250,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6249\/revisions\/6250"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Contact:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities<\/a>
On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com<\/a>
Send us an email<\/a>
Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store<\/a>and Google Play Store<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n