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
Schools for the Blind
Maryland School for the Blind
Around since 1853, this private school serves children from infancy to age 21 who are blind or visually impaired, including those with additional disabilities.
Schools for the Blind
Mississippi School for the Blind
Located in Jackson, the Mississippi School for the Blind serves students from kindergarten to graduation. They educate students who are blind, with or without additional disabilities.
Special Needs, Toys
PlayAbility Toys: Special Toys for Special Kids
PlayAbility Toys creates toys designed specifically for children with visual impairments, hearing impairments, cognitive challenges and other challenges.
Schools for the Blind
Arizona School for the Blind
The Arizona School for the Blind (ASB) is accredited by AdvancED and provides quality educational services to students from pre-school through high school.
Schools for the Blind
Arkansas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired
The Arkansas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired offers statewide quality educational programs and resources to students who are blind or visually impaired, birth through twenty-one
Communication, Special Needs
American Sign Language (ASL) Browser
The American Sign Language Browser allows you to choose any word starting with any letter and watch a short Quick Time video demonstration of that word being signed.
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.