Exceptional Organizations Supporting Children with Blindness and Visual Impairments
Below is a list of valuable resources for parents of blind children. Follow the links for important information, support, products, toys, books and much more for parents of children who are blind or visually impaired.
- American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults: A service agency which specializes in providing help to people who are blind which is not readily available to them from government programs or other existing service systems.
- Baby Center.com: This is where we go when you have a question about your baby’s health. Loaded with valuable health information that is categorized by age from pregnancy to toddlers to big kids.
- Bookshare: The world’s largest online accessible library of copyrighted content for people with print disabilities. Through its technology initiatives and partnerships, Bookshare seeks to raise the floor on accessibility issues so that individuals with print disabilities have the same ease of access to print materials as people without disabilities. In 2007 and 2012, Bookshare received two, five-year awards from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), to provide free access for all U.S. students with a qualified print disability. The Bookshare library now has over 189,000 books and serves more than 250,000 members. Bookshare is an initiative of Benetech®, a Palo Alto, CA-based nonprofit which creates sustainable technology to solve pressing social needs. Visit www.bookshare.org.
- Child Safety Store: Online retailer that sells children’s safety products, including hard-to-find items you can’t get at your local hardware store. This is a favorite site for safety products not only for selection, but also because of outstanding customer service and fast shipping!
- Family Connect: You’ll find videos, personal stories, events, announcements, and an online community to help you guide your visually impaired child to the life he or she wants.
- Hadley: Offers free online courses on everything from helping your young child develop to beginner’s braille.
- Financial Planning for Kids With Disabilities: Checkout this great resource from Kids Health on what you can do now to prepare for your child’s financial future.
- MAPS (Microphthalmia & Anophthalmia Parent Support): Provides parent to parent support to those raising children with microphthalmia and/or anophthalmia by sharing a wide variety of information.
- National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS): Federal Library of Congress service that provides free braille books and audio books to blind patrons. Check out their NLS Kids Zone for children’s books and events.
- Perkins School for the Blind: The oldest school for the blind in the United States. Strong leadership from both staff and the Board of Trustees has created a legacy of education and discovery. (Located in MA)
- Seedlings: Braille books for children.
- Songs for Teaching: Use music to stimulate your child who is blind with this great site that offers free lyrics and downloads of your favorite educational songs. Songs are categorized by subject and CD’s are available for purchase.
- The Mission of Visually Impaired Preschool Services, Inc. (VIPS): Offering appropriate services to the families of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers who are visually impaired or blind; to maximize each child’s development potential through direct services, advocacy, and community education.
- WonderBaby.org: A project funded by Perkins School for the Blind, is dedicated to helping parents of young children with visual impairments as well as children with multiple disabilities. You’ll find a database of articles written by parents who want to share with others what they’ve learned about playing with and teaching a blind child, as well as links to meaningful resources and ways to connect with other families.
