VIDBE-Q Volume 65 Issue 3
most importantly all service providers which includes; case managers, educational
assistants and administration. I am completely in agreement with all of these
families that trust is number one. If you can establish trust first, it will be used as a
foundation to build upon for future services. It's not that families are saying you
need to come over for a barbeque and become friends on Facebook, but in general
being kind, non-confrontational and supportive from the beginning will aid in
establishing trust. As I am getting to know families who are just starting the
process with their first intake meeting, they have shared it is extremely
overwhelming to differentiate their child's exact needs compared to that from a
sighted child as an infant. Plain and simple parents don't know what they don't
know. I have attended intake meetings for newly identified students or babies
where case managers ask what they want for their child and what they would like
from us. Well, that's too broad and honestly pretty difficult to answer for our
families. In an ideal situation when meeting families we can reserve better chunks
of time to assist in not only educating our families but in turn providing them with
enough resources for them to be able to educate themselves as they are able.
Families need time to process, grieve, celebrate, breathe, maintain normal family
functions and unfortunately we do need to put it out there, survive. As you meet
with staff this fall, I encourage you to look through the proverbial lens of each
