Everyone Needs a Role Model

Your child may already have a role model, someone they look up to and whose behavior they may admire and try to copy. This person might be an older cousin or a favorite teacher. Or, their role model may be someone they know only from a distance—a tennis champion they have read about, or a singer they have heard on television. Some role models are mentors who take the time to nurture your child’s special interests, answer questions, and teach new things. Are any of their role models or mentors with blindness or low vision? For one grade-schooler, a role model who is blind or has low vision can make a difference.

Aaron’s Story

Aaron, who’s in third grade, recently lost a lot of vision due to a retinal detachment. He loved reading but was very reluctant to learn braille. He didn’t want to use a cane or ask for help when walking around his neighborhood. Aaron’s parents and his TVI were very concerned about his negative attitude. Then, at a picnic for families with children with blindness or low vision, Aaron met Trevor, a seventh-grade student who reads braille and travels with a cane. The two boys spent the afternoon talking about the books and sports they liked, and Aaron mentioned that he hated learning braille. Trevor set him straight right away. “Get over it. The quicker you learn it, the quicker you can return to reading. I read all of the Harry Potter books in braille. And you can read braille in the dark, so I can stay up late to finish a book without my parents bugging me to get to sleep.” Now that was something Aaron hadn’t thought about—reading with his fingertips had advantages! The boys also talked about getting around with a cane, and Trevor told Aaron about a couple of funny experiences he’d had while learning how to use one.

That conversation was a turning point for Aaron. He’d found a role model—someone he liked, who had the same kind of challenges he had and didn’t treat them as if they were a big problem. He could be like Trevor, too!

What a Role Model or Mentor Can Do

There’s a lot your child can get from a role model or mentor who is blind or has low vision.

• Your child’s role model or mentor can answer questions from first-hand experience.
• Your child can share their feelings about being blind or having low vision with someone who may have had the same or similar feelings.
• The role model or mentor can share information about technology, low-vision devices, and other tools they use and finds helpful.
• This person may also know of a weekend, summer program, or other activity that she liked and found beneficial and can describe it to your child based on first-hand experience.
• Your child might be facing a problem now, such as being teased or having trouble getting a teacher to understand their visual limitations. A mentor may have had a similar experience and be able to offer ideas about how to solve the problem.

Finding the Right Role Model or Mentor

Here are some ideas for finding a role model or mentor for your child who is blind or has low vision.

• Ask your child’s educational team members if they know of an older child in the area who has some common interests with your child.
• Contact an organization that provides services to individuals with blindness or low vision (see the Directory of Services) or a parent group to ask for help in getting in touch with other families whose children might share your daughter’s interests and act as mentors.
• Join an online discussion group and inquire if anyone in the group knows of a child who might be a good role model for your daughter. Even if the children can’t meet face-to-face, they may enjoy talking on the phone, sending emails, or even exchanging “snail mail.”

As your child gets older, they may want to be a role model or mentor to a younger child who’s blind or low vision. Giving back to others is another important skill for your child to develop.