Special Needs
Find support for parents of children with special needs. Learn how to advocate for your child, raise funds for needed equipment and find helpful organizations.
Filter by: Advocacy, Assistive Technology, Autism, Schools for the Blind, Support, Visual Impairment
Visual Impairment
Sensory Sun Resources for Kids Who are Visually Impaired
Sensory Sun Educational Technologies is a website that shares information about raising and teaching children with visual impairments.
Eye Conditions and Syndromes, Visual Impairment
ID YOUR IRD Offers Free Genetic Testing for Families with Inherited Retinal Diseases
Spark Therapeutics launches ID YOUR IRD genetic testing info site offering free genetic testing for people with inherited retinal diseases.
Support
An Open Letter to the Mom Who Just Wants to Help
Remember that you're my friend, not my therapist.
Holiday Crafts and Ideas, Tactile Arts and Crafts, Visual Impairment
Fall Sensory Art Projects for Visually Impaired Kids
Choose from five wonderfully crafty art projects adapted for blind children that celebrate fall! Make prints and wreaths with apples and leaves, create your own tree, or decorate pumpkins!
Education, Special Needs
11 Things to Look for When Choosing a Special Needs Preschool
If you're in the market for a preschool program for your special needs child, you may be wondering what to look for, what questions to ask the teachers, and how...
Support
Wine for Moms of Blind Kids
A glass of wine with dinner helps iron out the stresses of the day for lots of moms, but us special needs moms have more stresses than most!
Orientation and Mobility, Visual Impairment
Guide Dogs of America
Guide Dogs of America is dedicated to its mission to provide guide dogs and instruction in their use, free of charge, to blind and visually impaired men and women
Advocacy, Toys
#ToyLikeMe Brings Disability Awareness to the Toy Box
#ToyLikeMe is bringing revolution to the toy box by advocating major toy companies to include representations of disabilities in their product lines.
Cooking and Kitchen Play, Visual Impairment
Making Lunch Time More Fun for Blind Kids
We've rounded up some tips and fun ideas to help you plan ahead to make your child's lunch quick to assemble, plus fun and healthy too!
Support, Visual Impairment
What I Will Say the Next Time Someone Asks an Insensitive Question About My Deafblind Daughter
"What's wrong with her eyes?" Do people ask you questions about your blind child? What do you say?
Parenting, Special Needs
Why I’m Talking About Sex and Intimacy as a Special Needs Mom
A call to couples and parents raising special needs kids to prioritize sex and physical intimacy in their relationships.
Parenting, Special Needs
8 things I am so done with as a special needs mom
It's hard to keep things together as a special needs family. I'm losing patience and I feel totally selfish for being so annoyed with the world, but I'm going to...
Assistive Technology
Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP)
The Described and Captioned Media Program provides a library of free-loan described and captioned educational media for students who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind.
Braille and Literacy, Visual Impairment
BlindArt Creative Tactile Books for Blind Preschoolers
BlindArt plans to develop a series of four tactile picture books for preschool children which follow the adventures of two silly characters.
Eye Conditions and Syndromes, Visual Impairment
Pediatric Cortical Visual Impairment Society (PCVIS)
The mission of the Pediatric Cortical Visual Impairment Society is to advocate for improvement in the quality of life of children with vision loss due to brain disorder, disease or...
Advocacy, Visual Impairment
5 TED Talks by Presenters Who Are Blind
Here are five TED Talks given by presenters who are blind. Not only are they entertaining and educational, each speech is perfectly balanced with the right amount of seriousness and...
Special Needs
New Paralympic Medals Will Make You Wish You Were Competing!
The exciting new design incorporates braille and sound for Rio's 2016 Paralympic Games!
Visual Impairment
What You Might Not Know About Destiny the Whale Shark in Finding Dory (HINT: Maybe she needs a white cane?)
There's been a lot of talk about how Dory's disability is represented in Finding Dory, but not so much buzz about the visually impaired whale shark character, Destiny. Let's change...
Visual Impairment
15+ Summer Camps for Blind Kids
There are many annual summer camps your blind or visually impaired child or teenager can attend. We found 15 camps for braille, sports, independence, leadership and more!
iPad Apps and Accessibility, Visual Impairment
EDA PLAY TOBY: Visual Training iPad App for Visually Impaired Kids
EDA PLAY TOBY is a free iPad app that can help visually impaired kids learn to use the vision they have. It's a great app for kids with CVI!
Play, Visual Impairment
Everything You Need to Know About Goalball for Visually Impaired Athletes
Goalball is a fast-paced and active physical sport that does not require vision to play. It's a fun recreation for children who are blind.
Feeding and Eating, Visual Impairment
The Blind Cook is Cooking with Her Four Senses
This video series features blind chef Christine Ha as she demonstrates cooking without sight. The show also offers nutritional tips and other cool food-related information.
Orientation and Mobility, Visual Impairment
Hand Use While Walking: Helping Your Child Who is Blind Understand His Home
Certified Orientation and Mobility instructor Susan Shier Lowry gives tips on how to encourage young blind children to reach out and touch while walking through familiar environments. Trailing techniques are...
Visual Impairment
Reach Out and Teach: Helping Your Child Who is Visually Impaired Learn and Grow
The empowering guide that teaches parents how to promote the development of young children with visual and multiple impairments.