Out of all the concerns that I could imagine happening if I were to become a parent, having my child taken away from me because I'm blind has never been one of them. I certainly didn't believe that in 2010 prejudice against the blind would still be so rampant that a blind couple could have their child removed from their care because a social worker believed that their blindness prevented them from being able to care for their newborn, but that's exactly what happened to a couple in Kansas. Now 57 days later, baby Mikaela has been returned to her parents, but not without a fight.
Since this story came out, I'm sad to report that I've heard from other people on twitter that they too have had their parenting questioned because of their disability. Of course there are obstacles to being a parent if you can't see, but it's unacceptable for people like social workers to believe that a blind person is incapable of parenting simply because their blind. If there is an inherent belief that only fully abled people can be parents, than there needs to be programs offered to expecting parents that help them adapt their lives to ensure that their child will be properly cared for despite their disability.
I recently read an article in the Guardian that details the life of a child raised by blind parents. She explains that her life was different from her peers, but that her parents always took care of her. I encourage all of you to read it.
If you want to learn more about baby Mikaela's story, this article has all the details.
How do you adapt your life if you are a blind parent? What do you think are the best ways to help parents with disabilities?
Posts
How to Wear Red Lipstick
-
How to Wear Red Lipstick *from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
*
Zarpor.com says that red lips are the quintessential sexy look but getting
it...
1 week ago
I read this earlier this month and it made me furious!!!!
ReplyDeleteI have intermittent low vision and three children. There are several adaptations I use depending how well I can see. Dressing them in bright or unusual colors so I can pick them out on a playground is one. For a while I put bells on the crawler so I can keep track of him quickly and easily. The kids are pretty philosophical when I trip over the carefully constructed Lincoln Log house and send it flying. Of course I always help rebuild!
When we were licensing for foster care and adopting I talked to our social worker about disability and parenting. I have other health issues so it was a big concern for me. Our social workers, both in Washington and Idaho said that I did not allow my heath issues or low vision to affect my ability to parent well. I was so relieved to hear that! I do work hard to minimize the impact on my family, not because I am ashamed of my limitations but because we all work hard to make each other happy and comfortable. That is how a family works.
So I would encourage any blind person who wishes to become a parent to do so and not let blindness be a deterrent. But then, I would say that about most everything else too!
I understand that this is a sensitive issue for a lot of people, but I just want to add: perhaps it wasn't all about the parents' blindness. In the article I read, it stated that the mother was attempting to breast feed the baby and the baby turned blue. Now, I don't know a lot about breast feeding, but this strikes me as a bit odd. If your baby is starting to suffocate and you don't know, I think there is a problem. This seems to be more about of an oversight, an act of irresponsibility, not necessarily caused by blindness. Some of the blind people I met, let me just say that I would not be comfortable leaving a kid with. Some blind people have other issues, and however good these parents are being made to look publicly, who knows what could be going on? As I said, if your baby turns blue and you don't know that is a legitimate concern, as I'm sure there are other signs. Apparently, the mother knew something was wrong, but a little too late, I think.
ReplyDeleteJust my two cents.
Erin, thank you so much for sharing your story. I appreciate all of your comments.
ReplyDeleteI think that the nurse had a reason to be concerned. I feel though that instead of calling social services, she should have tried to work with the mother on better technique. Breast feeding can be difficult for any mom. I know we don't have the whole story, but I think that prejudice is pretty obvious in this case.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this! There are dozens of blind parents on our staff, in fact our director is the mother of six kids and she is totally blind. That didn't impede her ability one bit to raise, healthy, happy and successful children.
ReplyDelete