While safety measures are put into place for a reason, sometimes they decrease accessibility for certain disabilities and actually make injuries much more likely to occur.
Most would view wearing glasses during a gym class as an accident waiting to happen, but they're a necessary tool for a child with impaired vision, pointed out the members of the "Am I Overreacting?" (AIO) subReddit.
Redditor mbreteche's 11-year-old daughter was very nearsighted and dependent on her glasses to be able to see, to the point of being "basically blind" without them.
When a substitute teacher forced her to take them off during gym class, which resulted in her being injured because of not being able to see well, the Original Poster (OP) was furious and wanted something to be done about the substitute teacher intervening in her health plan.
They asked the sub:
"Am I overreacting for being angry about my daughter being told to take her glasses off for PE (Physical Education class)?"
The OP's daughter needed to have access to her glasses at all times.
"My 11-year-old daughter is extremely nearsighted with a -8 prescription (minus eight), which means she is basically blind without her glasses and relies on them to see at all times."
"She has a substitute PE teacher at the moment."
"Earlier this week, she said she had been told to take her glasses off for PE. I was quite concerned about this and put a note in her communication book, saying she needs to wear them, as she has very limited vision without them."
The substitute PE teacher did not listen to the parent's concerns.
"But today I got notified that my daughter had collided with another student and has badly rolled her ankle."
"Then I found out that she was made to play basketball without her glasses."
"I’ve sent an angry email to the school because this is exactly what I was worried about."
"The teacher’s defence for making her take them off is that they’re a safety risk, as they could fall off while running, get knocked off or broken if she collides with another child, and potentially injure her eyes or face."
The OP demanded an explanation for what had happened to their daughter.
"I find it extremely frustrating that the solution appears to have been to remove my daughter’s ability to see rather than to find a safe and sensible way for her to participate."
"So I’ve demanded a written explanation of how this was considered a reasonable safety decision to ask a child who can barely see without her glasses to participate in PE without them, especially since I’ve already mentioned her needs specifically."
"Am I overreacting and being a Karen about this? My partner seems to think so."
"I’m not normally like this, but I find that the teacher and school aren’t taking my daughter’s visual impairment seriously."
"AIO?"
Fellow Redditors weighed in:
- NOR: Not Overreacting
- YOR: You're Overreacting
Some reassured the OP that they were right to advocate for their daughter's health and safety.
"NOR. Not a Karen. Fight for your girl." - MundaneAd8695
"I’m - 6 (minus six) and just felt RAGE reading this. NOR." - justpeachy14
"I'm a - 2 (minus two) and wore my glasses for every basketball game in school, every day in PE. Not a Karen! This is awful! NOR!" - Baking_Pan
"Contact the school principal; it sounds like this teacher does not know what they are doing and I'm certain the principal would want to know. Taking off glasses in PE is ridiculous."
"I'm a former elementary school PE teacher. NOR." - Grilled_Cheese10
"An ankle injury in your youth can f**k up your ankle for life. Glasses, however, can be replaced. NOR and not a Karen."
"And to avoid this in the future, you could get her an 'athletic band' that attaches to her glasses to keep them on her face in PE." - Dry_Bowler_2837
"If OP is in the US this is almost certainly an ADA violation and contrary to section 504 and the school would be liable for any injuries due to extreme negligence particularly after this behavior by the teacher was objected to in writing."
"OP should make an immediate written demand for a 504 plan (IEP) and an emergency meeting, escalate this issue to the district's 504 coordinator and can consider filing a complaint with the DoE office for civil rights for disability discrimination."
"If OP's child required a doctors visit for the ankle OP could also consider consulting with a personal injury or education attorney." - Owain-X
Others pointed out that a child needing glasses was no different than other disability aids that made physical education safer and more accessible to all students.
"NOR. Holy s**t. Glasses became so widely available that people seem to forget that they're technically a disability aid, especially in cases like your daughters."
