The world of blind parents

When it comes to parents in today’s world, the task of raising kids has certainly become much more complex, challenging, and interesting. But when you throw in the variable of blind parents raising kids, you have an even more interesting and complex recipe.

I myself am not a parent but I have blind friends who are parents to both blind as well as sighted kids. There are challenges, to be sure, for both cases listed above, but for blind parents I believe that some of the major barriers could be these:

An attitude barrier – where society may still have problems understanding that blind people could be great parents despite not being able to see.
Social barriers – where blind parents may not be easily accepted into the social world of being able to take their kids to various functions.

I believe that many blind parents are more than capable of raising their kids, blind or sighted, and that their determination and propensity to innovate goes a very long way in helping them to cope. Technology continues to make it easier for blind parents to interact more effectively with both their kids as well as with other parents. You could learn more by visiting www.nfb.org.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.