First Day Jitters: Four Stories of Transition (Elementary, Middle, High, College)

It can certainly feel daunting when your child or teen who is blind or low vision is transitioning to their next season of education (elementary, middle, high school, or college)! Much like the popular children’s book series First Day Jitters, you and your maturing child may have jitters—and more than a few! You may both … Continued

Transitions: Indiana O&M Adventure Summer Camp: Play and Practical Lessons   

Thanks to APH FamilyConnect’s sponsorship, children who are blind or have low vision in Indiana from birth through age 18 have the chance to attend the first-ever O&M Adventure Summer Camp! The camp is being offered in two-hour sessions over the course of three weeks in Indianapolis.    The camp is the brainchild of Mindy Koehne, … Continued

Help! What Do I Do with Ample Sumer Free Time for My Child Who Is Blind or Visually Impaired?

School’s out for the summer! Cue extra family time, sports, and perhaps a vacation. But, in addition to planned activities and family bonding opportunities, summer affords our children ample good old fashion free time. Managing the spare hours can feel overwhelming—especially so if you have a young child who needs close supervision or a child … Continued

Catching Up With The Homework Hotline

Imagine wrapping up your last zoom meeting of the day to find out that your child is struggling with arrays and factors and you are at a loss to translate what you learned about multiplication into the new terms your child’s school is using to explain math concepts. Now imagine your child is also using braille … Continued

Communication for Young Children with Visual Impairments and Multiple Disabilities

What was your child’s first word?  This question seems innocent enough, but it caused a great deal of heartache for me every time someone asked it. With respect to my daughter Mary, that first word was never spoken. Throughout our years in Early Intervention, we focused a great deal of effort and energy on encouraging … Continued