Meet Wyatt
When Wyatt was born he didn’t open his eyes. When his mom Julie was told by his eye doctor that Wyatt had a rare genetic condition called coloboma and she could expect her son to see only light and dark shadows, the news was heart-breaking.

She began working with his Early Intervention Teacher of the Visually Impaired from A Shared Vision when Wyatt was three months old. He began to see contrast and movement. Now eighteen months, Wyatt can pick up things that are just a few feet in front of him. 
He loves to play with balls and he can even hike a ball between his legs to his dad, a former offensive lineman. “One thing I’ve learned is that each kiddo’s visual impairment is unique and you have to do things that help them thrive; right now Wyatt loves things that have a lot of movement. We’re working on his depth perception by playing with balls.” Wyatt uses a push toy to get used to having something in front of him to orient himself in space and he just got his first pre-cane. As his confidence grows so does his parents’. “We have to be confident for Wyatt.  I hope when he sees how I react with people that he’ll react the same way when he’s older,” explains Julie.
New Parent Resources
Click HERE to learn about optic nerve hypoplasia, coloboma and more
Easter Egg Maracas
Celebrate Easter with these fun, easy-to-make maracas. Babies and young children with visual impairments respond to their sound and bright colors. All you need are plastic Easter eggs, rice or beans to fill them with, plastic spoons and colored tape.  First, fill the eggs with the rice or beans. Tape one plastic spoon to each side of the egg. Add more tape around the egg until it’s covered. Washi tape has great designs and it’s available at crafts stores.
Get "Hoppy" and Read!
What are we reading this spring with our kiddos? Alan Baker’s Little Rabbit’s Bedtime , of course. It’s a great example of a simple story that describes events from a child’s own experience, such as bedtime, bath or mealtime.  

Join our teachers and learn how to make a story box and a texture book on April 12 from 9:30 to 11 am at the Eloise May Library, 1471 S. Parker Road, Denver. The event is free. REGISTER NOW

Meet Us at WREIC 2019
Registration is open for the Western Regional Early Intervention Conference (WREIC) on September 11-13, 2019 at the Omni Interlocken Hotel in Broomfield, CO. 

In its 30th year, this conference supports families and professionals working with children birth to five years old who are deaf/hard of hearing, blind/visually impaired, or deafblind. Come learn from the experts on best practices in early intervention and network with other parents and providers. Click HERE for more information and to register.
A Shared Vision is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the leading provider of in-home and community early intervention vision services in Colorado. We inspire and empower families to nurture the development of their very young children who are blind or visually impaired so that all children may discover their brightest future.
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