"Taking Care of Our Children ... Taking Care of Ourselves"

Children play with volunteers at this year's conference.

At Perkins, we have a strong commitment to helping families of children with visual impairments network and access the best possible care. We focus on early intervention, preschool, and early childhood as a time for empowering parents and helping children to take their first steps.

On May 3, 2008, we honored this commitment with our 25th Annual New England Regional Seminar for Children with Visual Impairments and Families (Birth-7 years old): "Taking Care of Our Children, Taking Care of Ourselves." The event was a great success!

Keynote speaker Tom Sullivan poses with a mother and son.

Each year, parents, grandparents, educators and other professionals come to Perkins for a day of speeches, workshops, panels and support groups. Often this is the only time in the year – or the first time ever – when people across New England have the opportunity to connect with others who have children with similar visual conditions. The information is transformative and the connections often life-long.

While parents attended enlightening conference sessions and support groups, we provided activities and supervision for their children. 

This year we had a special treat - Perkins graduate Tom Sullivan, actor, singer, entertainer, author, and producer - will be the keynote speaker!

Tom is a rebel who insisted he could do anything that a sighted person could do, as evidenced by his 1975 autobiography, "If You Could See What I Hear," later made into a major motion picture. Tom was a star athlete and Student Council member at Perkins, and the adventures he had here laid the foundation for the accomplished and inspirational man he is today.

This truly empowering and moving event included session topics such as:

• Blindness and Autism.
• Adapting Home & School Environments for Children with Cortical Vision Impairment.
• Augmentative Communication for Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
• How To Be An Effective Member of Your Child's Team.
• Building Sanity into Our Lives - For Our Children, For Our Marriage, For Ourselves.
• Parent Panel - Parents share their perspectives and invite discussion.

Thanks for making this year's conference such a success and we look forward to seeing you next year!