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 other parents like you that are registered on www.FamilyConnect.org. If you are already a registered user of FamilyConnect, here’s how to get started:
- Log in to FamilyConnect
- Go to the Edit Your Profile page
- Say yes to the question “Include me in Family Friends?”
And that’s it! Then if you like, you can also add an “About Me” statement to help other parents learn a little bit more about you, and upload a profile picture. As more FamilyConnect users opt into the service, you will see friend suggestions in the upper right-hand area of the page. Your friend recommendations will be based on the state where you live, as well as your child’s age and eye conditions. In addition, I asked to be on your recommended friend list, along with NAPVI representatives from around the country. We look forward to connecting with you!
Parents often feel a tremendous sense of isolation when our children are diagnosed with a visual impairment, and as we raise our children we face challenges from time to time. You can use this new vehicle for social networking to reach out to other parents for advice and support and to share your own ideas, solutions, and parenting tips, as well as your joy and pride in your children!
We hope that you will take advantage of this new tool designed by and for parents of children with visual impairments. Please help our national/international network grow by sharing this information with other parents of blind and visually impaired children you know.