Rebecca's story

About Rebecca

When I left home at 18 to go to Uni I still could not get dressed properly and had very poor independent living skills. I struggled to put my socks on properly, tie my shoes up properly, know whether my clothes were inside out or not, matched or even whether things were dirty! And it wasn't Mum's fault, for two years before my eighteenth birthday Mum had tried to help me but I felt silly needing help to learn to be independent at my age. I just got grumpy and told her it would all be fine! Here are some ideas that I learned myself that parents might find useful to pass on to their blind or partially sighted kids!

Independence tips that might help your kids

  • Socks with a different colour heel and toe so even if they do not match it does not matter.
  • Getting into the habit of feeling down the front of socks to see if there is any extra material. If there is - the sock is on the wrong way round.
  • Sewing in a different marker so you know the colour of clothes. For example: tape in blue clothes, buttons in red clothes, shapes of felt in white clothes, tiny beads for green clothes, normal label for black clothes. Takes a bit or memorising but once remembered saves so much stress.
  • Feeling for seems and folding clothes the right way round on wash day.

I hope these tips will help your kids. I have to say that although none of these things were a problem for my new sighted friends they also had to learn some things from scratch too. I had expected them to be able to cook and clean much better than me but found out that many of them couldn't do any of this either. There are lots of things we are all learning together and none of it comes together overnight but the secret is: practice, practice, practice!

Last updated: 11 September 2009

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