When my children were young, one of my pleasures was taking them to the playground. And like any other parent at the playground, my job was to keep track of my kids as they played. But, if you can’t see, how can you keep track of your children?

I used two different techniques that worked very well for me. The first technique was to put a bell into the laces of my children’s shoes. As they would run up and down the playground, I could keep track of them by using my hearing. If I couldn’t hear the bells, a second system I used was to call their names in a certain way. I had taught them that when I called their names in that way, they would just answer me by yelling here. So, every so often when I’d want to make sure my children were still on the playground, I would just call their names in that certain way and they would reply, and I would know everything was just fine.

When I would talk about my kids to other parents at the playground, I would often be asked, “Who else is with you when taking care of the children?” I would respond that I take care of them myself. Rather than being insulted at their lack of confidence in me (since I just met them), I would see this as a learning opportunity for them. I would explain just how I was able to successfully care for them without sighted assistance.