FAMILY RESOURCES
Accessible Museum & Sporting Venues in Boston
There are wonderful museums & sporting events in Boston for those of all ages and abilities to experience.
Museums and Sporting Events In Boston.
ACCESSIBILITY AT THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS in Boston
The MFA offers tours for people who are blind or low vision. Visitors may visit any of our collections or special exhibitions. The tours can be touch tours of sculpture, or tours using description and tactile materials, or a mix. On the first Sunday of every month the Museum offers a tour on a specific topic, and sometimes we offer other themed tours at specific times. We also welcome requests that fit your schedule and interests. For more information, please contact Hannah Goodwin at 617-369-3189, or email access@mfa.org.
Hannah Goodwin, Manager of Accessibility
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
hgoodwin@mfa.org | 617-369-3189
http://www.mfa.org/
AFB has a Family Web Resource. There are age-specific message boards for parents.
www.familyconnect.org
AMESVI Family Resource List, including Consumer Groups. This listing includes the name of the resource, telephone number and web-site.
Click here to open AMESVI Resource List.
Blind Camp in Maine: Sponsored by the American Legion- Hosted by Camp Lawroweld, Weld, Maine. For more information about the camp, call Brenda Elliot at 617-670-3820
Camp Inter-Actions: For information please contact: Debbie Gross, Inter-Actions, 6 Chenell Drive, Suite 205, Concord, NH 03301
email address: campinfo@inter-actions.org telephone number: 603-228-2803 website: www.inter-actions.org
Connecting Youth Who are Visually Impaired Around the World: The European Blind Union youth working group has set up an e-mail group to build a network between visually impaired youth all over the world. This group is primarily focused on blind and partially sighted youth between 15-35 years old but is open to others who are interested. To join, send an empty message to ebu_youth-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Families sharing experiences and more
https://www.lasereyesurgeryhub.co.uk/blind-vision-impaired-resources/
Free Directory Assistance. Consumers who use Verizon as a local carrier and are blind are allowed free directory assistance for local, regional and nationwide numbers. Consumers must apply in advance. See website.http://aboutus.verizonwireless.com/accessibility/index.html
Guidelines For the Specialized Assessments of Students with Visual Impairments is a document released by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Schools in July 2012. This document details the requirements for qualified service providers, the types of assessments to appropriately define the needs of these students, and resources for locating specialized professionals and materials. Service providers, families, students, teachers and administrators can use this document to justify appropriate services. Click here to download document.
Hadley School for the Blind has a new on-line course “Parenting Children with Multiple Disabilities” which presents skills and techniques for furthering development in a child with multiple disabilities. This tuition-free course is available in large print and online. This course will help parents to meet their child’s special learning needs. For more information go to www.hadley.edu or call 800-526-9909.
MAPS Page of Wonder Baby: A support group for parents with kids with microphthalmia and/or anophthalmia
http://www.wonderbaby.org/maps
National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness.
http://nationaldb.org
Newsline: Newspaper Reading Service:
telephone: 800-852-3122 | email: library@perkins.org
Online Communities for Families Click here to view
Our Space Our Place
Our Space Our Place, Inc. provides an Afterschool and career exploration program for blind or low vision students in elementary Through high school. The program meets Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM & the first two Saturdays of the month,10:00 AM – Noon: OSOP is a place where being blind or low vision is not a student’s defining characteristic, students explore and develop important aspects of their personality, talents, and skills. In July, A week-long coding Camp is offered. The program meets at The Tobin Community Center, 1481 Tremont Street Roxbury MA. For more information Visit the website: www.ourspaceourplace.org: Call 617-459-4084; Email: President@ourspaceourplace.org .
Parent Support
https://www.lighthouseguild.org/programs-services/education/support-for-parents-of-children-with-visual-impairments/
Perkins Outreach Short Courses http://www.perkins.org/school/public/short-courses
Resources Guide for Parents of Special Needs Children
http://phdinspecialeducation.com/special-needs-parenting-handbook/
Raising a child with special needs can be difficult, but from that difficulty is born a greater appreciation for the human spirit. To watch a child overcome their limitations whether they are physical, mental/emotional, or societal is what makes every sacrifice worth it in the end.
Tool Kit on Teaching and Assessing Students With Disabilities
http://www.osepideasthatwork.org/toolkit/index.asp
Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids
www.toysrus.com/differentlyabled
Vision Access Resource Handout
Massachusetts Commission for the Blind provides this handout, listing publications describing and defining strategies for supporting access by individuals with sensory impairments to community and home environments.
click here to download this document
STUDENT RESOURCES
Free Braille Books from The Braille Institute
New book choices 4 times/year
Special Collection program
1-800-BRAILLE (272-4553)
www.specialcollection.org
Connecting Youth Who are Visually Impaired Around the World: The youth working group of the European Blind Union (EBU) has set up an e-mail group to build a network between visually impaired youth all over the world. This group is primarily focused on blind and partially sighted youth between 15-35 years old but is open to others who are interested. To join this group, send an empty message to ebu_youth-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Global Explorers, is a nonprofit organization, which has blind/sighted programs going to such places as Machu Picchu, the Amazon Rainforest, Kilimanjaro and the Grand Canyon.
