Homeschooling material for visually disabled children

[egan284]

A bit of background:

One of my twin nieces has level 5 ROP, which means she practically can't see anything but can differ light from dark. My sister is at her wit's ends, and don't know what to do. I think she is depressed and hopes that one day my niece could see, somehow.
They don't live here, unfortunately. The country they live in doesn't have a decent program for disabled children. She was told by a friend to homeschool my niece, and the task to find the material is assigned to me.
She doesn't want the regular homeschooling program available for normal kids. She wants something more geared toward children with visual disability.

Now, I really don't know how to find what she needs. I don't even know if what she wants is available :-(. I've done some searching, when my time permits me (I am also in the midst of opening/cataloging/desiginig my store, and juggling with daily chores while raising a 3yo), but can't find anything which would meet her needs. Granted my search is not thorough, and that's why I come here. I hope to hear from any of you who've btdt or know somebody who has btdt.

I really want to help my niece (she is 4 yo), and I feel helpless. I don't want her future turns bleak just because she has this disability. I want to do something, and I don't think I've done what needs to be done for the 'job' assigned to me. And yet, I can't leave my store alone, because I need to earn a living too. Gosh, I wish I had 36 hrs a day so I could do more research. I wish I had a lot of money so I could find the best surgeon for her.

I am sorry this is a long read. If you're still reading, thanks.

TIA

[crl]

You might try posting in the homeschooling forum at www.mothering.com I'm sorry I can't be of more help.

[JASC]

Is she in another country because of military service? If so, I would think she would qualify for services through the Dept. of Defense Dependents Schools. I have some friends who have degrees in special education. Let me see what resources they recommend.

ETA: I just did a very quick google search for:

curriculum for visually impaired preschool

and found quite a bit of information including a curriculum guide available through amazon.com and the site of a school for the visually impaired in TX. It looks like that school does sell some of its teachers' manuals on its site.

I will try to search some more later this evening or tomorrow. HTH a little bit.

[overcome]

I have a friend who is legally blind and she has found a wonderful resource in our local Blind and Visual Services. We live in PA, but maybe they could help steer you in the right direction:

http://www.dli.state.pa.us/landi/cwp/view.asp?a=128&Q=190368

HTH

[rprav8r]

I don't know of any homeschooling programs geared for the visually disabled, but you may want to try Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic for obtaining textbooks and other educational materials on cassette. If your sister is a US citizen, she may also be eligible to borrow textbooks in digital (CD) format. Individual memberships are $35 per year, plus a one-time $65 registration fee. For more info, check out http://www.rfbd.org .

Your sister needs to get plugged in to the visually impaired community - there are many, many asssitive devices that are available these days. Your niece can live a full life, get a good education, etc. One of the big organizations that helps advance assistive technologies is RESNA - www.resna.org . That organization may be able to point your sister to some resources in her country. If possible, it may be worth a visit to the US to investigate some technologies, get your niece evaluated here, etc.

I haven't btdt, but DH was in the assistive technology field (though not for the visually impaired) for many years, and I've attended assistive technology conferences with him. I also was a volunteer reader for RFBD for several years. There are resources for your niece, and her future need not be bleak.


-Ry,
mom to Emma, stillborn 11/04/04
and Max, 01/05/06

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[AngelaS]

Since she's a preschooler, I know that Before Five in a Row is geared for the preschool set. The curriculum is based on a popular kid's book and there are a bunch of activities to go w/each book. Some of them you do need to see, but there are so many to pick from that she could probably come up with quite a few activities from the list for your niece. Your local library might have a copy of BFIAR or Five in a Row to look at.

[egan284]

Ladies, I can't thank you enough for pointing me to the right direction!! It would've taken me days or weeks to get to the links and info you mentioned here.

Catherine, I don't even remember mothering.com's homeschooling forum. Thanks for reminding me of this board. I'll definitely check the forum.

Jasc, I'll search using your keyword. Thanks for your help.

Ashley, thanks for the link. It's indeed a great site. There are so many helpful links to resources for the blinds. Thanks again.

Ry, thanks for the links. They are great links. Rfdb.org is really great. I am glad for there's a way to learn even if a person is legally blind. I'll let my sister know of these website. Thanks again.

Angela, I'll definitely check my library for the book you mentioned. Thanks so much for the info.


Thanks

[jesseandgrace]

Today's San Francisco Chronicle has an article about a keyboard in braille, I'm sure she is not there yet, but it seems like a good resource to keep in mind so I thought I would mention it.

[egan284]

Thanks, I'll check SF Chronicles copy tomorrow. Amazing, it comes just when I need it :-). I think I'd better check SFGate as well, maybe it'll turn out there too.

Thanks again.