Here are a couple of videos about visually impaired kids that recently appeared in local newscasts. Though at 18, maybe I should stop referring to Brandon as a kid?

This summer, the Scholastic Storybook Treasures DVD series, which has won more awards than any other contemporary children’s video brand, will launch a new line of DVDs designed to teach early sign language skills to preschool children. Featuring beautiful productions of some of the most recognizable children’s books of all time, this new series offers a groundbreaking approach to learning sign language and helping kids of all hearing abilities to gain literacy and pre-reading skills.

The first two releases are Goodnight Moon & More Great Bedtime Stories, lovingly adapted from the 1947 storybook by Margaret Wise Brown, which has sold tens of millions of units worldwide, and the loveable tale A Pocket for Corduroy, with Five Little Monkeys to follow this fall. The inaugural releases will both be available on July 27.

Researchers have been working with stem cells to replace damaged cornea tissue in patients. The stem cells come from their own eyes, so the patient must have at least some healthy tissue in one eye. Of course this technique wouldn’t work for patients with damaged retinas or optic nerves, but it is still very promising.

Doctors have been performing this operation for a few years now and it sounds a lot like the procedure Mike May had, which is chronicled in the book Crashing Through: The Extraordinary True Story of the Man Who Dared to See (a great read, by the way).

Save the Date: Saturday, October 23, 2010

The Discover Conference is for families of school age children who are blind, visually impaired and deafblind, including those with additional disabilities. It will be held at Perkins’ Watertown, MA campus.

The focus of our 2010 conference is on helping families build networks and find support from each other. Our keynote speaker is Marlyn Minkin, a licensed family therapist and mental health counselor, with nearly 30 years of experience working with families of children with these disabilities around the world. In her work facilitating parent groups and providing individual counseling, Minkin has identified common themes parents face. She believes families can learn from each other and take comfort in the fact that even though their experiences are unique, they share common challenges and concerns. “Once people get to know each other life is easier. They talk to other parents and they share their experience. It’s important for parents to know they are not alone.”

Conference discussion topics will include:

• Strategies to take care of ourselves and our relationships
• Sharing ideas about how to help kids make the most out of their free time
• Supporting brothers and sisters
• Making decisions about the focus of your child’s educational program
• Dreams, hopes and fears about life beyond school
• What every parent needs to know about sex education

This event is presented by Perkins School for the Blind, the National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments (NAPVI), and the New England Consortium of Deafblind Projects (NEC).

Online registration will be active in early September 2010.

For updates, visit: www.Perkins.org/Discover