Information and Resources for Specific Eye Conditions
Financial Assistance
Social Security
http://ssa.gov/pubs/10026.html
The Social Security Administration provides benefits for children with disabilities. A child under 18 can qualify for monthly payments by meeting the administration's definition of disability for children and the eligibility limits of income and resources.
Health Insurance
Medicaid
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/home/medicaid.asp
Medicaid makes it possible for certain low-income individuals and families to get health care when they could otherwise not afford it. It is available only to certain low-income individuals and families based on federal and state law eligibility. Medicaid sends payments directly to health care providers. Medicaid waivers are available for certain individuals who do not meet the income limits that Medicaid requires. It may cover the expenses that primary health insurance does not. The following website contains information on the different Medicaid waiver programs available in each state.
Information
California School for the Blind/Assessment Programlind/Assessment Programlind/As
The Assessment Program of the California School for the Blind is a statewide resource offering expertise in the education of children and young adults who are blind, visually impaired and deaf-blind. Our mandate is to provide the following services to California's school districts: Student assessments Parent and staff consultation Professional development for administrators, teachers, specialists and paraprofessionals
TX SenseAbilities
A Quarterly Newsletter For Families And Professionals On Visual Impairments And Deafblindness. A collaborative effort of the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services, Division for Blind Services
Texas School for the Blind
www.tsbvi.edu/tx-senseabilities
The Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) serves as a special public school in the continuum of statewide placements for students who have a visual impairment. It is also a countrywide resource to parents of these children and professionals who serve them. For information on different eye diseases, technology, curriculum, Braille, evaluation and lots more:
Perkins School for the Blind
Resources Braille & Talking Book Library Information Clearinghouse on Blindness & Visual Impairment Samuel P. Hayes Research Library Perkins Products Perkins History Museum Assistive Technology Literacy Accessible Science Webcast
The Hadley School for the Blind
Mission: To promote independent living through lifelong, distance education for people who are blind and visually impaired, their families and blindness service providers
DB-LINK Information Services
NCDB is home to DB-LINK, the largest collection of information related to deaf-blindness worldwide. A team of information specialists makes this extensive resource available in response to direct requests, via the NCDB web site, through conferences and a variety of electronic medium.
Everything Braille
www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/publications/EB-ABOUT.html
This is a page on the-National Braille Press website that has information about Braille,Links to games, technology and other information about Braille
Seedlings Braille Books for Children
Seedlings offers Braille books and Books for young children that are in print and braille so that families can read together. They also sell a variety of braille products.
Microphthalmia and Anophthalmia:
MAPS (Microphthalmia Anophthalmia Parent Support)
www.nei.nih.gov/health/anoph/anophthalmia
Anophthalmia and microphthalmia are often used interchangeably. Microphthalmia is a disorder in which one or both eyes are abnormally small, while anophthalmia is the absence of one or both eyes. These rare disorders develop during pregnancy and can be associated with other birth defects.
Optic Nerve Hypoplasia (OHN) and Septo-optic Dysplasia (SOD):
The Vision Center at Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Under the leadership of ophthalmologist Dr. Mark Borchert, Children's Hospital Los Angeles is a worldwide leader in the research and management of optic nerve hypoplasia. This website provides FAQs, resources, academic publications, and information on how to participate in research and get in touch with the team.
One Small Voice Foundation
www.onesmallvoicefoundation.org
A nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and informing others about ONH and hydrocephalus. OSVF supports research efforts to benefit children with ONH and hydrocephalus.
Magic Foundation
The Magic Foundation is a national non-profit organization created to provide support services for families of children with a wide variety of chronic and/or critical disorders, syndromes and diseases that affect a child's growth. The Magic Foundation has a network of families with children that have ONH/SOD.
ONH Consulting
ONH Consulting provides direct and personalized guidance, support and advocacy services to families of children and youth with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia (ONH). The president and founder of ONH Consulting has had a lifetime of experience with several of the unique challenges on ONH
Retina conditions:
Foundation Fighting Blindness
The urgent mission of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, Inc. is to drive the research that will provide preventions, treatments and cures for people affected by retinitis pigmentosa (RP), macular degeneration, Usher Syndrome, and the entire spectrum of retinal degenerative diseases.
Retina Foundation
The Retina Foundation is one of the leading independent vision research centers in the United States. They conduct cutting-edge eye research into the causes and treatments of age-related macular degeneration, infant eye disorders, and inherited retinal eye diseases.
Services
Regional Center Directory
http://www.dds.ca.gov/rc/rclist.cfm
Regional centers are nonprofit private corporations that contract with the Department of Developmental Services to provide or coordinate services and supports (delete s) for individuals with developmental disabilities. They have offices throughout California to provide a local resource to help find and access the many services available to individuals and their families. To locate contact information for the local Regional Center: http://www.dds.ca.gov/RC/RCList.cfm For information on eligibility: http://www.dds.ca.gov/General/Eligibility.cfm
Toys and other items
The Teachers' Favorite Toys at Overbrook School for the Blind
Overbrook School for the Blind (OSB) prepares our students?all of whom are blind, visually impaired or living with other challenges?to have the greatest opportunity to experience active and fulfilling lives. Ours is a school where compassion, dedication, expertise and instructional excellence are immediately evident.
Blindness Auction Gateway
www.blindbargains.com/ebay.php
Welcome to the Blindness Auction Gateway. Use this page to search for all sorts of blindness and low-vision items on EBay. Just select a link below to perform a realtime search for that item. It may take a few seconds for the results to load. New to EBay? go down to the bottom of this page for tips on getting started.
Early Intervention Products for Young Children
Beyond Play offers you the most extensive selection of products for young children of all abilities - from infants and toddlers to children in the early elementary grades.
American Printing House for the Blind
The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) is the world’s largest nonprofit organization creating educational, workplace, and independent living products and services for people who are visually impaired.
National Federation of the Blind
www.nfb.org/nopbc-good-toys-blind-kids
The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.
The Braille Superstore
http://www.braillebookstore.com/Toys-and-Games
Here at Future Aids, The Braille Superstore, we value your business. It is our #1 goal to make sure that your online shopping experience will be easy and enjoyable. And because we love both the work we do and the products we offer, we're dedicated to answering any questions about our products or concerns about your order. We'd also like to hear your comments about your shopping experience with us. Remember, there's no such thing as a silly question, but they're always the easiest to answer.
Playopolis
Children learn differently. We offer toys that maximize sensory awareness, gross and fine motor, language, and cognitive development and provide distraction and multi-sensory stimulation. We sell toys that encourage children to play, learning what happens as a result of their actions and building skills.