Special Needs

Find support for parents of children with special needs. Learn how to advocate for your child, raise funds for needed equipment and find helpful organizations.

Filter by: Advocacy, Assistive Technology, Autism, Schools for the Blind, Support, Visual Impairment

Ivan and dad at the cafe

Support

Am I Failing My Child? Managing Guilt as a Special Needs Parent

All parents feel guilt, but for parents of special needs kids, those feelings of guilt can be multiplied by a thousand.

a large bathroom with 7 Steps to Teach a Blind Child how to be Independent in Public Bathrooms

Potty Training, Visual Impairment

7 Steps to Teach a Blind Child how to be Independent in Public Bathrooms

Rusty has put together some sound advice on how you can help your older blind children navigate bathrooms on their own independently!

text reading

Education, Visual Impairment

5 Back-to-School Resources for Kids with Visual Impairments and their Families

Want to make this school year the best year yet? Browse our collection of resources for tips and ideas on how to make the most of the "Back-to-School" season!

Financial planning for the special needs family

Support

I’m Planning for a 70-Year retirement… How About You?

When you're raising a special needs child, you need to plan for your own retirement as well as your child's financial future. How can you cover both expenses in your...

Support

Things in My House that I Wish Would Just Take Care of Themselves

This is going to sound like a lot of complaining, but really it's my response to the special needs world closing in on me. Sometimes you need to come up...

Ivan washing his hands in the sink

Potty Training, Visual Impairment

8 Tips for Surviving Toilet Training in Public Bathrooms with Your Blind Child

Toilet training a child with special needs is difficult enough... have you tackled public bathrooms yet?

Advocacy

Advocacy

Learning Advocacy and Self-Advocacy

Marianne Haas, a TVI, disability advocate and employment counselor, gives strategies and tips on how to advocate for your blind child.

Feature of Smart Specs

Assistive Technology, Visual Impairment

Smart Specs Help Legally Blind See

New assistive glasses adjust images in real-time for people who are visually impaired.

Braille Smart Watch

Assistive Technology, Braille and Literacy

Dot Braille Smart Watch

New braille smart watch features four cells of refreshable braille.

Smart Cane recongizing owner's faces

Assistive Technology, Orientation and Mobility

Smart Cane Recognizes Faces

The XploR cane uses smartphone technology to send vibrations to the user when it detects a familiar face.

Shelby in her WonderBaby T-Shirt

Eye Conditions and Syndromes, Special Needs

Why I Loved Attending the CHARGE Conference

I was nervous about attending my first CHARGE conference, but I am so happy that I did! It was wonderful! You should attend a family conference about your child's diagnosis...

mom and Ivan working from home

Special Needs

Why You Should Hire a Special Needs Parent

Are you good at juggling multiple projects? Do you adapt well to change? You may be a special needs parent!

Lesley and her dog

Advocacy

How My Disability has Taught Me to Embrace My Own Uniqueness

Perhaps if we all made a positive difference in our own unique way we would feel more connected to each other and less afraid to be imperfect.

Ivan eating lunch at Panera Bread

Support

Is this as Good as it Gets?

Maybe things are good now, but you know they will just get harder as your child grows up. Disability doesn't get easier as kids get older! Are these days your...

Beautiful Madilyn

Visual Impairment

What Does it Mean to be Blind?

How can you explain blindness to your child when you are sighted? And how can you explain sight to a child who has never seen?