Life Matters

But I was just talking to her…

By Linda Petersen
Posted 2/17/16

I have been fortunate to be connected with a summer and winter program for children who are blind and visually impaired, funded by the RI Lions Sight Foundation. We generally have the camp during …

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Life Matters

But I was just talking to her…

Posted

I have been fortunate to be connected with a summer and winter program for children who are blind and visually impaired, funded by the RI Lions Sight Foundation. We generally have the camp during February vacation, and just returned from Indian Head Resort, where we spent a glorious 3 days at Indian Head Resort sledding, swimming in the inside AND outside heated pools, playing bingo, singing Karaoke, and eating culinary treats such as butternut ravioli and scallops Nantucket.

My daughter, Marie, sometimes comes along to help. She loves to work with a group of younger girls who are totally blind.  The girls have staff that amicably allows Marie to join their group. Despite the fact that she normally communicates in American Sign Language, she somehow manages to be very sociable and get along well with the girls.

On one vacation to the Great Wolf Lodge, Marie did not choose her own favorite activity, (surfing in the “Roaring Waters”), but spent all of her time with the little girls, helping them on the slides, doing the “sighted guide technique” to maneuver around the crowded park, showing them where the food was on their plates, (using the clock method,) and so forth.  Marie was having a grand time, and the girls all seemed to adore her.

On the last night of this program, Marie was seated in the booth at the restaurant with two of the girls and their staff.  One of the girls started waving her hands frantically in the air, not just once, but she kept going! Prone to seizures, the medic ran over and asked her if she was okay.  Of COURSE she was okay, she said, she was just TALKING to MARIE!!  The laughter started at their table and soon circled around the room as everyone realized what she had said...she was signing to her, of course. Because she was blind she couldn’t see the signing, but knew enough when Marie signed she was “waving her arms in the air.”

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