As parents of a child who is blind or visually impaired, itâs one thing to utilize FamilyConnect to read about teaching your young blind child to read and write, learning the role of the teacher of students with visual impairments, helping your child manage his or her feelings about having a disability, or understanding advanced orientation and mobility concepts, however, it is another thing entirely to gain from FamilyConnect the realization that you are not navigating these specific issues alone. Here you can meet, interact with, and learn from families just like yours—families with children of varying ages who are blind or visually impaired.
Family Stories
I encourage you to read FamilyConnectâs family stories in order to get to know many loving families who are learning, sometimes struggling, as they navigate the unique journey of parenting a child who is blind or visually impaired.
You can meet families like the Baumanns who have a 10-year-old who has been totally blind since early childhood. You can read how mom, Stacy, has navigated emotionally coping with her sonâs visual disability and has navigated resources to ensure he lives a life like that of his peers.
You can meet families like the Brantleys who have six- and 10-year-old sons with retinitis pigmentosa. You can read how parents, Sabrina and Jeremy, have instilled a can-do attitude in their sons, and have been quite resourceful and creative with household accommodations.
You can meet families like the Murreys who adopted a young, completely blind daughter. You can read how mom, Sarah, learned all that is possible for children and adults who are visually impaired, and how Sarah encourages her daughter to explore the world.
Introduce Yourself and Connect with Others
Donât stop at reading the stories of others. Introduce yourself, share your story, and join discussions on FamilyConnectâs message boards. And if you havenât already done so, connect with other parents of babies, children, teens, and adults who are blind or visually impaired by joining the FamilyConnect community.