Yet this profile, though favorable, tends to mask the academic problems

Renaldo is likely to encounter. He will be required to use higher thought

processes as he progresses through the educational system, and he is
already beginning to experience
the shift from concrete
arithmetic to the more diffi -
cult (for him) abstractions of
algebra and spatial concepts
of geometry. Renaldo also has some
interpersonal problems. He reacts with a sharp tongue and a quick
temper to any slights or negative comments, real or imagined, about
his impairment. Consequently, many of his peers ignore or avoid him
except when class participation requires interaction. Above all, Renaldo
is beginning to wonder about his future: What is he going to do
Renaldo spends most
of his time in school with a
regular sixth-grade class but
leaves the program for about
an hour a day to work with
a specially trained resource
teacher. Only three or four
other students are in the resource
room with Renaldo,
so the teacher can give him a
good deal of tutoring in the
academic areas in which he
needs help.
Of more concern is how
Renaldo feels about himself.
His visual handicap is serious
enough that he is sometimes
unsure whether he belongs
to the sighted community
or to the blind community.