What if, this summer, you invite your child with a visual impairment (and any siblings) on an adventure of a lifetime. A type of summer "vacation" from the norm, one we’ll call a summer "escape." This adventure will not require leaving the house and is ideal even when cash and time are strapped. It will, … Continued
Students often use video magnifiers or Closed-Circuit Televisions with magnification (CCTV) to complete homework and classwork during the school year. Summer CCTV-use is often a drastically different story! Here’s to transforming the norm and avoiding the summer assistive technology regression! If your child has access to a CCTV at home or the local library, here … Continued
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
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
We recently discussed the importance of braille on AFB FamilyConnect. Many parents of older children and teens with vision loss, as well as many adults with vision loss, spoke out in agreement that braille is of utmost importance when print-reading is a struggle. So, with this information, why is braille instruction often neglected in children … Continued
It’s the middle of the school year and your child with low vision (who supposedly doesn’t need a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments) is academically struggling. While your child could be any age, I wouldn’t be surprised if you have a grade schooler and you’re seeing the result of standard print size in text … Continued
Thank you, holiday season, for generating major motivation for our beautiful little people to read and write. When my children come home from school this afternoon I will ask them to write a Christmas wish list. I’ll grin as I watch their uncharacteristic enthusiasm for literacy. My oldest, the perfectionist, will ask for help with … Continued
I will never forget his question. My transition students and I were on a nature trail walk and it was a particularly rocky section. One teen who was totally blind opted for sighted guide, so I offered him my arm. We all strolled on and chatted; all except this one, typically talkative, teen. “What’s on … Continued
I guess you could say I’m as inspired by the holidays as I am by Emily Coleman’s blog series: “A Holiday Approach to the Expanded Core Curriculum“. Take, for instance, Emily’s advice to have your child ask family members about their careers in the blog post, “Career Education for the Holidays”. This is where I … Continued
Last year Emily Coleman blogged about living skills instruction over the holidays. I know Thanksgiving week can be an intense week of traveling or hosting relatives, and you may feel held captive by the kitchen, but. But what if this week can also be a time for your child who is blind or visually impaired … Continued