Ask the Experts!
How Will I Get My Child to Wear Glasses?
If your child has a visual impairment, chances are they’ll have a prescription for glasses. You may be wondering, “How on earth am I ever going to convince my child to keep glasses on their face?” The teachers from A Shared Vision get this question all the time. HERE are some of their tips on how to get a child with blindness or a visual impairment to wear glasses. We also found some tips on the For Little Eyes website, a community forum for parents who have children that wear glasses, patches, or contacts.
Make a Lucky Shamrock
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with this easy tactile craft idea from Paths to Literacy. All you need are green pom poms (you can use different sizes), glue and an 8 ½ x 11- inch sheet of paper or cardstock. 

First, draw the outline of a shamrock on a sheet of paper or cardstock in black marker. Put some glue on the shamrock. Then let your child pick up each pom pom and glue it on the shamrock. Use hand under hand if your child is reluctant to get started. As you work on filling the outline with the pom poms, talk about what you’re doing. Talk about the pom poms’ color and soft texture. What else is green in your home or outside your window? You can even count the number of pom poms you glue on your shamrock.
Winter Story Box Idea
If you live in Colorado, you can expect a lot of snowy days in March. When it’s not easy to get outside and play in the snow, you can read about making a snowman with this story box idea for All You Need for a Snowman. 

A story box is a collection of items in a box or bag that correspond to the items described in a story. As you read the story out loud with your child, you introduce and play with the objects in the story, using all your senses.  For this story, real snow is optional – you can practice rolling snow balls out of play dough, clay, cotton balls or other materials. Learn how to make a winter story box HERE.
Spotlight on Liz Wieder
Liz joined A Shared Vision in 2020 as an Early Intervention Teacher of the Visually Impaired. She also works part time as a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments and an Orientation and Mobility instructor for the St. Vrain Valley School District.

Liz enjoys early intervention because she works one on one with students and their families in their homes. “I believe that parents and caregivers know their children best and we have so much to learn from them.” Liz also enjoys teaching Orientation and Mobility. “Movement and independence are critical for every person and I like being able to tailor it to each individual’s needs,” explains Liz.

Liz’s third passion is language. She is fluent in English, Spanish, French and Swedish and can converse in Thai and Italian. Learn more about Liz HERE.
Is an EI-TVI a Vision Therapist?
We are frequently asked, “What’s the difference between an EI-TVI and a Vision Therapist?”  It’s an easy mistake to confuse an EI-TVI with a “therapist” because they collaborate with physical and occupational therapists. But here are the facts.

Early Intervention Teachers of the Visually Impaired (EI-TVIs) are licensed special educators with advanced degrees focused on children with blindness or visual impairment. They collaborate directly with parents, caregivers and other EI providers to address the specific goals of each family and their child. Family-focused, strengths based and developmentally appropriate, EI-TVI services are provided in the home or other natural environments.

Vision Therapists provide doctor supervised eye exercises intended to correct visual processing problems and/or build visual skills. The goal is to train the brain to process visual information more efficiently by improving the ability to use both eyes together, treating eye deviations and slowing the progression of nearsightedness.
Turn Grocery Bills into Donations for A Shared Vision

Thanks to the families who shop at King Soopers and City Market, A Shared Vision received nearly $2,000 in 2020! We are grateful for all who have signed up for the King Soopers/City Market Community Awards program, which donates a percentage of your grocery purchases to A Shared Vision at no cost to you. Learn how to sign up for this program HERE.
A Shared Vision is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the leading provider of in-home and community early intervention vision services in Colorado. We inspire and empower families to nurture the development of their very young children who are blind or visually impaired so that all children may discover their brightest future.
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