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Child & Family Program
What is the Child & Family Program?
Our goal is to assure that all blind and visually impaired children receive the services necessary to achieve full educational, social and vocational integration. The Child and Family Program provides consultative services to families with blind and visually impaired children and technical assistance to schools and organizations that work with blind children and families of blind children. About Blind Children, a newsletter for families of blind children is published three times annually.
Who does the Child & Family Program serve?
The Child and Family program serves children from birth through high school graduation, and their families, who meet the DSB definition of blindness and visual impairment (Legal blindness or a visual impairment which makes it impossible for a child to perform the activities necessary for school and other childhood endeavors without specialized materials, training, or assistive devices).
- Services to Families of Children Age Birth - 13
- Services to Families and Youths Age 14 -21
- Community & School Programs
Summer Programs
The summer of 2003 marked the seventh year for Youth Employment Solutions, the career education and work experience program for blind youth that is cooperatively sponsored by the Department of Services for the Blind and the Washington State School for the Blind.
Fourteen youth, ages 14-15 participated in YES I on the campus of WSSB. While attending the two-week career education program students created personal portfolios, visited work sites, completed sample job applications and work interest inventories. YES I students culminated their experience by participating in a community service project.
YES II, a six week work experience program for high school youth ages 14 and older, was once again based at the Delta Delta Delta Sorority house in Seattle WA. Fourteen students contributed to another successful year; each student worked approximately 30 per week while also learning to exercise their independence by assuming the responsibility of purchasing and and preparing their meals, maintaining their clothing and personal effects, and traveling independently to work. In addition to the wonderful students who participated in YES I and II, DSB and WSSB express their appreciation to the following businesses and organizations: Safeway, Inc, Little Anchor Day Care, The Modern Day Cafe, The Pacific Science, Ross' Dress for Less, Cranium, Inc., The University of Washington College of Business, Able Child Day Care, The Client Assistance Program and Employment Security, The Department of Services for the Blind, Washington Talking Book and Braille Library and the Seattle Public Library.
To prepare themselves for a successful transition to college eleven students enrolled in DSB's college preparatory program, BRIDGE. In the summer of 2003 BRIDGE itself was in transition; moving to the campus of Eastern Washington University and welcoming both a new Instructor, Brooke Strande and a new peer/tutor, Stephanie Mellor.
Congratulation to all thirty-nine high school and college bound students for investment they made in their future!
Congratulations to the 2003 recipients of DSB Shirley Smith Technology Grants. Based on essays explaining the type of assistive technology they needed and how the technology would assist them in their plans for education or employment, grants were awarded to Victor Puentes- Ballard High School Seattle, James Valdez and Jamal Cloy- Nathan Hale High School Seattle; Chris Bickert- Foss High School Tacoma, Michelle Denzer-Olympic High School Silverdale, and Bryant Jackson- Kamiakin High School Kennewick.
For information about YES, Bridge and other upcoming projects sponsored by DSB Child and Family Services, please consult this web-page or contact Child and Family Services.
How do I apply for services?
Families of Blind Children are invited to register with the DSB Child and Family Services Program. The Child and Family program serves children and their families from birth through high school who meet the Department's definition of blindness and visual impairment:
- Legal blindness or
- A visual impairment which makes it impossible for a child to perform the activities necessary for school and other childhood endeavors without specialized materials, training, or assistive devices.
To register your family for Child and Family Services contact the DSB Child and Family Services at 1-800-552-7103 or by using the referral request screen available on this website.
Please provide your family name, your child's name and age, your phone number and the community where you live.
Your information will be given to a Child and Family Consultant who will contact you to schedule an appointment. To best serve your child's needs it is helpful if you can provide us with the name of your child's visual impairment, the name of additional disabling conditions, your child's grade and school placement.
Newsletters & Special Events
By making yourself and your children known to the Child and Family program you can receive About Blind Children, a newsletter published for families of blind children as well as announcements for program sponsored events such as the annual Conference for Families of Infant and Pre-school Children; Career Fair Announcements, and other Program and non-Program events that may be of interest to families of blind children.
- About Blind Children (ABC) Newsletter - Fall 2007
- WSSB-DSB Career Fair 2008 - January 31, 2008 - annoucment and registration
- Washington Conference for Families of Blind Children and Youth - March 14-15, 2008
- The 2008 Shirley Smith Technology Grant
- 2008 Schedule of Events