Preschoolers Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
As the parent of a preschooler who is blind or has low vision, you’re facing a whole new set of questions: How can I help my child socialize? How can I prepare him for a classroom environment? Find the answers to your questions here and connect with other parents of blind preschoolers.
All about school for visually impaired children from age three to six:
- What is a teacher of students with visual impairments (TVI) and what is their role with preschoolers who are blind?
- What about the Individualized Educational Program (IEP) for children who are visually impaired and in preschool?
- Learn about assessments for preschool children who are blind.
- Checklists for before, during, and after your IEP meeting (don’t forget to keep those IEP records).
- The topic of friends is covered in detail in the “Social Life and Recreation” section, but, in particular, check out the article on “Building Friendships: A Preschool Priority for Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired.”
- The ever-changing world of access technology provides accessibility to books, information, and more.
The “Transition to Independence” section explains how you may help your child to develop independence skills and begin the process of career awareness and development. We thank the May and Stanley Smith Foundation for its support and funding of this project. Read these articles to see what you can do at home.
- Assertive Language for Visually Impaired Preschoolers
- Encouraging Blind Preschoolers to Build Friendships
- Using Calendars with a Preschooler with Visual Impairment
- Exposing Your Child Who Is Blind to Hobbies
- Exposing Preschoolers Who Are Blind to Jobs
- Teaching Visually Impaired Children to Introduce Themselves
- Letting Your Visually Impaired Child Help
- Listening Skills for Preschoolers Who Are Visually Impaired
- Pretend Play Introduces Children Who Are Blind to Jobs
Connect with Other Parents of Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
Hear directly from parents as well as professionals. There are several full-time parent bloggers contributing to FamilyConnect. You may follow the blog and the message boards by signing up for e-mail alerts to receive daily or weekly links to what is happening on your favorite blogs and message boards.
- FamilyConnect: A Parent’s Voice—various contributions from professionals and parents just like you
- Raising a Child Who is Blind and…
Join the FamilyConnect community, and you will be able to:
- Be a part of the FamilyFriends program that will match you with others with the same eye condition and age of child
- Request e-mail alerts about events in your area
- Follow a blog or message board and get e-mail alerts whenever there is a new message, post, or reply
- Set up your profile, upload pictures, and share with other families across the country. You will be in total control of who can see your page as you must first accept their request to become friends.