For the sighted world, dreams often feel fairly straight forward. They close their eyes. Their mind starts to shut itself down to aid in relaxation. Their breathing slows down. But what do dreams look like for people who are blind?

We can’t go anywhere without being hit with COVID-19 news. It is hard to believe that only four months ago, we could do our standard “phone, wallet, keys” check and walk right out the door and into the world. In the blink of an eye, COVID went from a lighthearted concern that friends warned us about when we talked about upcoming travel plans, to a pandemic that completely remapped the way we navigate the world.

If you have a child who has suffered vision loss that is severe, then he or she could qualify for Social Security Disability benefits known as Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The most straightforward way to be approved for disability benefits would be for the child with vision loss to meet the Social Security Administration (SSA) definition of blindness.

Part of the Mission of The Vision of Children Foundation (VOC) is to tackle misconceptions faced by the blind and visually impaired (VI) community. Some misconceptions serve as a laughable moment that ultimately becomes a teachable moment, while others speak on the public’s fundamental misunderstandings of the capabilities of those dealing with vision loss and blindness. Both cases, regardless of intention, can become problematic for those having to answer them.

Marvel's Hero Project is an upcoming documentary TV series by Marvel New Media for Disney+ to be streamed from November 12, 2019. This 20-episode series shares the remarkable, positive change several young heroes are making in their own communities across the country. These inspiring kids have dedicated their lives to selfless acts of bravery and kindness, and now, Marvel celebrates them as the true Super Heroes they are by welcoming them into Marvel's Hero Project.

When the Vision of Children Foundation learned that one of our Vision Heroes was selected as 1 of the 20 selected for the Marvel Hero Project, we could hardly contain our excitement. We decided the best way to learn more about this new Disney+ series, is to speak directly to the minds behind the project. In part one of this two-part blog, the Vision of Children Team interviewed the Marvel team behind this barrier-breaking series.

In 2017, a record-breaking 4.1 billion passengers traveled by airplane, an increase of 7.3% compared to the previous year, according to the International Air Transport Association. This staggering statistic is only expected to increase in the future due to the increasing ease of travel, as well as the trend towards mandatory business travel. As airports become increasingly crowded, they also become more and more difficult to navigate, especially for those with visual impairments or blindness.

One group that has been taking advantage of this sunny weather is the blind and visually impaired community. Surfing, and open water sports in general, are dangerous, depending on where you surf and the wave conditions as well, but that hasn’t stopped those in the visually impaired and blind community from tackling even the most difficult waves! 

Students who are visually impaired or blind might need special accommodations and modifications compared to other students in class. Oftentimes, there is a common misconception that low vision students and blind students need to attend specialized schools. In reality, the vast majority of these students attend public schools with the general population, they just have some additional accommodations compared to sighted students.

With the help of Vision of Children, Dr. Debora Farber is leading a research project designed to find a treatment for Ocular Albinism type 1 (OA1) by using two breakthrough technologies: induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSc) and CRISPR/Cas9.

Many of the global leaders in the technology industry have joined the discussion of creating a more accessible society. Finding information on the resources and technologies these innovative leaders provide is not an easy task, and such a research project may leave you with more questions than when you started. To help you navigate tech companies’ advancements and accessibility efforts, we have condensed our research to offer a clear summary of options.

Some people get so upset with the labels...for me, they always brought a sense of comfort in knowing I now had a "ticket" for resources and an "x" on the map to find my tribe. It really has been nothing more than that for us. Separating the child from the label has always been easy. As each new label came along, I always had this mantra that would play in my head, “He is the same kid now as he was a moment ago, before this new word was used to define some aspect of him.”