Skip to Content

Category: multiple disabilities

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

From: FamilyConnect Blog
Categories: Activities , Books , Braille , communications , homeschooling , literacy , multiple disabilities , parenting , Personal Reflections , Reading
By

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 arenā€™t blank slates on which we simply download or impart information; individuals understand concepts … Continued

Braille: The Doorway to Literacy

From: FamilyConnect Blog
Categories: Assistive Technology , Education , IEP , Independent Living , literacy , Low Vision , multiple disabilities , parenting , Self-Advocacy
By

As we celebrate Louis Brailleā€™s birthday and World Braille Day on January 4 ā€“ and Braille Literacy Month throughout January ā€“ itā€™s an ideal time to consider how important it is for all students who are blind or visually impaired to learn braille.  Of course, there are plenty of ways to take in language without sight, from … Continued

ā€œNo, Thank You. I can do itā€: Preventing Learned Helplessness

From: FamilyConnect Blog
Categories: Communication , Home modification , Independence , multiple disabilities , parenting , Self-Advocacy
By

Imagine you are shopping for groceries, safely crossing a street, playing with your child at the park, utilizing an elevator, or completing a routine job task. Youā€™re accomplishing what you have successfully accomplished for so many days and years. Your arm is clutched by a well-meaning individual wanting to ā€œrescueā€ you, or you hear, ā€œIā€™ve … Continued

Orientation and Mobility for Your Child Who Uses or Will Use a Wheelchair

From: FamilyConnect Blog
Categories: Getting Around , Independence , multiple disabilities , Orientation and Mobility , parenting
By

Perhaps you are here today with apprehension or concern, eager to learn how your child will travel when blind or visually impaired and using a wheelchair (whether full-time or part-time). You arenā€™t sure how orientation and mobility (travel training for individuals who are blind or visually impaired) will work when your child isnā€™t walking. Is … Continued

In Celebration of NDEAM: We Look Back, We Advocate, and We Plan for Gainful Employment

From: FamilyConnect Blog
Categories: Employment , expanded core curriculum , Independence , multiple disabilities , Online Tools , Self-Advocacy , Transition
By

Hello, October, arguably the most magnificent monthā€”not (only) because of the sensational scents, sights, and sips of fall, but (also) because October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, NDEAM for short. In celebration: We stop and remember. We educate others. We plan and gear up for the future. Why? Because, as is the 2021 NDEAM … Continued

Letā€™s Go to the Loo: Resources for Potty Training a Child Who Is Blind or Visually Impaired

From: FamilyConnect Blog
Categories: hygiene , Independence , multiple disabilities , parenting , Self-Advocacy , summer
By

Toilet training is often viewed as a looming hurdle, a giant obstacle, and an exhausting feat. One requiring patience upon patience. We parents arm ourselves with a litany of literature, hoping to prepare our children for success and ourselves with realistic expectations, but most toilet-training literature is written for children who are fully sighted. While … Continued

Communication for Young Children with Visual Impairments and Multiple Disabilities

From: FamilyConnect: A Parent's Voice
Categories: Elementary Edcuation , IEP , Independent Living , multiple disabilities
By

What was your childā€™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

Eddie wearing headphones, smiling

Spring Break Extended

From: Raising a Child Who Is Blind and...
Categories: Autism , Coronavirus , COVID-19 , homeschooling , multiple disabilities , parenting , spring break
By

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 establishmentsā€¦and now those canā€™t even be used.