Resources for the Blind and Visually Impaired

I recently attended the Special Needs Consultants meeting in Madison, where one of the presenters was Stacy Grandt of the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

They provide statewide services to blind and visually impaired students. As a part of the Department of Public Instruction's Division for Learning Support: Equity and Advocacy, the WCBVI is the lead resource for providing quality services to blind and visually impaired school-age children.

As the Director of Outreach, Stacy and her team include consultants and/or specialists in the areas of assistive technology, birth-to-six, low vision, orientation and mobility, parent support, professional development, school-age children, students who are deaf/blind, students with multiple disabilities, and transition.

She talked about some great resources also available to public libraries, such as:

- Blind Children's Fund Website - includes books with characters who are blind and other products.

- connections to order materials for children at your library who are blind, including Squid books

- tactile graphics (See "Bits from Barb" for more information on ordering these for SRP)

- Braille items

Please contact Stacy if you have any questions about the resources available!

(stacy.grandt@wcbvi.k12.wi.us)