Many articles and books have been written for parents and teachers of children with visual impairments. Some articles may be read online, and many books can be purchased from Amazon.com.
This page is intended to serve as a guide to some of these resources. If you know of additional articles or books which would be good to include in this guide, please email me.
All links will open in a new window.
Who's Who in the Education of Blind Children
This article introduces some of the professionals who may be working with your child and tells a little bit about the services they provide.
Toys for Children with Visual Impairments
On this page you can see a variety of accessible toys. Links to additional sites are also provided.
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
The NOPBC is an affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind which has a number of state and local chapters and also meets at the annual NFB convention. Here you can find out more about the group and about their email discussion group.
Tips from ROPARD
Here is another collection of good tips which emphasizes the similarities between blind children and their sighted peers and the importance of being comfortable with blindness.
What Can You Do for Your Blind Multiply Handicapped Baby?
Here are some practical tips for promoting development of skills in children who are blind and have additional disabilities.
Active Learning and the Blind, Multiply Disabled Child
Lilli Nielsen discusses what active learning is and how it is beneficial for young children who are blind and have additional disabilities.
The Blind Child in the Regular Preschool Program
Ruby Ryles provides some tips for teachers who have a blind child and may be working to overcome inaccurate perceptions of blindness.
IEP Strategies
Barbara Ebenstein shares ten strategies for working with schools.
Kyra's Kindergarten Year
Barbara Matthews talks about her daughter's progress in kindergarten and difficulties which arose.
Holbrook, M. C. (ed.). (1996). Children With Visual Impairments : A Parents' Guide. New York: American Foundation for the Blind.
Authors discuss various aspects of parenting a child with a visual impairment. Topics include adjustment to the diagnosis, getting medical treatment, helping your child develop self-help skills, literacy, educational services, legal issues, and more.
Maloney, Patricia L. Practical guidance for parents of the visually handicapped. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas, 1981.
Written by the mother of a blind child, this book contains practical suggestions for living with a blind child, including setting up a safe environment and places to explore with the child, dealing with the attitudes of others, and getting educational and medical services. A must-have.
Where to Find Children's Books in Braille
Missy Garber has put together a collection of addresses and phone numbers of agencies which provide books in braille for children. She includes a brief description of each agency.
The Importance of Braille Literacy
This is my article introducing some ideas about what literacy is and braille as a means of literacy for people who are blind.
Emergent Literacy and the Young Blind Child
This article introduces the concept of emergent literacy and provides some tips for helping young blind children to develop literacy concepts during the early years.
Teaching Reading in Braille
This is a very basic overview of some teaching methods and is intended to serve as a starting point for parents and teachers.
The Great Debate
Braille bills are designed to support the rights of visually impaired students to learn Braille and to ensure that textbooks are available in Braille. How effective are they, and what factors are involved in making decisions about whether students with low vision should learn Braille?
Beginning Braille: A Whole Language-Based Strategy
This article introduces the concept of whole language and discusses ways in which it can be adapted and used with young Braille readers.
Braille, Print, or Both?
This article presents portions of the guidelines for determining whether students should learn Braille, print, or both for teachers in Maryland. Information is given about where similar documents can be obtained.
The Braille Readiness Skills Grid: Providing a Foundation for Literacy
The Braille Readiness Skills Grid is a system for keeping track of students' learning and for planning for future instruction. This article provides an explanattion of how it can be used.
Comprehensive
Literacy
Phil Hatlen discusses the traditional definition of literacy, positions on the importance of using recorded materials held by teachers of the visually impaired, and the necessity of skill in using a variety of methods to gather information.
Early Braille Vital in Establishing Lifelong Literacy
This article reports on the results of a study comparing the literacy levels of four groups of high school students: one group of sighted students and three groups of blind students.
Early Literacy- Braille and the Young Child
This article provides scenarios which demonstrate how determinations can be made about whether a child is a tactual or visual learner. Suggestions are also provided for early literacy activities.
