Embracing Holland (The Unfamiliar Territory of Blindness/Low Vision)

On March 5, 2019, my son Russ shocked the delivery room with a full head of bright white hair. The nurses called it “rockstar” hair! He was the cutest little dude, with folks all over the hospital stopping by to see “the baby with the white hair” that all of us blonde ladies pay the … Continued

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

Braille Literacy Month: Emergent Literacy for Individuals Who Are Blind or Deafblind

Have you ever thought about how people learn? As I have written on previously (for instance, in the blog Explore an Orchard with Your Child Who Is Blind or Visually Impaired), and as you have no doubt witnessed in your own learning endeavors and when teaching your child(ren), individuals learn when they are able to make connections.  People aren’t blank slates on which we simply download or impart information; individuals understand concepts … Continued

Preparing Your Child Who is Blind or Low Vision for Kindergarten

Such a whirlwind of bittersweet emotions—kindergarten is approaching! It’s hard to believe how quickly the years have passed, isn’t it? Your little one went from complete dependence on you to making strides toward independence. Thankfully your child’s absolute preciousness hasn’t changed, but their level of autonomy has. So, let’s take a look at how you can be preparing your child for increased independence in preparation for kindergarten.  Working … Continued

Cover of Dragon Masters: The Call of the Sound Dragon

Scholastic’s Dragon Masters Brings a Character who is Blind to Life in The Call of the Sound Dragon

For all of the parents and families of children who are blind or low vision, I want to introduce you to a new book in the Dragon Masters series. If you haven’t heard of the series yet, you should, because it offers short adventures through an imaginative mythical world filled with children paired with magical … Continued

BrailleBlaster Question and Answer: Braille Software for Everyone

Editor’s Note: Parents, would you like to create braille at home for your child? Now you can using the American Printing House for the Blind’s (APH) BrailleBlaster™ software. All you need is access to an embosser or a refreshable braille display, and you can provide materials in braille for your visually impaired child. We’ve partnered … Continued

Helping Your Child Who Is Blind or Visually Impaired Avoid the “Summer Reading Slide”

Editor’s Note: Today’s blog post is from Samantha Kelly, a teacher of students with visual impairments in Florida, who provides us with wonderful suggestions for helping our children elude summertime regression in reading. Helping Your Child Who Is Blind or Visually Impaired Avoid the “Summer Reading Slide” by Samantha Kelly Summertime. While the children are … Continued

Braille Tales: Free Book Program for Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired

Editor’s note: Today’s blog post is about the American Printing House for the Blind’s “Braille Tales Book Program” for children who are blind or visually impaired. This free program offers participating families six free print/braille books per year up to the child’s sixth birthday. Visually impaired mother, Holly Bonner, shares her story of using “Braille … Continued

Common Financial Myths to Debunk for Your Older Child or Teen with Vision Loss

April is the official National Financial Literacy Month in the United States. But let’s face it, with income tax finished, we already have money on the mind. What a perfect opportunity to draw our children and teenagers into conversations about earning money and managing finances. Convey your money-management strengths; humbly discuss your challenges; share many … Continued