http://www.globalexplorers.org
Scholarship Resources:
The American Council of the Blind scholarship application and instructions are now available online from the ACB website at http://www.acb.org
The National Federation of the Blind Scholarship application is now available. Go to NFB’s website www.nfb.org/scholarships
Seedlings-Braille Books for Children is a non-profit organization which provides low-cost braille books for children. There are also special projects providing free braille books.
www.seedlings.org
Seeing Eye Seminar for Youth in Morristown, NJ. is an opportunity for visually impaired students 15 – 20 to have a first-hand experience of working with Seeing Eye Instructors and dog guides as well as hands-on experience with electronic travel aids, GPS navigation systems and numerous opportunities to practice O&M skills. Go to the website at www.seeingeye.org
Free Audio Books for little kids, and Games for PreK to Eighth Graders:
Stories and Games for Kids: http://www.lightupyourbrain.com/stories.html
Audio Stories 4 Kids: http://www.kidsaudiobooks.co.uk/mp3_downloads.htm
TRANSITION RESOURCES
Federation for Children with Special Needs, 617-236-7210 or MA Toll-Free: 800-331-0688 Parent Training Information IEP Transition Resource: http://www.fcsn.org/pti/topics/transition/index.html
Find The Job: A useful document from AMESVI to help you find the a job that is a good match for you. Click here to download Find The Job.
Finding Wheels: A Curriculum for Nondrivers with Visual Impairments for Gaining Control of Transportation Needs. Anne L. Corn; L. Penny Rosenblum 800-897-3202 https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Wheels-Curriculum-Impairments-Transportation/dp/0890798273
Hadley School for the Blind Tuition-Free Distance Education Courses: Courses include, College Preparation, Independent Living , High School Academic Courses, Adult Continuing Education Programs, etc. telephone: 800-323-4238
www.hadley.edu
Institute of Community Inclusion: Take the time to explore this excellent website http://www.communityinclusion.org/ This next link is to the section of their website focused on Education and Transition http://www.communityinclusion.org/topic.php?topic_id=7
National Center of Secondary Education & Transition (NAST): Preparing for Employment on the Home Front Brief, http://www.ncset.org/publications/viewdesc.asp?id=2844
National Collaborative on Workface and Disability for Youth: Making the Connection between Youth with Disabilities and Employment http://www.ncwd-youth.info/
New Publications from American Foundation for the Blind: www.afb.org/store
OSERS Releases New Transition Resource Guide for Students
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) recently published A Transition Guide to Postsecondary Education and Employment for Students and Youth with Disabilities. This guide advances efforts to ensure all students and youth with disabilities develop the skills and knowledge to be engaged in the 21st century workforce. Additionally, this transition guide helps students and youth with disabilities and their families understand how state and local educational agencies and state vocational rehabilitation agencies collaborate to foster improved outcomes for students and youth with disabilities.
Feb 2017
Pacer Center Inc. Newsletter “Paceletter”
Pacer is the Minnesota parent information and training center, funded by the U.S. Department’s Office of Special Education Programs. www.pacer.org
Publications from the American Printing House for the Blind: www.aph.org
Transition Tote System: Navigating the Rapids of Life
Money Handling & Budgeting: A Resource Guide for Use with Adolescents Adults who are
Blind or Visually Impaired. Venus Elder, 1997.
Teen Scene: Portraits of Success: VCR Video
Skills for Success: A Career Education Handbook for Children and Adolescents with Visual Impairments Edited by Karen E. Wolffe, American Foundation for the Blind http://www.afb.org/store/Pages/ShoppingCart/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=978-0-89128-943-2
Transition to Adult Life – a Guide – Texas School for the Blind: http://www.tsbvi.edu/curriculum-a-publications/3/1044-transition-to-adult-life-a-guide-to-assist-teachers-of-blind-and-vi-students-in-texas
Social Skills
Teaching Social Skills to Students with Visual Impairments: From Theory to Practice Sharon Z. Sacks and Karen E. Wolffe, Editors This book explores what theory can tell us about how children who are visually impaired become socially skilled individuals. It then presents a compendium of techniques and strategies for helping youngsters, from preschoolers through young adults, including those with additional disabilities, develop and refine social skills. Available in several formats http://www.afb.org/store/Pages/ShoppingCart/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=978-0-89128-882-4
The Focused On: Social Skills 5 DVD Series. Each of the five DVDs address a different aspect of helping students with visual impairments to develop lifelong social skills. For only $29.95 each, you get the DVD and the companion study guide. Choose from: Importance and Need for Social Skill; Assessment Techniques; Teaching Social Skills to Visually Impaired Preschoolers; Teaching Social Skills to Visually Impaired Elementary Students or Social Skills for Teens and Young Adults with Visual Impairments Or order all five for $50. http://www.afb.org/store/Pages/ShoppingCart/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=978-0-89128-441-3
Teaching social skills, more information. Visit AFB’s social skills area at http://www.afb.org/search.aspx?action=results&q=social%2bskills&in=main