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
Sensory Activities, Visual Impairment
Creating Sensory Activity Centers for Blind Children
Learn how to make an activity center for children with visual impairments. Using general hardware materials (like cardboard or peg-board) and other household items (like toys or kitchen utensils) you...
Education, Visual Impairment
Thoughts from a Kindergarten Teacher About Welcoming a Blind Student to Class
Michelle interviews her son's mainstream kindergarten teacher and asks her how she prepared her classroom for a blind student. She also asks her if she has any advice for other...
Education, Special Needs
Reaching the Disabled Child in the Mainstream Classroom
What happens when a child with a disability is in a mainstream classroom? How can teachers accommodate their students with special needs? Lesley Potgieter describes her own experiences as both...
Sensory Activities, Visual Impairment
Activity Bank: Sensory Activities for Kids who are Blind
Find sensory activities that have been adapted to meet the needs of students who are blind or visually impaired.
Holiday Crafts and Ideas, Visual Impairment
How to Help Your Blind Child Survive (and maybe even enjoy) Christmas
A holiday survival guide for parents of children with sensory impairments.
Schools for the Blind
The New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
The New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (NMSBVI) offers a continuum of services to children throughout New Mexico.
Visual Impairment
Would you let your blind child jump out a window and repel down a wall?
Watch two videos of brave Elizabeth repelling down the side of a church steeple. She's got a lot of us adults beat in the daring department!
Toys, Visual Impairment
Accessible Candy Land!
Learn how to make an accessible version of your kids' Candy Land game that is perfect for children with visual impairments.
Schools for the Blind
Montana School for the Deaf & Blind
Montana School for the Deaf & Blind (MSDB) offers core education for day and residential students who are blind, deaf, deafblind, with or without additional disabilities.
Orientation and Mobility, Visual Impairment
Helping Your Blind Baby Learn How to Reach for Objects
Susan Shier Lowry, an Orientation and Mobility specialist, writes about how you can encourage your child to reach out for objects and how reaching can help develop orientation skills needed...
Play, Special Needs
ADA Regulates Accessible Playgrounds
The revised 2010 ADA sets guidelines for accessible playgrounds, parks and play spaces. Find out what these new requirements are and when they go into effect.
Eye Conditions and Syndromes, Visual Impairment
A Letter to New Parents Living with Microphthalmia
Jacalyn Paulding writes about growing up with microphthalmia. Living a full life as a smart and successful young woman, Jacalyn wants parents to understand what it's like to have low...
Eye Conditions and Syndromes, Visual Impairment
Ask the TVI about Anophthalmia and Microphthalmia
TVI Lisa LaDue answers readers' questions about protective eye glasses, testing blind children with assessment programs, and activities you can do at home to boost skills.
Schools for the Blind
North Dakota Vision Services/School for the Blind
North Dakota Vision Services/School for the Blind strives to be a statewide leader in services to the blind or visually impaired.
Schools for the Blind
The Ohio State School for the Blind
A publicly funded educational facility, the Ohio State School for the Blind (OSSB) dates back to 1837. It serves students with visual impairments, including those with additional disabilities, and is...
Schools for the Blind
Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind
USDB serves children who are deaf, blind and deafblind, both from their home in Ogden and with outreach services around the state.
Schools for the Blind
Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind
Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind serves students with any visual or hearing impairment.
Schools for the Blind
Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired educates students from k-12 while offering an early education program.
Sleep, Special Needs
SleepSafe Beds: Beautiful Safe Beds for Special Needs Kids
SleepSafe Beds are the perfect choice for children who need a large bed with high sides. These beds are sturdy and strong and well-padded for safety. They come with many...
Parenting, Special Needs
Teamwork: The Special (Needs) Family
John Bateman writes about the importance of including all your kids in all activities. When you have a child with special needs it may seem appropriate to keep their activities...
Visual Impairment
Blind Skills Videos
The Washington State School for the Blind has created a series of videos describing how to do simple tasks with little or no vision, such as how to zip a...
Eye Conditions and Syndromes, Visual Impairment
Ella’s Story: Raising a Child with Bilateral Anophthalmia
Jill writes about finding out that her daughter, Ella, is blind and how she responded. She explains how her faith in God helped her cope.
Eye Conditions and Syndromes, Visual Impairment
An Interview with John Pitzen about Bilateral Anophthalmia
MAPS interviews John Pitzen, a 53 year old man born with bilateral anophthalmia. MAPS asks John what he does for a living and what he does for fun.
Eye Conditions and Syndromes, Visual Impairment
Our Journey with Microphthalmia
Heidi writes about finding out that her son, AJ, is blind and how she reacted. She gives advice to other parents dealing with this.