Do you wonder how children learn braille? Are you looking for activities you can do with your child at home to support braille skills? Are you considering homeschooling your soon-to-be braille reader? If so, learn how APH Access Academy can equip you to support your child’s braille-reading and writing development. How Your Child Will Learn Braille Budding print and braille readers will develop skills to support reading, such as phonemic awareness (hearing and manipulating sounds), phonics (understanding the sounds of letters and letter combinations), fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. In ..read more

“I have never walked into a room full of strangers and instantly connected,” says Rob Harris. Rob attended the APH ConnectCenter Family Retreat recently held in Nashville, and he hasn’t stopped raving about the amazing connections he made or the amount of information he has absorbed since. Rob says that it wasn’t difficult to become a participant. “I saw a request for participation at APH FamilyConnect. As a dad (to 16-year-old Isabelle) who is super involved, I thought my perspective might be helpful. APH did too, apparently, because, after an interview, I was chosen to participate.” Meeting ..read more

I’m Tiara, and my son’s name is Max. He has a rare genetic disorder called Chromosome 13, Partial Monosomy 13q, which is the partial deletion of the 13th chromosome that causes a combination of cognitive, sensory, and physical challenges. Our doctors initially told me not to expect Max to live. While dealing with that shocking and devastating news, I relied on God and the resources He provided to help me find our path.    Max Today I started advocating for Max in a hospital 17 years ago and will never stop. Max is 17 now. He is deafblind with some cognitive delays. We ..read more

Computer Science and Information Technology jobs have continued to rise over the last few years. With future job opportunities in the field virtually endless, this is a field your child should have the opportunity to explore. Many students are exposed to coding even in kindergarten, but your child who is blind or low vision may not have the same exposure as visual learners. Your child can experience coding and computer science with your help this summer. APH’s Code Jumper APH’s Code Jumper is designed for young children to begin exploring computer science ideas and coding through physical, ta ..read more

Does your child who is blind or low vision have complex needs? Partnering with your education team to gather information about how your child responds to activities at school and home is the first step towards building communication skills. As parents, we may want to know what is observed when determining our child’s present level of functioning. We also may want to know what assessing our child’s sensory preferences means. This information helps the education team understand your child’s abilities so that instructional routines can be designed to increase communication interactions. You are ..read more

Teens who are blind or have low vision (and their parents) must make many transportation decisions. Will your child drive if they meet your state’s requirements? If not, how will they get around? Will they utilize a city bus or a hired driver? Driving represents a new level of independence and responsibility, and nondriving teens should experience similar milestones as peers. The larger goals are to develop positive self-esteem as an active traveler and recognize the inner satisfaction of gaining personal independence. There are activities you can start today to help promote independent trave ..read more

Hilda and her son, Ashton Although she shares she was initially “heartbroken” when she learned her infant son, Ashton, was born blind, Hilda Dunford has learned as much from him as he has from her. As she says, “He’s taught me how to see with my heart.” Hilda had Ashton when she was 21, her first child with her husband, Tyler. Because she’d been raising Tyler’s daughter as her own, Hilda just knew something wasn’t right with her young son’s vision. It’s not only because he was immediately sent to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) due to severely low blood sugar. After they brought Ashton ..read more

Editor’s note: Teacher Appreciation Week is May 8-12, 2023. In recognition, Alexis Read shares about her beloved teacher of students with visual impairments (TVI). When my family moved to North Dakota in the summer of 1982, I met an educator who profoundly impacted my life and career choices. Phyllis, a young and energetic teacher of students with visual impairments, taught me many life lessons that would make me the woman I am today. Along the way, we formed a deep friendship. I want to pay tribute to her here. Colorful Memories Perhaps it is strange to start with a color, but Phyllis taught ..read more

On March 5, 2019, my son Russ shocked the delivery room with a full head of bright white hair. The nurses called it “rockstar” hair! He was the cutest little dude, with folks all over the hospital stopping by to see “the baby with the white hair” that all of us blonde ladies pay the big bucks for. We were absolutely in love. It wasn’t until Russ was three months old that we noticed something was different about his eyes. They were darting back and forth. He also struggled to track and focus, and he didn’t make a lot of eye contact. My husband and I took him to a pediatric ophthalmologist, and ..read more

Breaking a habit can be extremely challenging. One such habit common to children who are blind or low vision is eye pressing, poking, or rubbing—a habit that can damage the eye. HabitAware and APH have teamed up to create a device to help children with eye-poking and eye-pressing behavior. Traditionally, it has been recommended to help your child replace eye pressing with another activity and to praise your child for participating in the alternative behavior. If redirecting doesn’t seem to be successful, you may be interested in a new device. Learn more about the device and read the invitatio ..read more