Parent Tips for Supporting Children Who Are Blind/Visually Impaired

From Amy Shepherd, MDE-LIO Parent Liaison

Raising a child who has a visual impairment has been a lifelong journey, and I am happy to share the tips and tricks I have learned along the way! You know your child better than anybody, and home is the perfect place to introduce meaningful learning experiences. Most of your daily interactions, such as playing, talking, touching, morning routines, and meals, are learning opportunities for your child. With a bit of thoughtful planning, you can support them in using their vision in everyday tasks.

Talk the Talk

• Talk to your child about their visual impairment.
• Use positive language and consider your child’s age, developmental stage, and level of understanding. 
• Be honest and choose your words wisely; the words you use to describe your child’s vision will be repeated by them and used by others in your inner circle. 
• Encourage questions and introduce details as your child matures. 
• Assure your child that their visual impairment is just one of their many unique characteristics. 
• Shower your child with words of unconditional love!

At Home

• Set high expectations for your child. Celebrate their strengths and embrace their challenges. When you model high expectations as a parent, your children will learn that they are expected to succeed, and your inner circle of family, friends, and teachers will follow your lead.   
• Learn as much as you can about your child’s visual impairment. Watch educational videos and attend educational events and workshops.
• Play with your child. Incorporating play that ignites all the senses (sight, sound, touch, smell) will help your child make sense of the world around them.
• Encourage your child to help you organize around the house and take care of their possessions. Putting away toys, setting the table, emptying the dishwasher, and putting school items in a designated spot each day helps build confidence and a feeling of being a contributing member of the family.  
• Be a “constant commentator” when doing tasks around the home and give plenty of specific descriptions to help make connections that might otherwise only be visual.  

In the Community 

• Participate in extracurricular activities and summer camps. Seek out organizations dedicated to diversity and inclusion and whose programs teach leadership skills to young people.
• Explore your community. Take advantage of all your community has to offer and be on the lookout for spontaneous “teachable moments.” Take your child with you when you go to the grocery store, bank, farmers market, dentist, eye doctor, etc.
• Volunteer together in your community. Volunteer opportunities are a great way for kids to learn work skills.
• Connect with other families and build relationships with other students and adults who are Blind and Visually Impaired. Share your struggles and concerns and find out what others are doing well.

At School

• Volunteer as much as possible in the classroom and school when your child is young.
• Establish an open and honest communication chain with your team of teachers. Reach out to your child's teachers regularly and be the first to act when needed. Don't wait for them to reach out to you.   
• Share resources and information that may be useful to your child’s individualized education program (IEP) team. As a parent, you have a unique perspective of your child’s world away from school.
• Talk to your child’s TVI for specific ideas on adapting your home to meet your child’s unique visual needs.
• Always submit a Parent Report [PDF] and a Student Report [PDF] for the IEP. Your expertise and knowledge of your child’s daily routines, strengths, interests, and challenges are incredibly valuable and should be shared with your IEP team.
• Choose your battles. Know when to push and when to compromise.