Behind the Scenes: Mom Creates CVI-Friendly YouTube Videos

Editor’s note: Alissa DeSousa shares memories of her son receiving multiple medical diagnoses, both in utero and in early childhood, including cerebral/ cortical visual impairment (CVI). She also shares how she recognized a need for CVI-friendly videos and proceeded to meet the need. Behind the Scenes: Mom Creates CVI-Friendly YouTube Videos When my pregnancy was … Continued

Journey to a Diagnosis of Leber Congenital Amaurosis

Editor’s note: Brooklyn and Nick are raising two girls with Leber congenital amaurosis, an inherited eye condition characterized by a lack of activity in the retina. Today, they share their long road to receiving diagnoses. If you, too, have a child diagnosed with an eye condition, please know that 1) You are not alone, 2) … Continued

Summer Friendships: Helping Your Child Who is Blind or Low Vision Develop and Maintain Connections

Summer offers most young people additional free time due to fewer academic responsibilities. The season is ripe for your child who is blind or low vision to develop and maintain friendships through planning and attending get-togethers. Consider with me who your child can meet up with, any social skills needing improvement, and any accessibility concerns—all … Continued

Transitions: “What Did You Say About Frogs”?: Deafblindness, An Incomplete Introduction 

Editor’s note: Is your child or young adult an individual with deafblindness? Do you wonder what it’s like to be DeafBlind? In recognition of DeafBlind Awarness Month, George Stern shares his perspective on living with deafblindness. George is a deafblind Afro-Caribbean immigrant who’s interested in all things food, linguistic, and social justice.   Several lifetimes ago, … Continued

APH ConnectCenter Physical Activity Webinar Programs 

by Dr. Lauren Lieberman and Ruth Childs Editor’s Note: Dr. Lauren Lieberman and Ruth Childs share information about a seven-part APH ConnectCenter webinar series where Dr. Lieberman and additional experts will provide information, examples, and tools to support access to recreation and physical activity for all children, including those who are blind or low vision.  … Continued

Transitions: The Making of a (Self) Advocate  

by Jaida Burrows Editor’s Note: Growing up with cerebral palsy and cortical visual impairment (CVI), high school Junior, Jaida, shares how she doesn’t see her challenges as “barriers”; she sees “puzzles” that she can solve. Jaida’s parents raised her to be a self-advocate. Starting in middle school, Jaida was empowered to share her story which … 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

Necessity is the Mother of Invention, Especially for Families of Blind and Visually Impaired Children 

Melisa Matthews was an elementary school teacher when she gave birth to a son – who was a pale blonde towhead — and assumed he’d grow out of it, just like her husband did. Two-and-a-half years later, the couple had a daughter, whose irregular eye movements were identified at her two-month wellness check-up. Melisa’s daughter … Continued

Ever Lee Hairston: A Black leader in the blindness field and civil rights

Ever Lee Hairston is not only one of the countless Black leaders who work in the field of blindness, or have done so through the years. She is also a civil rights leader – and her experience with the civil rights movement inspired her to help others who are blind, like her.  Lighting the flame  … Continued

Let Kids Be Kids: Instilling Confidence in Children With Visual Impairments  

Paul Schroeder, who is Vice President of Government and Community Affairs at APH, has had a successful and satisfying career so far. And he’s quick to credit his parents for making a lot of good decisions after he lost both eyes to retinoblastoma – cancer of the retina – by the time he was two … Continued