Families all around the world celebrate the holidays differently depending on their culture and religion, but no matter how they celebrate, most families develop special holiday traditions. When I was growing up, my family had traditions every year that were passed down from generation to generation. We would put up special handmade decorations, such as … Continued
As I reflect back on 2015, it always amazes me that the joys, experiences, and challenges that transpire in our lives are uniquely different every year. I remember the most difficult years of the struggle of caring for my son health-wise were the first five years of his life. He had retinoblastoma, a malignant infant … Continued
Join Us! July 10-12, 2015 Chicago, Illinois Dear Families, We are just two weeks away from the NAPVI National Family Conference to be held in Chicago. It’s not too late to register and join us! Come and meet www.FamilyConnect.org bloggers, authors, and web team for a special networking seminar for FamilyConnect members held on Friday … Continued
Dear Families, Join us at the NAPVI National Family Conference and make a vacation around the conference program. Chicago is beautiful and there is so much for families to do. The conference hotel is in the Little Italy and Greek Town neighborhood with over 50 restaurants and bars in walking distance! It’s also central to … Continued
Dear NAPVI Friends and Fellow Parents, When my son was 10 months old, he was diagnosed with a rare infant eye cancer, retinoblastoma. I was devastated, and desperate to meet other parents who were having this experience. I wanted to learn more about my child’s eye condition and how his visual impairment was going to … Continued
We are organizing a phenomenal conference program for you and your family. The conference welcomes parents of children of all ages with visual impairments, blindness, and additional disabilities including siblings and extended family and friends. Early registration is now open! The conference location is at The Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually … Continued
We’re delighted to have a guest blog post today from Maria Dibernardo.Maria writes, “Hi, my name is Maria. I am the proud mom of my 16-year-old daughter, Jewels, who is totally blind from ROP (retinopathy of prematurity) as she was born at only 23 weeks of gestation. Here are some messy activities that we used … Continued
For families it’s that time of year—mixed emotions of sadness that the summer vacation time is over, excitement and anticipation of preparation of the new school year, and the anxiety and stress that parents of children with disabilities often encounter. Will my child have the right accommodations needed to make sure his/her textbooks and materials … Continued
We are pleased to welcome Daniel M. Callahan, Director of Children’s Vision Health, to the FamilyConnect blog today to announce Jewish Guild Healthcare’s new telephone support group for high school seniors who are blind or visually impaired. Senior year for any high school student thinking about leaving home for the first time to attend college … Continued
We are delighted to reprint with permission a blog post that gives a unique volunteer perspective on the recent family conference! The author, Chantal Mendes, volunteered taking care of the kids at the children’s program. She describes herself as follows: “I started out as a journalist, became a scientist and am now happily a mix … Continued