Jessica Minneci There is nothing like the sound of pounding keys on a Perkins Brailler or the buzz of excitement and nervous anxiety as you wait with your friends for one of your names to be read as the winner. There is nothing like standing together to promote a cause you believe in, and there is nothing like braille. Braille gives people who are blind or low vision the ability to read and write, the ability to succeed both academically and professionally, and a voice with which to share opinions and experiences. Every year, students celebrate their braille skills by competing in the Braille ..read more

Imagine wrapping up your last zoom meeting of the day to find out that your child is struggling with arrays and factors and you are at a loss to translate what you learned about multiplication into the new terms your child’s school is using to explain math concepts. Now imagine your child is also using braille code to read their math worksheets and your dog just ate the piece of paper the vision teacher sent home explaining the new nemeth symbols on this week’s homework. As a parent it doesn’t have to come down to “the dog ate the homework key” to feel like your child need ..read more

Editor’s note:TeenTober is a new, nationwide celebration hosted by libraries every October and aims to celebrate teens, promote year-round teen services and the innovative ways teen services helps teens learn new skills, and fuel their passions in and outside the library. Today we look at inspiring your teen who is blind or low vision to read! TeenTober: Cultivating a Fondness for Reading Reading is a treasure (and one of my greatest loves!). It is truly much more than entertainment or a diversion—reading feeds the mind. Through imaginative, fictitious tales, ancient myths, autobiographies, h ..read more

Photo of child’s hands reading braille. Have you ever thought about how people learn? As I have written on previously (for instance, in the blog Explore an Orchard with Your Child Who Is Blind or Visually Impaired), and as you have no doubt witnessed in your own learning endeavors and when teaching your child(ren), individuals learn when they are able to make connections.  People aren’t blank slates on which we simply download or impart information; individuals understand concepts (both concrete and abstr ..read more

Man at computer using a magnifier As we celebrate Louis Braille’s birthday and World Braille Day on January 4 – and Braille Literacy Month throughout January – it’s an ideal time to consider how important it is for all students who are blind or visually impaired to learn braille.  Of course, there are plenty of ways to take in language without sight, from audiobooks to screen readers that speak written text out loud. But nothing compares to interacting with text, whether in print, large print, or braille.  “Why are we teaching print when students ca ..read more

Such a whirlwind of bittersweet emotions—kindergarten is approaching! It’s hard to believe how quickly the years have passed, isn’t it? Your little one went from complete dependence on you (with 100% baby adorableness) to making strides toward independence (with 100% “big kid” adorableness). Thankfully your child’s absolute preciousness hasn’t changed, but their level of autonomy has. So, let’s take a look at how you can be preparing your child for increased independence in preparation for kindergarten.  Working w ..read more

I have always loved books. I loved reading when I was younger and found the love of reading again when I graduated from college and could actually read for “fun” and choose what I wanted to read. I wanted my children to love books and reading the same way I did. When they were younger, we had an area in our living room that was designated as their little reading corner.   Some of my most precious memories are of Ethan and Elissa bringing me their favorite books, crawling up into my lap, and snuggling up for a little story time. They had quite the collection of bo ..read more

Since learning of your child’s visual impairment, I am sure there have been millions of questions running through your head. How is he going to play? How is she going to learn how to walk? How is he going to learn in school? Will she be able to live independently? Who is going to teach them braille? Should I learn braille? I get it. I asked whomever would listen the same questions and several hundred more. As a parent of two visually impaired children who are now 18 and (almost) 16 years old, I would like to share with you my thoughts on one of those questions. Should you learn braille? Absol ..read more

The National Freedom of Information Day (March 16th) is a day Americans, with renewed energy, re-mind ourselves of the importance of government transparency. We the people have a right to information.   The very idea of “freedom of information” re-energizes and re-minds me that people who are blind AND people who have low vision have a right to information. They have a right to access stories, textbooks, recipes, charts, websites, notes, menus, labels, etc. They have a right to access this information ef ..read more

Editor’s note: This blog by Sara Edwards, TVI, DT/Vision Specialist, Evaluator – IL Early Intervention Program, is a preview for the upcoming Family Connect and Illinois School for the Visually Impaired webinar, Tips and Techniques to Develop Pre-braille Skills in Toddlers, on Monday November 16, 2:00-3:30pm Eastern – eligible for ACVREP credit. Register here. Find other upcoming webinars and community events across the field on our ConnectCalendar. When we are told that our child has a disability, our lives take a different course than what was expected. As parents and caregivers, we all ..read more