The Virginia Parents of Blind Children (VAPOBC) is a division of the NFB of Virginia. Its mission is to offer support, information and encouragement to families and friends of blind/visually impaired children. We connect families to each other and to blind role models in the community. We offer support and information about educational issues, the IEP (Individualized Education Program), Braille, technology and scholarships. We sponsor seminars and workshops for parents at the NFBV State Convention. We provide access to free canes for kids. Parenting a child with blindness or a severe vision impairment can be a lonely job…there just aren’t that many of us out there! VAPOBC wants you to know you are not alone. Our organization not only provides a platform for parents to share their experiences and voice their concerns, but most importantly VAPOBC connects us to the real experts on blindness…the members of National Federation of the Blind. Our mentors and friends in the National Federation of the Blind of Virginia reach out to us, the families of blind and visually impaired children, to demonstrate that, with the proper attitude and adaptive skills, lack of visual acuity can be reduced to a mere nuisance.
Project RISE
Project RISE, (Resilience, Independence, Self-Advocacy, Employment) is a transition program, focusing on providing blind and low vision students with the skills necessary to become competitively employed. These skills will be useful whether the students attend an institution of higher education, a vocational school, or enter the job market directly after high school. Learn more...
Future Reflections
Future Reflections is a quarterly magazine for parents and teachers of blind children that offers resources and information based on the National Federation of the Blind's positive philosophy of blindness. In Future Reflections, you will find:
- Resources covering topics from teaching blind infants to discover and explore their surroundings to issues in higher education such as access to Braille and recorded textbooks
- Stories about successful blind adults who can serve as role models for blind children
- A national network of parents who have shared similar experiences and who can provide information, support, and encouragement
- Guidance for teachers and educators including planning education programs, teaching Braille in school, and keeping blind children competitive with sighted classmates
- Answers to many common questions asked by parents and teachers of blind children
Get your free subscription today!
For More Information
To get in touch with the Virginia Organization of Parents of Blind Children, please email: parents@nfbv.org. For the Blind Parents group, please contact: Jessica Reed Phone: (540) 661-8876 Email: jessicac.kostiw@gmail.com