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Category: Low Vision

Eye-Pressing in Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired, And an Invitation to a Needs-Assessment Survey

From: FamilyConnect Blog
Categories: Assistive Technology , Low Vision , Readers Want to Know
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Does your child who is blind or visually impaired engage in prolonged eye-pressing? Perhaps you’ve noticed your child aggressively rubbing or poking their eyes with their fingers, knuckles, or fists, and you are concerned or even disturbed. You may wonder why it’s occurring, whether it’s acceptable, and how to address it.  If this describes you, please know you are not alone!   Let’s take a look at   why … Continued

Low Vision Exam. What is it? Who Needs it?  What comes next?

From: FamilyConnect Blog
Categories: Assistive Technology , ECC , expanded core curriculum , Low Vision , Sensory Efficiency
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Editor’s note: Join us on June 15, 2021, @ 12:30 pm (EST), for the second of two webinars in which Dr. Alexis G. Malkin, OD, FAAO, and David Bradburn from HumanWare will provide an overview of assistive technology and services that help people with low vision perform everyday tasks. Using the state of Massachusetts as an example, the presenters will illustrate the needs, available services, and funding for 3 different groups, namely: … Continued

On Going Blind and Growing Up: My Journey with Low Vision

From: Student Perspective
Categories: ECC , Low Vision , Self-Advocacy , Self-Determination , Sensory Efficiency Skills
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Editor’s note: At age 11, Emmet Teran was featured in the documentary film, Going Blind: Coming Out of the Dark About Vision Loss, by Joe Lovett (released in 2010 when Emmet was 13).  In this blog Emmet shares how this experience changed his life. Join Emmet and several others in the post-screening panel discussion of … Continued

Four smiling people, some wearing hats, on a beach vacation

Equipping Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired with Outdoor Activity Skills

From: FamilyConnect: A Parent's Voice
Categories: Getting Around , Low Vision , Planning for the Future , Social Life and Recreation , Social Skills , Sports
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Hearing shrieks of laughter and commotion outside, Jane peeked through the blinds. Ah, the neighborhood kids are playing soccer on the Biggs’ front yard. New to the street, she didn’t yet know the ages of all the children, but they looked to be between five and eight years old, similar in age to her Theo. … Continued

Empowered to Work with Your Visually Impaired Child’s Medical Professionals

From: FamilyConnect: A Parent's Voice
Categories: Employment , Independence , Low Vision , Online Tools , Planning for the Future , Self-Advocacy , Social Life and Recreation , Social Skills
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You + your child’s ophthalmologist + the pediatrician + any necessary therapists + medical specialists who manage any chronic or acute problems = your child’s robust medical professional team. You are a key member. Yet, it isn’t uncommon for parents to feel void of expertise and, therefore, to take a passive role or back seat … Continued

Empowered to Work with Your Visually Impaired Child’s Medical Professionals

From: FamilyConnect: A Parent's Voice
Categories: Employment , Independence , Low Vision , Online Tools , Planning for the Future , Self-Advocacy , Social Life and Recreation , Social Skills
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You + your child’s ophthalmologist + the pediatrician + any necessary therapists + medical specialists who manage any chronic or acute problems = your child’s robust medical professional team. You are a key member. Yet, it isn’t uncommon for parents to feel void of expertise and, therefore, to take a passive role or back seat … Continued

Fostering Strong, Healthy Bonds Between Siblings When One Child Has a Visual Impairment

From: FamilyConnect: A Parent's Voice
Categories: Low Vision , Personal Reflections , Planning for the Future , Social Life and Recreation , Social Skills
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Families who have a child who is blind or visually impaired spend much time and energy teaching concepts which would otherwise be learned incidentally, demonstrating self-care and home management skills, addressing accessibility concerns, visiting specialists, attending educational planning meetings, and responding to questions of passersby and family members. Siblings can feel forgotten. Siblings can feel … Continued

Everything You Need for a Memorable, Accessible Easter for a Child with a Visual Impairment

From: FamilyConnect: A Parent's Voice
Categories: Holidays , Low Vision , Social Life and Recreation
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If you take a walk down memory lane to recollect your most treasured Easter celebration as a child, what comes to mind? I think about visiting my grandparent’s home in Tampa, Florida, wearing a new-to-me fancy dress that could twirl just so, searching diligently through the grass for plastic (coin-filled) and previously hand painted hard-boiled … Continued

Celebrating Passover? Here’s How to Involve Your Child Who Is Blind or Visually Impaired

From: FamilyConnect: A Parent's Voice
Categories: Low Vision , Planning for the Future , Social Life and Recreation
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Recently, FamilyConnect composed an article entitled "Making Holidays Meaningful for Your Child Who Is Blind or Visually Impaired," which is a compiled list of holidays organized by season—each holiday links an article sharing specific strategies and inspiration to ensure a child or teen with a visual impairment can fully participate in the elements of the … Continued