"When you read each of these sight words correctly to your teacher, maybe we can go to the donut store," I heard myself say to my seven-year-old. Her eyes grew big, I thought with excitement at the motivation. It took mere seconds to realize they widened out of panic. The pressure was on; she had … Continued
Three or four years ago I was helping teach a summer camp for children who are blind. My son was the right age for the camp, but developmentally he wasnāt ready. The kids were learning how to take a bus, prepare meals, and even ride tandem bikes. While I was captaining one of these bikes, … Continued
Parents, I know you are as impressed with the Paralympic athletes as I am! Absolutely remarkable displays of power, speed, strength, agility, resolve, and grit: unequivocal athleticism. I watched them, just as I watched the Olympic athletes, and felt a surge of adrenalineā¦like I needed to pick up a set of boxing gloves and release … Continued
I remember well a former student of mine who had low vision and was football obsessed. He enjoyed throwing and catching with his dad, playing on a leisure league, and helping coach young children in football on a weekend community league. This teen was swollen with pride when the football team at his high school … Continued
āThis Christmas,ā my parents told me when I was twelve āwe are going on a family trip instead of buying presents. Hereās why: Do you remember what we bought you last year? No? Well, you never forget an experience.ā They were right. I never forgot that trip; we drove from our home in Raleigh to … Continued
You might know it is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and I was offered the opportunity to share some information with you. I manage the American Foundation for the Blind’s CareerConnect program. APH CareerConnect is a career exploration, job seeking skills, navigating the employment process, and e-mentoring web program. You might guess that I am … Continued
We have just returned from the National NAPVI conference for families held this past weekend in Chicago. We were so grateful to meet parents and teachers from around not only the country, but the world. (Kudos to the mother, aunt, and baby who traveled all the way from Australia!) The message families gave us is … Continued
There are a couple of ways to find out fun things to do when you are visually impaired. Find local organizations or groups that organize events or activities. In my example, I found a running club organization called Achilles International. They organize races and events, and they pair volunteers with people with any disabilities to … Continued
With the Father’s Day approaching, it is important to recognize the support and care of parents. I would like to share my experiences when growing up. Equality One of the things that my parents got right was promoting a sense of equality when growing up. Promoting equality for me means treating each child the same … Continued
We’re delighted to host a guest post today from Buddy Levy, presenting his interview with Erik Weihenmayer and Amy Van Dyken-Rouen. What do a blind outdoor adventurer and an asthmatic six-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer have in common? Turns out, the same thing that all of us have in common in some form or other: … Continued