Talking with Kids: Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know about Blindness

By Brian Nash

In his first nonfiction book, children's author Brian K. Nash recounts his experiences speaking to schoolchildren in the 1980s about his lifelong blindness, to which he has adapted with determination, optimism, and humor. Join him as he tells about barbecuing, bicycling, bowling, scuba diving, jumping from high places, Louis Braille, guide dogs, and much more. Photo: Brian and Arrow in 1983.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brian Nash
• Release date: Dec 22, 2011
• ISBN: 9781466162464

Brian Nash

Brian K. Nash was born in 1961 and grew up on a farm in Kansas. Blind from birth, he enjoyed the loving support of his parents and five siblings, who kept him active exploring the woods and riding horses. The many stories they told him and read to him fostered his love of fiction. He began composing his own fiction for children when his daughter Evelyn was small.He edited the school newspaper at the Kansas School for the Blind. Later on, he received computer training and became an adaptive technician, teaching other blind people to use a computer. He has extensive public speaking experience, especially to groups of school children, seeking to educate others regarding blindness and the capabilities of the blind.Henrietta of Valley View Farm is the first of Brian's several books for children that are being published by Smashwords. His lively, entertaining stories are set in a fictional place that has a lot in common with the locales he knew and loved as a child. The animals - chickens, cats, dogs, horses, birds, frogs, and many more - can talk to each other, and are among the most vivid of the many characters. They often have much to teach their human friends as they work together to overcome whatever challenges are thrown at them. Adventure abounds, and friendship always triumphs in the end.

Book preview

TALKING WITH KIDS

Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know about Blindness

by

Brian K. Nash

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011 by Brian K. Nash

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re–sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Visit Brian’s author page at Smashwords.

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Photo: Brian and Arrow in 1983

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I literally jumped feet first into public relations. One day in first grade, I was out on the playground horsing around with my friends. Tiring of the sandbox and monkey bars, I trotted over to a slide that was seven or eight feet high and quickly climbed the ladder. When arriving at the top, instead of taking the conventional way down, I turned and launched myself into space. The free fall was breathtaking. As I hit the ground, I rolled and then bounced to my feet, laughing with the sheer joy of being alive. This sort of thing was pretty much old hat for me, since my love of jumping from high places had been a constant part of my existence since as far back as I could remember.

The superintendent of our school was out on the playground that day. He walked over, saying, Wow, Brian, that was really neat! Would you mind doing that for a tour group tomorrow? I was thrilled; Dr. Ross actually thought what I had done was cool.

From that day on, for the next two or three years, I was a hit whenever the local tour groups came through. Dr. Ross would pull me from class, and we’d walk out to the playground with the curious spectators following.

Oh, look at that darling little blind boy! they would say. He’s just like other kids, and he’s going to have such a good time playing, just like normal children. Such would be their innocent comments as I’d skip over to one of my favorite slides and hurry some 10 feet up its ladder.

Dr. Ross got a huge charge out of the people’s reactions when I would turn and launch myself towards the ground. The women would scream and the men would gasp, trying to maintain their composure, as I plummeted to the ground, where I’d roll and bounce to my feet, ready for the next leg of the exhibition.

The good doctor would then escort me across the lawn and over to a small shed near the administration building where several bicycles were stored. My favorite was a little bike with a banana seat and high handlebars. I would climb astride it and then race around the campus, with all the adults oohing and aahing, chattering about the amazing blind boy. I ate up the fanfare and loved being in the spotlight.

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