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October 15th is White Cane Safety Day, a national celebration of the achievements of people who are blind or have low vision and the important symbol of blindness and tool of independence, the white cane.

Before babies and toddlers who are blind or have low vision can use a cane, they need to learn about their environment and where they are in space as they start to move and explore. Teachers from A Shared Vision who are trained in orientation and mobility help a family learn to encourage a child’s purposeful movement, teach body awareness including body parts, introduce directional concepts, and help their child with an early mobility device such as a push toy as shown in the picture above or a small cane.

A cane is an extension of your child’s arms. It allows your child to touch, tap, or scratch different surfaces in their environment and listen to the sounds they make. The cane also provides their hands with tactile and auditory feedback. This knowledge will help them navigate their school, the outdoors, and unfamiliar areas.

A cane should be introduced in your home before your child is even walking. That way, your child can explore the shape of the cane, make noise with it, or play games with it.

When your child becomes more mobile, you and your orientation & mobility specialist can help your child practice traveling with the cane in your home. They will learn important landmarks, like the refrigerator, doors, or stairs.

Learn more about orientation and mobility HERE.

What We Love Now -- Pumpkins!

Fall is a great time to explore the textures, smells, tastes, sounds, and sights of the season! From apples to pumpkins, cooler air to crunchy fall leaves, getting out and having meaningful experiences outdoors is a wonderful way for your child to explore nature with their senses and develop important concepts.

We love pumpkins because they come in so many shapes and sizes! While it’s fun to visit a pumpkin patch, it’s even easier to explore a pumpkin in your own home with these ideas HERE.

A footprint ghost is a fun and easy craft project you can make with your child to celebrate Halloween, and the contrasting colors appeal to children who have low vision or cortical visual impairment.

All you need is Washable white craft paint (e.g., Crayola kids’ paint), a piece of black card stock or construction paper, a small paint brush and some Googly eyes to glue on your ghost when the paint dries. Learn how to make a ghost footprint HERE.

Songs, poems, and stories are a fun way to cuddle, snuggle, and play with your child while promoting early literacy and social/emotional connections. Here's a rhyme you can try on Halloween about three witches!

Some tips: First, find a favorite place to cuddle with your child. Hold your child on your lap facing you. If your little one likes to move, you may want to dance and move about instead of sitting down. Start the rhyme off slowly so you can see how your child engages with you. Note what touch, actions, or movement your child prefers. Continue the activity as long as your child is content and comfortable. Even a few minutes of singing and story time is beneficial to your child.

Three Little Witches

One little, two little, three little witches (Hold up 1,2,3 fingers)

Flying over haystacks (Lean child to the left)

Flying over ditches (Lean child to the right)

Flying over moonbeams (Lean child to the left)

Without any hitches (Lean child to the right)

Hi-Ho, Halloween’s here! (Bounce child on your lap)

We are so grateful for the continuing support from The Buell Foundation, which just awarded A Shared Vision $20,000 to support Colorado families with very young children who are blind or have low vision. This sizeable grant will help us close the gap in identifying all very young children with blindness or visual impairments, provide high-quality in-home vision services, and meet the growing demand for qualified teachers.

If you missed the earlier sessions this summer, no worries! The updated 2025 Vision Screening Protocol© training is now available as an hour-long, self-paced instructional video so it’s even easier to fit into your schedule. Sign up to receive a link to the training HERE and learn how to use the new vision screening tools.