Early Childhood
Education Initiative
In 2003, the National Federation of the Blind held the 2003 NFB Summit on Education to discuss the most critical issues impacting young blind people and to develop priorities for the NFB Jernigan Institute. A theme that emerged over and over was concern about the lack of positive, appropriate early education for families with blind children. This is especially disturbing because research in early childhood education shows that the family has the greatest impact on child development. In other words, the family is the first educational delivery system. Furthermore, parents are frequently told that their children are not capable of developing at an age-appropriate rate due to blindness, thus, encouraging the parents to lower their expectations and thereby creating a vicious cycle of learned helplessness.
We in the NFB and the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children know that the vicious cycle of low expectations can be overcome with proper early education efforts for these families. This is why the NFB Jernigan Institute has made early childhood education a primary initiative of its Education Program.
Please visit this page often for updates on our NFB Early Childhood Education Initiative.
Initiative Progress and Related Programs
Beginnings and Blueprints Early Childhood Conference: How can you as a parent help build your child into the best individual they can be without a successful blueprint to follow? What tools do you need to construct a successful future for your child? Listen to topics from the May 2009 Beginnings and Blueprints Early Childhood Conference, and learn how great beginnings in the early years can lead to future success for your blind or low vision child.
Future Reflections Special Issue: The Early Years. Future Reflections, the NFB magazine for parents and teachers of blind children, provides leadership and a powerful body of literature related to a positive approach to preparing our youngest blind children for age-appropriate behaviors and readiness for success in school. Don't miss this special issue.
Early Literacy: BRL Reading Pals is a non-competitive Braille literacy program for blind infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and older students with reading delays. The goal of this program is to expose the family and the child to Braille and to encourage parents (or other responsible adults) to read aloud to or with their children a minimum of fifteen minutes a day during the program period. We know that it may be difficult or impossible for many parents to read to their children every day, but we set the goal high to demonstrate the importance of literacy and to encourage parents early on to "reach for the stars."
Support the Early Childhood Education Initiative through the Imagination Fund!
For more information on the NFB Jernigan Institute Early Childhood Education Initiative, to provide feedback, or to discuss partnership opportunities, please contact:
Mary Jo Hartle, Director of Education
Jernigan Institute
National Federation of the Blind
200 East Wells Street
at Jernigan Place
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
(410) 659-9314, ext. 2407