Your Child's Right to Read
In this article, Carol Castellano discusses why Braille instruction is resisted and how decisions should be made about whether a child should learn Braille, emphasizing the impact of Braille bills which have been passed in several states.
Curran, E.P. (1988). Just Enough to Know Better: A Braille Primer. Boston, MA:
National Braille Press, 1988.
This is a self-instruction tool for parents who want to learn to read literary braille.
It begins by teaching the alphabet and progresses through learning the code. Reading exercises based on a mother's experiences with her blind daughter are included and are formatted to fit the progressive nature of the lessons. A must-have.
Harley, R.K., Henderson, F.M. and Truan, M.B. The teaching of braille reading. Springfield: Charles C Thomas, 1979. I do not believe this book is still in print. However, it may be available at some university libraries and is an excellent book and includes a chapter on remediating braille reading problems and suggestions for activities to teach braille.
Koenig, A. and Holbrook, M.C. (1993). Learning Media Assessment: A Resource Guide for Teachers. Austin: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
This book is written primarily for teachers. In the United States, visually impaired children are required to have an evaluation to determine the most appropriate modes of learning and literacy--tactual, visual, or auditory. The results are used to make recommendations for best methods of working with the student. This may be a helpful resource for you to use to understand how your child is relating to the environment, what kind of informational cues he uses, etc. The text of the Texas Braille Bill is included in English and Spanish.
Krolick, Bettye. HOW TO READ BRAILLE MUSIC: BOOK I. Champaign, IL: Stipes Publishing Company, 1975.
This is an excellent resource for teaching and learning braille music. An updated version is available from Dancing Dots or Opus Technologies.
Rex, E. J., Koenig, A. J., Wormsley, D. P., and Baker, R. L. (1994).
Foundations of braille literacy. New York: American Foundation for the Blind.
This book discusses the various levels of braille literacy from pre-braille to reading and writing. A chapter on assessment is also included.
Some other books which may be of interest are listed below. If you have read any of them and would like to submit a review, please email me.
Orientation and Mobility: What does it mean for my baby?
Andrea Story introduces parents to the field of orientation and mobility, its history, and what O&M instructors do with babies and toddlers.
A Cane In Our Lives
In this article, Carol Castellano discusses the difference using a cane made for her daughter.
Canes And Preschoolers: The Eight-Year Revolution
Barbara Cheadle explores the growing popularity of cane travel instruction for preschoolers.
O&M online textbook
This project combines the views of many individuals and contains very practical and interesting information regarding the teaching of orientation and mobility. It includes discussions about teaching young children and many other issues.
Orientation and Mobility: Community-based Instruction
This is a chart of age-appropriate skills for use in community-based orientation and mobility instruction. If you are working on O&M with your child, this is a great resource.
Lydon, W.L., and McGraw, M.L. (1973). Concept Development for Visually Handicapped Children: A Resource for Teachers and Other Professionals Working in Educational Settings. New York: American Foundation for the Blind.
This is an older book, but it provides good coverage of how early concepts are developed by blind children.
Pogrund, R.; Healy, G.; Jones, K.; Levack, N.; Martin-Curry, S.; Martinez, C.; Marz, J.; Roberson-Smith, B.; and Verba, A. (1993). Teaching Appropriate Purposeful Skills: An Orientation and Mobility Curriculum for Students with Visual Impairments. Austin: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
This is designed for use by orientation and mobility instructors but may also be of benefit to parents. Teaching of various O&&M-related skills is discussed, ranging from basic skills to advanced ones such as use of public transportation.
Willoughby, D.; and Monthei, S. (1999). Modular Instruction for Independent Travel for Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired: Preschool Through High School. Baltimore: National Federation of the Blind.
The authors assert that parents are capable of teaching their blind children to move about safely in the environment and present several collections of lessons (each called a module) for accomplishing this goal. The book is appropriate for use by parents or orientation and mobility instructors.
