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

Mother and daughter smiling for camera, both wearing sunglasses, daughter wearing big floppy hat

Online Learning for Kids who are Blind or Low Vision In Midst of the Coronavirus Pandemic

COVID-19 has turned our lives upside-down. In our house, one of the biggest challenges we face is continuing education for our son who is blind. Joshua is ten years old and in the 4th grade. We adopted Joshua three years ago from China. Prior to his adoption, Joshua did not have any opportunity to learn … Continued

Two hands holding orange with toothpicks sticking out of it

Teaching Your Child Who is Blind or Visually Impaired About Viruses and Handwashing

You should have seen her—my nine-year-old daughter “washed her hands” after coming in for dinner. My inner dialogue: Wait, what?! Is that how she’s been washing her hands? Does she realize she rinsed off the soap before scrubbing? It’s time to go back to the basics. That’s just scary. COVID-19 is here and it feels … Continued

A blue plastic easter Egg lays open on a table with an egg shaped birdseed treat between the two halves.

Have an Easter Egg Hunt for the Birds!

Recommended age for this lesson: 2+ Skills to work on in this activity: Daily LivingMathReading Comprehension (If paired with an App: Assistive Technology Ex:  iOS: SeeingAI or Android: EnvisionAI)Following DirectionsO&MTactual Discrimination APH Products that supplement this activity: Tactile Town and Guidebook (for creating a large tactile map)Picture Maker (for  a small tactile Explorer Bright Ray … Continued

Eddie smiling while swinging on a swing set
Eddie wearing headphones, smiling

Spring Break Extended

When my son, Eddie, is home for days without structure or routine, he becomes a hot mess. We get nervous gearing up for spring break every year. Last week, before the world stood still, we even had his teacher and speech language therapist pay us a home visit to help set-up a schedule for unstructured days. They gave us tactile symbols for his favorite restaurant and shopping establishments…and now those can’t even be used.