I was disheartened to read a recent news story about the proposed budget cuts in New Jersey, which would slash jobs of teachers of students with visual impairments (often abbreviated as TVIs). The proposed budget cuts, if enacted, would lead to the loss of 20 teachers from the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and … Continued
We are delighted to announce to our FamilyConnect community that today we have launched a new social networking feature called Family Friends! (Thanks to all of you who voted and helped name this new feature.) As of today you can create your own personal profile, upload a photo, share your news, and become friends with … Continued
We are excited to announce that we are soon going to be launching new social networking features on FamilyConnect.org! As the parent of a visually impaired child (now adult) and through my years of hosting NAPVI meetings, I know that it is an amazing experience when parents of children with visual impairments are able to … Continued
From time to time I invite guest bloggers who are also parents of children with visual impairments to express what their experiences have been. I hope that “A Parent’s Voice” can be a forum where we can all interact with each other. I am very pleased to introduce you to Maribel Montes, whose son has … Continued
At a recent NAPVI conference, we had a great discussion about ways to keep your child interested and engaged during longer periods of free time like weekends or vacation. I think we’ve all experienced that moment when everyone starts getting a little stir-crazy. The parents attending the panel discussion had some great ideas about how … Continued
When a child with blindness or a disability is born into a family, or when a child becomes blind at some later point in life, parents initially feel grief and devastation. As life goes on, as families adjust to the news and try to figure out what this means to their lives and how this … Continued
I am pleased to announce that through the support of the Perkins International Program, the very first national meeting for parents of children with visual impairments was held in Beijing, China, in August 2010. I was honored to be invited by Peng Xiaguang, of the Department of Special Education of the China National Institute for … Continued
An article in the New York Times yesterday addressed the issue of finding good childcare for children with special needs. As they wrote: “Competent, reliable baby sitters are closely guarded treasures for most parents; for families who have children with special needs (but who do not qualify for state-supported respite care), such baby sitters may … Continued
Leaders from around the world met for the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) in NYC to discuss and to make plans to solve the world’s problems and issues. For you to know, the UN has established a document called the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) which identifies the main issues and goals that impact … Continued
Pam Stern, NAPVI Regional Representative, passed along the following link from the National Center for Learning Disabilities website, and I thought that you might find it useful as well. It struck me as a nice practical resource for parents: Organizing Your Concerns About School-Related Problems Worksheet. (FYI, the worksheet itself is a PDF.) How have … Continued