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

a large bathroom with 7 Steps to Teach a Blind Child how to be Independent in Public Bathrooms

Potty Training, Visual Impairment

7 Steps to Teach a Blind Child how to be Independent in Public Bathrooms

Rusty has put together some sound advice on how you can help your older blind children navigate bathrooms on their own independently!

text reading

Education, Visual Impairment

5 Back-to-School Resources for Kids with Visual Impairments and their Families

Want to make this school year the best year yet? Browse our collection of resources for tips and ideas on how to make the most of the "Back-to-School" season!

Financial planning for the special needs family

Support

I’m Planning for a 70-Year retirement… How About You?

When you're raising a special needs child, you need to plan for your own retirement as well as your child's financial future. How can you cover both expenses in your...

Support

Things in My House that I Wish Would Just Take Care of Themselves

This is going to sound like a lot of complaining, but really it's my response to the special needs world closing in on me. Sometimes you need to come up...

Ivan washing his hands in the sink

Potty Training, Visual Impairment

8 Tips for Surviving Toilet Training in Public Bathrooms with Your Blind Child

Toilet training a child with special needs is difficult enough... have you tackled public bathrooms yet?

Advocacy

Advocacy

Learning Advocacy and Self-Advocacy

Marianne Haas, a TVI, disability advocate and employment counselor, gives strategies and tips on how to advocate for your blind child.

Feature of Smart Specs

Assistive Technology, Visual Impairment

Smart Specs Help Legally Blind See

New assistive glasses adjust images in real-time for people who are visually impaired.

Braille Smart Watch

Assistive Technology, Braille and Literacy

Dot Braille Smart Watch

New braille smart watch features four cells of refreshable braille.

Smart Cane recongizing owner's faces

Assistive Technology, Orientation and Mobility

Smart Cane Recognizes Faces

The XploR cane uses smartphone technology to send vibrations to the user when it detects a familiar face.

Shelby in her WonderBaby T-Shirt

Eye Conditions and Syndromes, Special Needs

Why I Loved Attending the CHARGE Conference

I was nervous about attending my first CHARGE conference, but I am so happy that I did! It was wonderful! You should attend a family conference about your child's diagnosis...

mom and Ivan working from home

Special Needs

Why You Should Hire a Special Needs Parent

Are you good at juggling multiple projects? Do you adapt well to change? You may be a special needs parent!

Lesley and her dog

Advocacy

How My Disability has Taught Me to Embrace My Own Uniqueness

Perhaps if we all made a positive difference in our own unique way we would feel more connected to each other and less afraid to be imperfect.

Ivan eating lunch at Panera Bread

Support

Is this as Good as it Gets?

Maybe things are good now, but you know they will just get harder as your child grows up. Disability doesn't get easier as kids get older! Are these days your...

Beautiful Madilyn

Visual Impairment

What Does it Mean to be Blind?

How can you explain blindness to your child when you are sighted? And how can you explain sight to a child who has never seen?

Sensory room

Support

What would you buy for your special needs child if money wasn’t an issue?

Sometimes it's fun to live in fantasy land and imagine what we would give our kids if money were no object. What if you had a million dollars? What would...

Ivan playing with parachute

Play, Visual Impairment

Summer Activities for Kids who are Blind

Looking for summer tips and advice to help you keep your blind child active during the break? Join our summer blog party to get advice from parents just like you!

10 dollar bill

Advocacy

Changes Coming to Make US Currency Accessible

What's your opinion of the need for accessible currency in the US? Should we change our money so that it's accessible to the blind?

3D Printer

Math and Science, Visual Impairment

3D Printing for Visual Impairments

How can 3D printing enhance the life of a visually impaired child? From toys to tactile graphics to braille puzzles... the possibilities are endless!

Ivan in his mother's arms

Visual Impairment

The Day I Redefined Perfection as the Mother of a Blind Child

How can your baby be perfect if he can't see? Obviously there is something really wrong with his eyes, and isn't perfect the absence of wrong?

Ivan and mom in the bouncy house

Support

Why a supportive community is so important for special needs kids!

Ivan wanted to join in the inflated obstacle course, but can a child with low muscle tone make it to the end of the course?

3D printed eye

Math and Science, Visual Impairment

3D Printing Innovations in Vision and Blindness

One extremely important use for the advancing 3D printing technology is within the medical field, and more specifically in the field of vision.

Accessible Preschool Arts & Crafts

Tactile Art, Visual Impairment

12 Easy Tips for Accessible Preschool Arts & Crafts for Kids who are Blind or Visually Impaired

Can a blind preschooler be included in preschool arts and crafts? Of course! With a little planning and forethought, preschool crafts can be completely accessible.

LightAide Lesson Plan from UAH Rise School

Education, Special Needs

Making Circle Time Accessible for All Students

This lesson plan from UAH Rise School incorporates the Lily LightAide in making their circle time routine accessible for students of all abilities.

Netflix logo

Assistive Technology, Visual Impairment

Netflix Announces Accessibility Feature for Blind Users

On April 14, 2015, Netflix officially announced the addition of audio description tracks for viewers who are visually impaired.