Do You See What I See?

We've known for a while now that Grace has vision issues. She started seeing a pediatric opthamologist when she was about five months old. At that time, we were told that she had significant nerve damage from the fluid pressure in her brain. We know that Grace can see. She can tell light from dark and can see big objects. Since her condition (optic nerve atrophy) affects the way the images are sent to her brain and not the way she actually sees them, glasses will not help.

We recently met with a representative from the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired to get more information on how to help Grace. Annie is a very quirky and kind woman who has a passion for helping visually impaired children. Her visit was incredibly educational. We talked about Grace reading with braille and having to have a special helper in her classrooms to help the teacher adapt to Grace's vision problems. She may need an Orientation and Mobility therapist to help her learn how to navigate safely using her other senses.  I don't want these things for my daughter, but I'm trying to remember to focus on what Grace can do instead of what she may not be able to do.

So how do you parent a child with a visual impairment? Will I have to learn braille? Will she be able to drive someday? I don't know the answers to these questions. Until then, we take it day by day and celebrate every small step forward.