Posts by meredithhowell
Golf Tournament by imi benefits VIPS
Visually Impaired Preschool Services was recently awarded a substantial monetary gift from Irving Materials, Inc. (imi) and their interstate, highway, and road construction division, E&B Paving. The money was raised by imi and their many sponsors at the second annual Swing for VIPS golf tournament held at the Louisville Audubon Country Club on July 8. …
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VIPS Published in Online Professional Journal for Visual Impairment and Deafblind Education Quarterly
Check out the latest issue of Visual Impairment and Deafblind Education Quarterly which features VIPS child Bradley on the cover. There is a feature on VIPS published by Executive Director, Diane Nelson, and Director of Education, Kathy Mullen, that can be found here: VIDBEQ641Winter2019_selected-pages We are so grateful that the Council for Exceptional Children (International Headquarters) supports…
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AWS Foundation to Support Services for Babies and Toddlers with Blindness/Low Vision in Northeast Indiana
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The AWS Foundation has awarded Visually Impaired Preschool Services (VIPS Indiana) a grant of $21,250 to be used for vision-specific early intervention services to northeast Indiana’s babies and toddlers with blindness/low vision. “The Early Childhood Intervention Program is so important to young children who are blind or visually impaired and in need of…
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VIPS Recognizes Terri Connelly with Ambassador Award
VIPS honored Terri Connolly at our 12th Annual Beacon Awards as a VIPS Ambassador. The VIPS Ambassador Award is given to a special individual or organization who has displayed an outstanding contribution to VIPS, sometimes through generous gifts, other times through their devotion of time. Ambassador Award recipients have demonstrated their commitment to VIPS by…
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Gheens Foundation Awards VIPS with a $50,000 Gift
Visually Impaired Preschool Services was recently awarded a $50,000 gift from the Gheens Foundation to be used for in-home early intervention visits by VIPS teachers as well as for two- to five-year-olds who attend Kids Town Preschool at VIPS. “We were completely overwhelmed at the generosity of the Gheens Foundation,” said Diane Nelson, VIPS Executive…
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Inaugural ‘Swing for VIPS’ Helps Children with Visual Impairments
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY — Visually Impaired Preschool Services was recently awarded a generous monetary gift from Irving Materials, Inc. (imi) and their interstate, highway, and road construction division E&B Paving. The money raised by imi and their many sponsors at the inaugural imi ‘Swing for VIPS’ Golf Tournament was held at the Louisville Audubon Country Club…
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Early Intervention and Brain Development: Making the Most of Neural Plasticity
by Melissa Barrick Occupational Therapist and Early Interventionist in Visual Impairment | VIPS Indiana What is the importance of early intervention for babies and toddlers? Why should families and children participate in such intervention? The answer to both these questions has to do with the young brain’s capacity to change, learn, and rewire itself. This…
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Trystan Progresses
He came into our lives with Gods Perfect Timing. But we soon learned our little boy had visual problems and was getting behind in developing. Therapy helped but the gap was getting larger in his development. We moved to Indiana just before he turned two and struggled with getting therapy started again. We were set…
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Help for Santa’s Helpers: The Gift of Christmas Routines
by Paige Maynard Teacher of the Visually Impaired and Developmental Interventionist | VIPS Louisville All young children thrive in the context of routines. Routines are essential for enabling the child to fully participate in activities. However, during the holiday season, the craziness of celebrations can really disrupt those essential routines that help your child to…
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Glasses 101 for Children with Low Vision/Blindness
When a child is blind or has very low vision, sometimes the first thing a parent or a friend or relative says is; “He needs glasses.” But whether or not glasses will improve a child’s ability to see is dependent upon the reason for the child’s low vision or blindness. For some eye conditions/diagnoses, there IS something that will help improve vision; a surgery, a medication, a visual intervention, or prescription eye glasses. But, for many serious eye conditions, there is NOT an intervention that will improve visual acuity. And in these cases, putting glasses on a child simply will not help.
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