Blind kids are fundamentally just kids. They need to go to school, make friends, play sport, gain independence and have all the other experiences kids have. How they do all those things depends somewhat on how much vision they have. You shouldn't not have kids because they might be blind. Your boyfriend might be a good role model for what a successful blind person can be.

I have a blind daughter who is almost 13 now. I would say my best pieces of advice would be:

\-take advantage of every opportunity and program that you can

\-make sure you get your kid services young, get them into the special ed system.

\-don't baby them. I made this mistake, I never made my kid clean up after herself because she couldn't see well, and she never got into good habits.

If you're in the US and want to talk more, feel free to PM me! I can give you like, a vocab list of terms to know when dealing with special ed/early intervention people, which I feel like is something a lot of people don't know.

(See name for qualifications)

The one thing I found most difficult was not being completely understood (especially in school but also at home). I am fortunate to be very functional, and independent in my day to day life, this does not mean I am not struggling, it just means I'm managing the struggle well. Consistently asking about what I was struggling with, how to help, and generally trying to make me feel like I can do anything was the best thing my wonderful parents ever did.

I should also add, as others have, I was ultimately still just a kid, I sweated the same as every other boy my age, treat me as you would any other child, only take notice of how somethings are more difficult. You'll be a great parent I'm sure and regardless of any visual impairment I'm sure your child - like I did - will have a full, happy and loving childhood.

Hi. Everyone has given great advice. I would just add that it is important to live in an area where there are services for the visually impaired not only in the k-12 system, but also adequate adult vocational rehabilitation services.

Listen to them and if they ask a question, please don’t just say “because I’m the parent” and expect them to respect you because of that.

I heard my nan say that a couple times to my younger brother and didn’t like it at all.

As for blindness stuff? As others have said, don’t baby them, let them do chores, listen to there fears, allow them to make non blind friends if they can, buy them toys that make sounds or things like lego/geomag, buy them a laptop so they can interact with the world.

I have an 18 month old with ONH, he has limited light perception but no other sight. Here’s some of the things I’ve learned/have been the most important to remember:

1. Like another commenter said, take advantage of every service you can. In my state we have a program that provides support for disabled kids or kids who are behind in development. Through this program we get weekly home visits from a teacher for the visually impaired, a physical therapist, and an occupational therapist, all of whom specialize in working with visually impaired children. When he’s of preschool age he will go to specialized school for the blind with no tuition payments through this same program. There are tons of other programs that give you access to free resources like Braille books or tactile development toys at no or low cost. Your child may also be eligible for ssi for the blind, blind pension, and/or Medicare. Even if you don’t think you qualify, apply anyway.

2. My son’s teacher told us something interesting and important in one of our first sessions: 90% of what an able-bodied baby learns in their first year is from sight. This means you’ll need to make things adaptable and find other ways to teach your child outside of visual learning. This has been an exceptionally challenging thing for me because I am an almost completely visual learner. In the first year of his life I would walk around with my son in the room or in a baby wear and describe what I was doing as I was doing it.

3. Keeping in mind the 90% thing: it’s unlikely that a child who is blind at birth will meet all developmental markers at the recommended pace. This does NOT mean they have a learning impairment outside of the impact of being visually impaired (though it is possible). And they have these universal tests to evaluate development. I hate these tests because the way they’re written, it’s nearly impossible for a child with limited to no sight to pass. Some questions from the 18 mo one, for example: “if you smile at your child do they smile back?” “If your child watches you draw a straight line, can they draw a straight line?”

4. Do NOT blame yourself or treat yourself like a failure if your child isn’t meeting milestones as fast as other children. Stay off Facebook/social media. One of the hardest things for me was seeing friends, former classmates, and coworkers posting about all the things their babies are doing ahead of schedule. It’s so easy to feel like a failure when someone posts pictures of their 1 year old walking while your 18 month old still refuses to pull up on things and stand. Even more so when you’re doing daily physical therapy exercises and practicing with baby. Your child will learn at their own pace. That 12 month old baby has seen people walking around them for a full year. A baby with no functional vision has no idea that walking even exists. They’re having to start the race a lot further back. Be patient with them, but be patient with yourself too.

I’m a camp consular for kids with visual impairment. All you really need to know is to really point out everything. If you’re trying to describe something, you can never over-describe something, every detail! In my experience, they’re more talkative, always telling stories.

If you want kids that’s fantastic! All I can say is don’t baby then, be a good listener and an even better talker!