Families Connect

It may seem as if the only people who understand what you’re going through are people who have been there too. Other parents of children with blindness and low vision, either individually or in organized groups, can offer advice based on firsthand experience, resources, and ongoing support.

Join Our ParentConnect Group

Parent Connect: A Family Support Group. First Wednesday of every month 7:30pm to 8:30pm Familyconnect logo. Mother and father sitting table with child in wheelchair doing a jigsaw puzzle.

ParentConnect is a family support group offered in partnership with The Chicago Lighthouse’s Virtual Parent Support Group. (Ongoing)

APH FamilyConnect and The Chicago Lighthouse are pleased to offer this virtual support group for parents and families of children who are blind or visually impaired. These monthly sessions are for families to connect with and learn from each other about the joys, challenges, and adventures of raising children with visual impairments and blindness.  These sessions are open to families. ACVREP or professional development credits will not be available.

Call 800-232-5463 for more information or register for the meetings HERE

Parent Groups:

  • American Council of the Blind (ACB)
  • Thriving Blind
  • National Federation of the Blind’s National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
  • Center for Parent Information and Resources
  • The Lighthouse Guild sponsors tele-support groups for families with children with cortical visual impairment, retinopathy of prematurity, Leber congenital amaurosis, autism and blindness/ low vision, Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome, CHARGE syndrome, albinism, and other rare eye conditions. The CVI group meets for one hour on Tuesday evenings at 8:30 pm EST. Guest speakers such as CVI professionals present once or twice monthly to support families across the US and the world. Families of children ranging from infants to teenagers can find support and community during our tele-support group. Register to join the next meeting at Tele-Support for Parents – Lighthouse Guild or email Judith at [email protected]. 
  • https://www.facebook.com/groups/CVINow/ The CVI Now Parent Facebook group is our space to connect, share, collaborate, and get answers. We have productive and rich discussions and hold space for all that comes with raising a child with CVI. You can count on being the first to know about current CVI research and new resources published on CVINow.org. The group holds virtual events with a wide range of professionals in the field to help answer our questions and dive deeper into topics we care about. There are many pathways and strategies for success for our kids with CVI, and all questions and ideas are welcome. Not all families follow the same journey, but we all have insights, stories, and guidance to share. Join our amazing community!
A group of people of all ages standing outside in a circle all holding hands raised in the air.

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