As your child is developing, you may find yourself wanting to hear about similar experiences you are going through or expecting to go through with your child. The following resources are online communities with other parents of children with low vision that can provide helpful information, advice, and emotional solace. This article is not comprehensive and none of the resources, organizations, or websites are endorsed by this blog site, but is meant to supplement resources your pediatric ophthalmologist has recommended.
WonderBaby
This website contains a database of articles written by parents of children with low vision who wish to share their experiences and helpful resources with other parents.
NFB National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC)
This is an organization of parents, friends, and educators of blind children. Their mission is to facilitate conversations about the experiences and concerns of parents with low vision children, help parents understand what the blind adult experience is like so they can better support their children, and develop and expand resources available.
ACB Families
This organization is for anyone who is visually impaired or supports anyone who is visually impaired. They provide resources, support, and friendship through their bimonthly group conference calls that unite families and individuals with each other. Past topics have included family finances and investments, using new technologies, and navigating education.
https://www.acb.org/affiliate-ACBF
APH Family Connect
This website was created to support families raising children with low vision. There is a blog with categories ranging from accommodation and advocacy to getting around and independence. The Family Connect portion of this site is organized into categories like After the Diagnosis, ParentConnect, Browse by Age, Ideas for Home, Education, and Complex Needs.
Additional Resources
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS)
The NLS website has detailed information about virtual support groups for parents, resources for reading, information about laws about education of blind/disabled children, contact information about relevant federal government agencies and state government agencies, information about sports for people with low vision, websites to buy games and toys, and contact information about camps in each state for children with low vision.
Lighthouse Guild
This website provides information about healthcare services, support services, continuing education for healthcare professionals treating patients with low vision, educational resources for people with vision loss and their families, and ongoing, cutting-edge research. Of note is a part of the website dedicated to several Tele-Support Groups for parents of children with low vision, parents with low vision, teens with low vision, young adults with low vision, adults with low vision, and partners of people with vision loss. You can navigate to this area on the website by clicking on “Our Services” → “Support Services” → “Tele-Support Groups”.