Several other books are also available from Amazon.com which may be of interest to you.
If you are homeschooling or interested in taking an active role in your child's learning, these would be good resources for you.
Barraga, N. and Erin, J. Visual Impairments and Learning. Austin: Pro-Ed, 2002.
This book explains the learning process experienced by blind and visually impaired children and the special curricular needs related to blindness. Case examples are included so that the reader can follow children with a variety of needs through the educational experience.
Bradley-Johnson, S. (1994). Psychoeducational Assessment of Students Who Are Visually Impaired.
This book discusses methods of administering standardized tests for children who are blind or visually impaired. This would be an excellent resource for school counselors.
Corn, A. L. (1998). A Report to the Nation: The National Agenda for the Education of Children and Youth with Visual Impairments, Including Those with Multiple Disabilities. New York: American Foundation for the Blind.
The national Agenda is designed to increase awareness of the special educational needs of blind students and to promote quality instruction in these areas as well as academics.
Dominguez, J. and Dominguez, B. Building blocks: Foundations for young blind and visually impaired children. Alamogordo: New Mexico School for the Visually Handicapped, 1991.
This book is written in both English and Spanish and contains good information about causes of blindness in children and many excellent helps for parents and teachers of children under age 6. A must-have.
Levack, Nancy. Low Vision: A Resource Guide with Adaptations for Students. Austin: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 1993.
This is a comprehensive guide to low vision and working with students who have low vision. Topics covered include assessment, teaching the use of low vision devices, eye conditions and syndromes, effects of various medications on visual functioning, effects of other disabilities on visual functioning, and more. This book is intended for use by educators but is very readable and would be helpful for parents as well.
Loumiet, R. and Levack, N. (1993).
Olmstead, Jean E. (1991). Itinerant Teaching: Tricks of the Trade for Teachers of Blind and Visually Impaired Students. New York: American Foundation for the Blind.
This book is written specifically for teachers; however, it may be helpful in learning about the challenges faced by your child's teacher and how the system works.
Scholl, G. T. (ed). (1986). Foundations of Education for Blind and Visually Handicapped Children and Youth. New York: American Foundation for the Blind.
Like some of the other books listed here, this book is written for professionals and students preparing to teach visually impaired children. It covers the unique areas of education which are of concern for the visually impaired student and also adaptation of standard curricular areas for the visually impaired student.
Willoughby, Doris M. and Duffy, Sharon L. M. (1989). Handbook for Itinerant and Resource Teachers of Blind and Visually Impaired Students. Baltimore: National Federation for the Blind, 1989.
This is a very comprehensive book covering the educational needs of blind and visually impaired students and techniques for teaching. A chapter on early childhood issues is included, as well as two chapters on teaching braille. This is the only book I have read which includes a comprehensive discussion of the use of tactile maps. Also included is a chapter called "Studying from Recorded Materials" which presents a thorough method for getting the most out of working with auditory books. It is recommended by Tom and Sherry Bushnell for use by parents who wish to home-school their blind children. An excellent text!
Several other books are also available from Amazon.com which may be of interest to you.
Tuttle, D. W. (1996). Self-Esteem and Adjusting With Blindness. New York: American Foundation for the Blind.
This book uses a combination of review of professional literature and quotation from biographies of people who are blind to provide an excellent discussion of issues affecting self-esteem and adjustment of blind people throughout life. This is the first piece of literature I have seen which effectively addresses some of the adjustment issues faced by people with congenital blindness. The effects of social skills deficits and repeated exposure to negative attitudes about blindness are explored, as well as much more.
Sacks, S. Z. (1992). >The Development of Social Skills by Blind and Visually Impaired Students.
Several authors review the literature regarding the development of social skills and suggest strategies for providing interventions.
Several other books are also available from Amazon.com which may be of interest to you.