Michigan Parents of Children with  Visual Impairments
Resources

Welcome to the Michigan Parents of Children with Visual Impairments (MPVI) resource list. There are many types of organizations and information sources that may interest parents and we will do our best to bring a good sampling of these resources together on this page. As well as serving parents of the visually impaired, we would also like to locate web sites that would be of interest to blind and visually impaired youngsters. You may also want to check out our Educational Resources page for further information.

You may also want to check out resources from our Technology Information and Resources Service page. You will also find useful information on eye health and prevention of blindness on our Prevention of Blindness page. The Eye Health Resources page has articles on the eye as well as information on how to borrow audio described videos. The Occupational Information Resources page has information that can aid in finding employment and the skills needed for employment.

List of Resources

• Blind Children's Center. The Blind Children's Center is a family-centered agency which serves children with visual impairments from birth to school age. The center-based programs and services facilitate the acquisition of skills and build independence in the children. The Center utilizes its expertise and experience to serve families and professionals worldwide through support services, education, and research.
• EnVision: A Publication of The Lighthouse National Center for Vision & Child Development.
• Eyes to See: a brochure on early detection of vision problems.
• Internet Resources for Special Children. This home page was started by a parent of a child with multiple impairments. It is dedicated to communicating information relating to the needs of children with disabilities on a global basis.
• Michigan Electronic Library Children's Resources. A varied collection of resources, geared to the interests of children, on everything from the arts to sports to the sciences, arranged by categories.
• National Education Agenda. This web site focuses on recommended standards for the education of blind or visually impaired children.
• National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY). NICHCY provides information on disabilities and disability-related issues for families, educators, and other professionals. Their special focus is children and youth (birth to age 22).
• Resources for Parents and Teachers of Blind Kids. This is another home page set up by a parent of visually impaired children. The resources on this page range all over the map, including literature, braille, mobility, home schooling, buying and selling equipment, and many others.
• Teaching Math to Visually Impaired Students. This section of the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired's web site is maintained by a secondary school level math teacher at the school. The page includes teaching insights and strategies as well as links to a variety of resources related to mathematics and the visually impaired.
• Toys for Children Who are Blind or Visually Impaired.
• V. I. Guide Home Page, for parents and teachers of blind and visually impaired
  children. This is another site that brings together a wide variety of resources of interest to parents and teachers.

• Wild Swan Theater. Wild Swan Theater, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has been delighting family audiences since 1980 with performances that blend storytelling, movement, and music into magical, accessible experiences. Wild Swan provides both audio captioning for visually impaired audience members and American Sign Language for the hearing impaired.

Special Education Resources

• Barrier Free Education. This site contains resources for the inclusion of students with disabilities into math and science education.
• Student Disability Services at Central Michigan University
• Hadley School for the Blind, Winnetka, Illinois. Hadley is famous for its wide range of college level courses that it offers, free of charge, by correspondence. Blind adults, family members of blind persons, and professionals in the blindness field are eligible to participate in the Hadley program.
• Michigan Department of Education - Office of Special Education Services
• Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights (PACER). PACER Center is a nonprofit, tax exempt Minnesota statewide organization begun in 1977. PACER's mission is to improve and expand opportunities that enhance the quality of life for children and young adults with all disabilities - physical, mental, emotional , learning - and their families. PACER now offers 20 major programs, including Parent Training programs, programs for students and schools, and technical assistance to parent centers both regionally and nationally.
• University of Michigan Campus Accessibility Guide.

PBS Web Sites for Children's Programming

The Public Broadcasting System (PBS) has many television programs that are both educational and fun for children and families. Many of these programs have sites on the World Wide Web and many of these sites have taken special care to be accessible to those who have trouble using graphical information. Below is a list of those web sites. Where possible, we have chosen entry points to these sites that should be easiest for users of screen access software. We have arranged these sites with those for younger children listed first.

• Mr. Rogers Neighborhood
• The Charlie Horse Music Pizza
• Story Time
• Arthur
• Theodore Tugboat
• Dragon Tales
• Adventures from the Book of Virtues
• Ghostwriter
• Kratts' Creatures
• Scientific American Frontiers
• New Explorers
• Newton's Apple
• Nova
• Wishbone