TeenTober: Cultivating a Fondness for Reading

Editor’s note:TeenTober™ is a new, nationwide celebration hosted by libraries every October and aims to celebrate teens, promote year-round teen services and the innovative ways teen services helps teens learn new skills, and fuel their passions in and outside the library. Today we look at inspiring your teen who is blind or low vision to … Continued

Making Stories Sparkle! An Invitation to an Interactive Story Time 

Hello, I’m Gwynnie-Gwyn-Gwyn, the storyteller and creator of the Story Time Show, a show that is inclusive of the whole family or class. It’s a show that has children with complex learning needs and their families at its heart. It’s a show that aims to have FUN!  Can you imagine the joy of your family … Continued

Summer Friendships: Helping Your Child Who is Blind or Low Vision Develop and Maintain Connections

Summer offers most young people additional free time due to fewer academic responsibilities. The season is ripe for your child who is blind or low vision to develop and maintain friendships through planning and attending get-togethers. Consider with me who your child can meet up with, any social skills needing improvement, and any accessibility concerns—all … Continued

Transitions: Hearts for Sight: A Nonprofit Inspired by One Man’s Quest for Self-Improvement

FC Editor’s Note: Joseph Burton, co-founder and president of Hearts for Sight (HFS) Foundation, created the supportive environment he longed for as a young man. HFS provides health, wellness, and therapy for adults and youth who are blind or low vision.  _________________________  Joseph Burton knows what a significant difference it can make in someone’s life … Continued

Transitions: Dicapta: Spanish Audio Description Services and Technology for Accessibility 

Editor’s note: Parents of children who are blind or visually low vision, does your child speak Spanish? Learn more about the Dicapta Corporation, which makes audiovisual content accessible to Spanish speakers who are blind or low vision!   Have you ever wondered how people who are blind or low vision watch television shows and movies? Or … Continued

Get in the Dirt: Reducing Stress This Season  

Being a parent of a child with unique needs has its share of stressors. You know this.    It’s why we’ve tackled the topic of stress on more than one occasion; remember Parent’s Perspective: How We Manage the Stress in Our Marriage? It’s worth a re-read.  But we’ve long since been in a season which has generated … Continued

March is National Craft Month! Let’s Celebrate with a Highly Textured, Self-Portrait Collage!

Children who are blind or visually impaired (and those who are fully sighted!) can get their hands on a variety of textures as they create this self-portrait collage; additionally, they can learn about body parts, facial expressions, and spatial concepts, too!  So, here’s to making a little bit of a mess, a great bit of … Continued

Fall Family Fun: Explore an Orchard with Your Child Who Is Blind or Visually Impaired

Your child has likely sunk their teeth into a crisp apple bursting with sweet juices or taken spoonfuls of sugary, smooth applesauce with notes of warm cinnamon, but do they know how their snack came to be? Do they know how apples are grown and harvested? Do they truly know what an apple tree is? Have they run their fingers over the scaly bark, wrapped their arms around the girth … Continued

Swimming for Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired

Get out the suits and sunscreen, it’s pool time! Swimming is a welcome reprieve from the heat and a phenomenal no-impact exercise for the entire family. But don’t take it from me: Letticia Martinez, Paralympian swimmer who is blind, shares her story to encourage parents. Let’s dive into accessibility considerations for your child who is … Continued

Tactile Easter Egg Decorating For Your Child Who Is Blind or Visually Impaired

We’re talking Easter egg decorating—but not your standard boiled eggs dipped in food coloring—accessible, tactile designing! While our finished products can still look creative and beautiful, our main aim is for them to be tactually interesting. We also want them to be enjoyable to create. Determined to create simple, elegant eggs which would be interesting … Continued