As more and more students are diagnosed with vision impairments, kids naturally become curious about what vision impairments are and how people live with them. Luckily, there are many kid-friendly resources online that teach about Braille, blindness, low vision, and more. In honor of National Braille month, here are five websites that teach kids about vision impairments, including blindness and low vision. These websites are targeted at sighted kids but are also great for curious kids with vision impairment.
Related links
You’ve Got Braille
You’ve Got Braille is a resource on PBS Kids that teaches young children about Braille using characters from the show Arthur. A character named Marina has a page where she talks about life with blindness and educates readers on basic adaptations such as listening to books, reading large print, and using screen readers. There’s also a Braille translator. I love that this website is inclusive of low vision and has current information too.
Related links
- You’ve Got Braille
- How Amazon Alexa Can Help You Read
- Digital Library Resources For Vision Impaired Patrons
- All About Bookshare
Braille Bug
Braille Bug is an interactive resource from the American Foundation for the Blind. On the website, kids learn about color contrast, Louis Braille, Helen Keller, different types of Braille, and also has games and activities. I had a lot of fun exploring the website, especially the Louis Braille virtual museum.
Related links
SeeNow Vision Simulator
SeeNow Vision Simulator was developed to teach people about navigating with a vision impairment by seeing what locations look like through the eyes of someone with uncorrectable vision loss. I used it to explain to someone why I find it difficult to navigate an area near my college and show them how it looked to me. There is also an app available, but I have not tested it.
Related links
- SeeNow Vision Simulator
- Navigating college campuses with technology
- Using PicsArt To Simulate Vision Impairment
Kids Quest: Vision Impairment
Kids Quest: Vision Impairment is a resource developed by the Center for Disease Control. The website challenges assumptions kids may have about vision impairment and teaches them about assistive technology as well as encourages them to research information on outside websites. There’s even a section on famous people with vision loss. This website can answer most questions someone could have about vision loss. I recommend it for older kids, age 10 and above.
Related links
- Kids Quest: Vision Impairment
- Five myths about assistive technology
- Famous people with tinted glasses
WonderBaby
While this website isn’t technically directed at kids, WonderBaby is a website curated by Perkins School for the Blind about raising children that have vision impairments and multiple disabilities. There’s a lot of great projects, information, and tips featured, and my mom has said she wished this website existed when I was younger because it would have been really useful.
Related links
By encouraging kids to learn more about living with vision impairment, inclusive and accessible spaces can be created and flourish. After all, kids with blindness and low vision aren’t much different than other kids- they just see things a little differently.
