Blind Babies Program

The goal of the Conklin Center’s Early Intervention Program is to help children with visual disabilities get a solid start in life so they can be independent and enter school with their sighted peers.

Our specialized home and center-based services stimulate and enhance achievement of developmental milestones. The program is designed to help children reach their fullest potential and adjust to their blindness while preparing them to enter kindergarten.

Early identification of visual difficulties by an eye care specialist is vital to ensure that children who are blind get the services they need. Referral to an early intervention program that focuses on their developmental needs helps provide the foundation for these children to lead full, active lives.

Since children with visual impairments cannot see their food, they often lack motivation to eat. They must be encouraged to locate and experience their food through touch in order to learn to feed themselves.

Children who are visually impaired have a lessened capability for incidental learning and, therefore, must rely on other senses to explore their environment.

Parent instruction, involvement and support are integral parts of the “Early Intervention Program”.

Without concrete visual labels for objects and people, children who are blind must have “hands on” exposure to the world in order to develop concepts and language.