Instructor Gets to See Through Different Eyes

     BETTER SITTERS TODAY. BETTER PARENTS TOMORROW.®
     The Safe Sitter® motto applies to everyone, including those with different abilities. Dontie Fuller, Instructor and Site Coordinator for St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Indianapolis, witnessed how well the Safe Sitter® curriculum translates to the visually-impaired.
     The Leo Club, an affiliate of the Lion's Club, wanted to offer babysitting to parents of the younger students at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ISBVI) as part of a service project offering respite to the parents. The club's advisor contacted Dontie asking if she'd be interested in working with students, ages 17 and 18. Some of the students had graduated from a public high school and came to ISBVI for specific training related to their visual impairment.
     "My initial reaction was excitement," Dontie said. "This joy was quickly replaced by fear that the teaching materials are so visually oriented - and so am I! - that I was concerned about how to cover all the material."
     However, the unique teaching opportunity gave Dontie the chance to pursue a passion.
     "My Master's thesis for a degree in Christian Education was titled "Welcoming and Including Children with Pervasive Developmental Disorders into the Faith Community," Dontie said. "The invitation to offer Safe Sitter® to students at ISBVI was right up there in my areas of interest. Plus, it gave me a real experience in practice doing what I had been reading and writing about."
     The Student Manual was converted to Braille and large print. Then it was converted to an electronic file that speaks the written word and was accessible in the students' laptops. Wearing headphones, the students could hear the Manual read to them. The written exam was given in this same manner and their answers were converted to writing for grading purposes.
     "In class, one student used the Braille version of the Student Manual. A few used the large print version," Dontie said. "Also, as we began the classes, the students and advisor coached me on giving a running description of what was happening, particularly as we did the role plays."
     Fuller said the experience was as much a learning event for her as it was for the students.
     "My most important learning was that the best practice is to ask the students when I did not know how to proceed," she said. "And because they were older than the typical Safe Sitter® student, some of them already had some real-life experience caring for small children."
     Dontie said the students were particularly eager to learn the choking rescue skills. They all passed the written and practical test "with flying colors"!
     The students, who take part in various service projects for their community, "thought the course was fun and they would like reunions! It was an inspiration to get acquainted with young people who are interested in the world beyond themselves, even though they live with their own challenges," Dontie said.
     One student even brought her assist dog, Connie, to class. "Connie was working as long as she was wearing her halter. When the halter was removed, Connie was allowed to be petted and played with," Fuller said, "Can you tell I had a great time, too?"