VIPS@Home Parent's University
Are you a VIPS parent who wants more information to help you raise your child who is visually impaired? Would you like to know another parent of a visually impaired child? Do you wish you had someone to talk to when you’re feeling down or anxious about the future? Or do you want someone to celebrate with you when your child has just done something new -- someone who understands how hard he or she had to work to accomplish it?
VIPS has long believed that parents are their children’s first and best teachers We also know that no one can appreciate the stresses and joys of parenting a child with a disability like another parent of a disabled child. Over the years, VIPS has offered many family educational and support activities so that our families can gain the information and encouragement they need to do their best raising their child. However, for a variety of reasons, only a small portion of VIPS families regularly attend these activites. Thanks to a Metro United Way Community Impact Grant from the Humana Foundation, VIPS has developed a new program to meet VIPS parents needs for information and support right in their own homes. It is called VIPS@Home Parent University.
So far, three courses have been developed, including: “Emergent Literacy;” “Power At Your Fingertips: An Intro to Braille;” and “Special Education: A Tour through the Jungle.” Each course will take about two hours to complete and will be offered at the convenience of VIPS families schedules and in the comfort of their own homes. Course instructors will be veteran VIPS parents, so those taking the courses will get to know some other parents and hopefully form some special friendships. VIPS@Home Parent University participants will receive a special VIPS@Home binder and a handbook for each course they take, along with a variety of informative handouts, that they will get to keep.
VIPS@Home Parent University is FREE! The program should be up and running soon! If you would like to enroll in VIPS@Home Parent University, call Pauletta at the VIPS- Louisville Office.
