Letter to Government - E. Lacharity (Victoria, BC)

Honourable Mary Polak,
Ministry of Children and Family Development
PO Box 90957 Stn Provincial Government
Victoria BC V8W 9E2

( From: Erin Lacharity – Victoria, BC)

November 17, 2009
Dear Minister Polak:
re :closing the Provincial Office of Infant Development Program
My name is Erin Lacharity. I was born in 1979 in Victoria at 24 weeks gestation. I weighed 585 grams. I am totally blind. When I was born my mother asked the doctor to save me and incredibly, he did. Even with today’s technology the medical Residents respond in disbelief when my pediatrician proudly tells them about me. I beat the medical odds for such a birth and was known as the “Miracle Baby”. I was very small and weighed 12 pounds at one year of age. The Infant Development Program Consultant helped my parents with all aspects of my development and to understand my special needs. My mom was afraid I would not be able to walk, play with toys, feed myself, etc. if I could not see. She helped my parents see me as their daughter with blindness, rather than “Blind”. This gave them hope and reassurance for my future as they encountered regular discouragement over the years. Professionals’ said such things as “she will never survive” “Erin will never do that” “she may be good enough to weave baskets”. Teaching me to do things I could not see was a challenge. They taught me to “put in” by putting me “in” containers and mom knew I got it when she found me standing in the dog’s dish, an ashtray and a bucket. Walking alone into a dark void took months of practice but I did it to grasp a bell just out of reach when I was two. Each part of every stage of development was carefully adapted to my way of learning without sight. My early years were an emotional and stressful time for my parents and IDP helped them cope.
The IDP Consultant helped my mother handle discriminatory stereotypes and helped her to reflect upon my accomplishments and capabilities in a positive manner. Sometimes these accomplishments were very small but they made a huge difference to my mom. This program has been a true role model in guidance and support for my self and my family. I am comfortable with my blindness and who I am. My mother and IDP Consultant tell me they beamed and then cried when I told them that a few years ago.
For instance, I was immersed into the public school system. I attended the neighbourhood pre-school, community elementary school and played with the next door children. I attended regular high school in Esquimalt where there was a program for me. I went to Brownies, took tap dance and piano lessons. At the same time, throughout my childhood, I experienced numerous instances where I interacted with other blind people to help further my social development and to experience being with people who had the same disability as my self. After high school, I attended the W. Ross McDonald School for the Blind in Brantford, Ontario and learned skills that were influential in my later years. I recently graduated from the University of Victoria with a Bachelor’s Degree in Women’s Studies. I am the first one in my family to have achieved a University education. The IDP consultant believed in me, so my mom believed in me and so I believed in me. If it had not been for the unfailing support and involvement of the Infant Development Program in those early years, I may not have achieved what I have today!
I urge you to re think this decision so that other children can have the same chance the Infant Development Program gave me. I thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Sincerely,

Erin Lacharity B.A.
Women’s Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria BC
cc Premier Gordon Campbell
Lesley du Toit, Deputy Minister MCF
Maurine Karagianis, Esquimalt MLA
Dana Brynelsen, Provincial Advisor, Infant Development Program