Advice for Parents and Families

of Children with Visual Impairments or Blindness

Learning that a child is blind or visually impaired presents many challenges for families. This section features many sites with suggestions for age-appropriate activities for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, and encouraging advice for parents who want to get their baby off to a good start!

Choosing a Setting for Your Child - Early Years, Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)
These helpful guidelines include a list of features of quality early childhood settings, as well as a list of what a child may wish to tell the adults and other children in that setting.

Developing Your Child's Vision: A Guide for Parents of Infants and Young Children with Vision Impairment, The Center for the Partially Sighted
Bill Takeshita provides an overview of vision and discusses Functional Vision Assessments. He offers classroom modifications and specific recommendations for the first eight years of a child with visual impairments.

Everyday Activities for Blind Children, WonderBaby.org
This article includes a list of simple activities to help children understand the world around them.  It includes activities in the home, in the park or garden, in the kitchen, at the store, and out and about.

Getting Ready For School, Getting Ready For Life: The Importance of Including Your Child in Key Activities of Daily Living, American Printing House for the Blind (APH)
In this podcast, Sandra Lewis discusses strategies to prepare young children for school by including them in the daily activities and routines that occur in the home. Through these activities, children can develop the foundation for meaningful language, concepts, motor, and life skills.

Helpful Hints for Parents of Blind Infants and Toddlers, Future Reflections, National Foundation of the Blind
Christine Faltz, who is herself blind and the mother of two children who are blind, offers numerous specific suggestions to help young children learn about the world.

Helping Your Child Learn about the World, Family Connect for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments
This article provides suggestions for making experiences in the community more meaningful for children with visual impairments.

How Babies Learn, American Foundation for the Blind
This page offers information to help parents understand how their baby experiences the world and includes activities for encouraging exploration.

Just a Little Further Down the Road, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Leslie Fansler, who is the mother of a deafblind boy, shares her reflections on what she has learned raising her son; available in English and Spanish.

Kendra’s Kindergarten Year: As Good as it Gets, National Federation of the Blind
The author describes her passionate advocacy for her daughter and all blind children, particularly for braille literacy.

Let Your Child Play With the Pots and Pans! Future Reflections, National Foundation of the Blind
Jacki Harth, mother of a two-year-old boy who is blind, discusses some of the important skills that a child can learn by exploring household objects.

Off to a Good Start, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Phil Hatlin, Superintendent of TSBVI, offers suggestions to parents of infants and toddlers who are blind; available in English and Spanish.

Parent/Child Activities, Iowa Braille School
This bibliography lists resources for parents about activities they can enjoy with their children while stimulating their development.

Parents' Guide to the Development of Preschool Children with Disabilities: Resources and Services, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
Parents of preschool children with visual or physical disabilities will find a wide range of information in this reference circular to assist them in promoting their children's development. The listing includes organizations, producers, and distributors who offer materials and services at the national level.

Reflections on the First Three Years of Having a Child with a Disability, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Alison Rickerl describes some of the challenges of being a parent of a young girl who has a visual impairment; available in English and Spanish.

Supermarketing, Future Reflections, National Foundation of the Blind
Carol J. Castellano describes some of the things her daughter learns during their trips to the grocery store.

Adapting Your Home, Family Connect for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments
These suggestions are aimed at families, but are equally valuable to other caregivers and teachers.  Adaptations include strategies to optimize a child's use of vision, using textures and touch to provide clues, enhancing safety, and maximizing organization.

"Baby Proofing" Your Home, Family Connect for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments
The focus here is safety, with specific suggestions for when a child starts to move around independently.

Organizations and Resources to Explore: Parents and Families

Early Education, American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)
This section includes articles on the importance of preschool education, language development, motor skills, the role of parents as teachers, and more.

Family Connect for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments
Family Connect has a wealth of information and practical tips for parents of children of all ages, including infancy through preschool.  Topics include: Family Life, Growth and Development, Education, Social Life and Recreation, and Transition to Independence. 

For Parents, American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)
AFB offers advice and resources to parents who have just learned that their infant is blind or visually impaired. Topics include:  Finding Help, Questions to Ask Your Child's Eye Specialist, Your Rights as Parents, as well as tips for parenting children of different ages.

Hadley School for the Blind Family Education Program
These free correspondence courses for parents of blind children address a range of topics, including child development, the importance of play, mobility, parenting children with multiple disabilities, and fostering social skills.

Helping Your Child Learn - Early Years, Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)
This section of the RNIB site offers extensive advice and resources to parents.  Topics include personal, social and emotional development, communication, language, literacy, numeracy, problem solving, and much more.

WonderBaby.org
This comprehensive site is maintained by a parent whose child has a visual impairment. It includes many full-text articles and downloads on a wide range of topics, including play, sleep, and language development.

See also Family