"I'd argue that the risk to her safety was much higher without her glasses, which was, unfortunately, demonstrated by her injuries. She likely wouldn't have gotten hurt if she could, you know, see properly."
"Stay on their necks. You're not a Karen; you're a parent doing right by their kid." - callmebuzzsaw
"NOR. The glasses were treated like an optional accessory when they’re literally what allows her to see properly and the injury pretty much proved how unsafe that decision was." - Adept_Position_9461
"If fitted correctly, glasses shouldn’t come off during exercise anyway. I wear glasses while running and doing exercises that require bending my head forward (e.g., touch your toes). I have never had issues with my glasses falling off. This teacher and the school don't know what they're talking about." - Ilovesparky13
"This but they also make sports safety glasses that can fit right over the glasses she currently has. They’re designed to go over, have a strap to keep them tight, and the front part is shatterproof, so they protect both the eyes and the glasses. This is such a simple thing to provide for students that need them."
"NOR." - Weeping_Willow_Wonka
"This is not dissimilar to her not being allowed to use a mobility aid. She's blind without her glasses. She needs them. NOR." - Fine-Juggernaut8451
"This is the SAME as a Diabetic being told they need to give up the reader for their CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor), or disconnect an insulin pump."
"Or the same as telling a student with a prosthetic leg, that they have to take the leg off and hop instead, 'because they might trip and fall.'" - EmmerdoesNOTrepme
"It’s an accommodation or assistive device for a DISABILITY. The fact that people don’t typically think of glasses that way doesn’t matter; especially for someone with severe vision impairment, glasses are a necessary assistive device. I think OP has a good case for denial of FAPE (a Free and Appropriate Public Education.)" - Positive-Garage3812
"Nahhh, the best bet is for that gym teacher to get a new profession. I've worn glasses most of my life and every gym class I ever attended. Just normal glasses. So did every single other child I went to school with who needed glasses."
"This is a very common aid. And there's no evidence that OPs child is unable to keep their glasses on their face anyway."
"No child should have to provide specialized expensive aids or be stripped of their vision. Come the f**k on." - M1ND4RO
"The substitute teachers reasoning is completely backwards, as disabling a student’s vision directly causes the exact collision and injury they were foolishly trying to prevent." - Vexqlynt
"Allowing someone to wear their glasses is a 'reasonable accommodation'. Use terms like this. Write a letter to the school. Have your daughter carry a similar letter in her backpack. It should say terms like 'accommodation' and 'request alternate activities.'"
"Bring up Section 504 and request a meeting to draft a 504 plan that requires the school to let your child wear her glasses for all school activities. Once the plan is in place, any teacher or staff member who refuses to abid by it could find themselves in legal hot water because it becomes a violation of federal law."
"NOR. Teachers at a school know this. I know this and I only worked childcare. The school's staff is being wildly unprofessional and opening themselves up to legal action. I bet their lawyers would love to hear about this. You might want to give them a call or send them an email about the situation." - Head_Somewhere4769
"Hon, I am a teacher at a - 6.5 (minus six-point-five), and it is HARD to navigate a bunch of kids when you can’t see them."
"I have to change glasses during the day, and it’s a different world. I don’t know about your girl, but depth perception is really tough for me, and I would not under any circumstances play sports without my vision. I can barely get down the street without hitting anyone."
"I’m not a PE teacher, but I have never heard of a kid being told to take their glasses off. Your kid’s assistive device was confiscated and she got injured because of it. Hardcore NOR." - wannabeomniglot
This situation was one hundred percent a problem to the subReddit.
Not only did the substitute teacher ignore the parent's concerns entirely and stick to their own plan, but their mistaken belief that wearing glasses during physical activity is unsafe injured the OP's daughter.
Countless professional athletes wear glasses, and there are suitable alternatives, like assistive bands, sports-grade glasses, and goggles, that can be worn.
If the teacher was so concerned about safety, taking away the child's ability to see should have been the last option.
