2006 Dallas Review

Home • About GOPBC • Links for Parents of Blind Children • Member Area (Visitors Welcome!)

2006 Dallas Review

Here are some photos from the 2006 Convention as well as a brief overview of some of the things that happen at a National Convention which you might not run across in a schedule of meetings or the like.

Here's the hotel from 2006, the Hilton Anatole-- nice place!

From our room we could see the Dallas sykline and since we were there on July 4th he had a pretty good view of some fireworks too. If you listened carefully, you could even hear them exploding through the rather well insulated window which our blind daughter (age three) decided she likes to hear this year.

The thing which struck me most at my first convention in Atlanta (2004) was the oportunity to see literally thousands of blind & vision impaired people making their way about the convention-- "just like sighted people". As a parent of a young blind person I found the situation extremely reassuring. Hearing that blind people can do for themselves is nice. Seeing a blind person or two is reassuring, but one might think such people are exceptional. Seeing a hotel completely filled with cane travelers and guide dog users for a week lends a whole new perspective and really allowed me to know that my child is going to be able to function in life just like everyone else.

__
The majority of those pictured above are blind cane travlers. Click the photos above or this text for more photos.

One really unique thing that my family has done for the last three years is go on the cane walk. As shown below my typically-sighted older daughter got to put on sleep shades and learn more about how her little sister is starting to travel around with a white cane. My wife and I have each done the same in years past. It is great for us and especially helps encourage younger cane users who are just getting started to use their canes. This is so popular now that you need to make reservations in advance though so far I think everyone who has tried has gotten a chance at one session or another.

Click the photo or this text for more
info & photos on the cane walk.

Most parents of blind children (and many blind adults) have probably thought of things that might seem hard to really grasp and enjoy without vision unless a bit of adaptation is involved. A trip to the zoo might be a good example; it is not generally a good idea to go and feel the tigers or giraffes but you can't get that great of an idea from just hearing & smelling them or holding a model. The NFB Sensory Safari offers a chance for kids & adults alike to feel mounted or "stuffed" animals of all sorts. (Real stuffed animals-- these are not toys!) What a neat idea.

Click the photo or this text for more
info & photos on the Sensory Safari.

Last year in Kentucky, attendees got to explore emergency vehicles-- seems like they brought out a fire engine and an ambulance. In Dallas there was an antique car show. As you may know or might guess, most car shows are strictly "no touch" events. This show let visitors touch and even sit down in a number of antique cars. I only got a couple of photos because I arrived right at the end of the show, but I saw enough to realize this was a nice idea!

Compared to 2004 & 2005, the 2006 location in Dallas had perhaps a nicer park-like area. Well, there's no perhaps to it at all. My family especially liked a little corner our back by a stream. There were also multiple pools, inside and out, a running track, and many nice artworks, including numerous sculptures that people could walk up to and touch all they wanted. There were more things to explore than we could manage in a full week, but that's not so bad because I understand the convention will be back in Dallas again in 2008.

Click the photo or this text
for more photos of the park.

2007 will be no doubt different in Atlanta but there will be lots of things to learn and places to explore.