Tag: blind child

Featured

“Should” Parents of Blind Kids Learn Braille?

Today I mailed off my final project in hopes of earning my national braille transcriber certification from the Library of Congress! It’s a 35 page manuscript and I must pass with an 80+.

In November 2018 we went through a formal complaint and mediation process with our school district because Kai was not receiving timely, accurate braille materials for his math and science classes. We “won” at mediation and things got much better, but while fighting for braille I felt so helpless. My son was completely at their mercy. It was then, that I decided I wanted to learn to create braille materials, and I set the goal to get certified by the time he graduates high school.

Y’all, when I registered for training to become a braille transcriber in Feb 2019, I didn’t even know the braille alphabet! I honestly cannot believe I’ve made it to this point.

Parents of kids who are blind or low vision often ask if they “should” learn Braille. Here are my thoughts on that, and my answer may surprise you!

Continue reading ““Should” Parents of Blind Kids Learn Braille?” →
Featured

Feel the Facts by Kai Owens (17)

To wrap up our month of braille literacy guest blogs, I’ve asked Kai to share his thoughts about braille literacy. Kai has helped several families, with children who are losing their sight, to understand how braille is helpful & relevant in 2020. Kai is now a college-bound senior in a mainstream, public high school and he is at the top of his class. Here’s what he wants you to know about braille.

Feel the Facts by Kai Owens

30% of all blind people are employed, which means 70% are not. 90% of the employed are braille readers. This means that if you do not read braille then there is only a 3% chance that you will be employed in your lifetime. THREE PERCENT!

So, for every 100 blind people who do not read braille there will be only 3 who are employed. 

Continue reading “Feel the Facts by Kai Owens (17)” →

The Courage to Share: Blogs by Moms of Blind/VI kids

In the early days of Kai’s diagnosis I scoured the web for blogs written by sighted parents of kids who were losing their vision. I could not find any.  Sure, I could find advocacy and awareness web sites and consumer groups, but I craved emotional honesty from another mom. I wanted to read her feelings, understand her struggles, and celebrate her wins. I wanted to know her feelings about her child’s inclusion (or lack thereof) and understand the anger and frustration behind her educational accessibility battles. And, most importantly, I wanted to know what it felt like to be on the other side: to have raised a child who became a strong self-advocate, who is highly-educated and employed. I wanted to know my child could beat the grim statistics. Now, 7 years later, I have found 6 moms (+ me) who are blogging about their experiences and I am so excited to share them with you!

Each of these blogs is written by a sighted mom of a blind or VI child(ren). Our kids range in age from 1-20, they have different diagnoses, and our philosophies, cultures, and religious backgrounds vary, but what we all have in common is the courage to share. Continue reading “The Courage to Share: Blogs by Moms of Blind/VI kids” →

KnowledgeABLE featuring Pamela from The Blind Thistle: Finding Your Way in the Chaos

Hello there – It’s Pamela dropping in from The Blind Thistle! I’ve been invited as a guest blogger here on Navigating Blindness. I will be sharing my tips and suggestions on how to make the home a better space to navigate for the Visually-Impaired (VI).

I ‘met’ Kim (the lovely woman behind the Navigating Blindness blog) through Instagram and we hit it off from the start. Her son and I share the same eye disease, Retinitis pigmentosa (RP). While her son’s diagnosis was made a few years back, I have been dealing with my RP for well into 40 years now. Continue reading “KnowledgeABLE featuring Pamela from The Blind Thistle: Finding Your Way in the Chaos” →

People Always Ask, “Is Kai Really Blind?”

Navigating Blindness was featured on Bold Blind Beauty! The blog owner, Stephanae McCoy, is a blind woman who loves style. She is a businesswoman, blogger, and abilities crusader who breaks the myth “blind people can’t be fashionable.” I find Stephanae to be a powerhouse in the blind and visually impaired community and I’m grateful to have our story featured: Continue reading “People Always Ask, “Is Kai Really Blind?”” →

Featured

Blindness and the Sixteenth Birthday

Last week was Kai’s 16th birthday.  I remember when we first heard the words “your son is going blind” and the feelings of dread and loss that swept over me when I realized he would not be able to drive.  It’s been 6 years since diagnosis, but right now we are feeling the diagnosis and loss acutely — like a fresh wound. Continue reading “Blindness and the Sixteenth Birthday” →

Featured

A New Way to See

The following post was originally written by Kim Owens for FamilyConnect Newsletter:

At the age of 10, my son, Kai, began to lose his vision to an aggressive form of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). My dreams for his life were shattered with the doctor’s words, “blindness, no known cure…” I was blind-sided by his diagnosis and could see only darkness. Continue reading “A New Way to See” →