Children's Services

  • Blind Beginnings has a mission to provide children and youth who are blind or visually impaired with the necessary opportunities, experiences, services, and family/community support to reach their full potential.
     
    Blind Beginnings strives to guarantee quality of life for children and youth who are blind or visually impaired by promoting equal access to the world's resources and opportunities. They seek to challenge the limits of what is deemed possible for blind and visually impaired children and to establish a strong foundation on which to build rich and fulfilling lives.
     
    Blind Beginnings recognizes that expertise lies within the family and believe families should take a leadership role in assuring the needs of their children are met. They strive to guarantee that children and youth who are blind will reach their full potential by providing:
    • instruction to children and youth who are blind or visually impaired in the skills necessary for independence, self-sufficiency, and personal and social fulfillment;
    • counseling and support services to all members of the family based on a positive attitude towards blindness and a no-limits philosophy; and
    • a range of consultation services that aim to raise the public profile of issues around visual impairment, promote positive perspectives on blindness and showcase the limitless potential of people who are blind or visually impaired in order to foster greater understanding, acceptance and respect.

    Contact them by sending Send an e-mail to Blind Beginnings.
     
     
  • Camp Hornby was founded in 2002 at the request of a group of vision professionals, parents of blind children and other supporters and is open to all qualifying children from British Columbia who are under 21 years of age on the first day of camp. The camp is integrated so campers may attend on their own or with other family members and sighted siblings.
     
    The camp is held at the Tribune Bay Outdoor Education Center on Hornby Island, chosen because of the suitability of its programs and outstanding location. They can accept children with multiple disabilities once they have discussed the child's needs with a parent or guardian and are confident that they can provide the required support.
    The camp is coordinated by Camp Hornby Society, a provincially registered society with charitable tax status with the federal government (Charitable Business No.:867056004RR0001). All their standards comply with those of the Ministry of Children and Family Development. Camp Hornby Society is run by a volunteer board of directors and the camp is coordinated by a program coordinator on a voluntary basis.
     
  • Welcome to CNIB's summer camp for children and youth held at Zajac Ranch where children and youth will experience exciting new adventures! The camp is located in picturesque Mission, BC.
     
    CNIB is bringing together children and youth who are blind and partially sighted, ages 8 through 18 from all over BC and western Canada. This is an opportunity to get to know each other better and develop new friendships and mentorships for the years to come. The camp runs from a Sunday to a Saturday and is full of activities throughout the day. The group has the use of the entire camp for the week.
    Staff from CNIB and BC Blind Sports have joined the staff of Zajac Ranch to design and run a program that includes all campers, encourages independence and builds confidence. Enjoy water sports, outdoor adventures, horse back riding, arts and crafts, archery and much more!
    Bus transportation is arranged to and from the CNIB office on Joyce Street in Vancouver and Zajac Ranch. The group is organized into the dormitories according to age and male/female genders. For most of the daily activities, the group will be separated by age and come together for mealtimes and evening sing-a-longs.
    Zajac Ranch for Children has been designed to accommodate children and youth who need a camp that is fully accessible and inclusive of special needs. There is medical staff on site for campers who may require this service.
    Please visit Zajac Ranch For Children where you will learn more about Zajac Ranch and can download the CNIB camp application form.
    Should you have any questions, please direct questions to Mary Kay Kennedy or call her at 250 519-1102. Alternately, you may direct questions to Sarah Hooge or call her at 604 431-2050. Both Mary-Kay or Sarah may be reached via CNIB's toll free number (Monday to Friday 6:30am to 3pm): 800 563-2642.
    Make friends, be active, be creative and have fun!
     
  • CNIB Early Intervention Services - pending.
     
  • CNIB Library offers a range of programs and services designed to make reading fun and accessible for children of all ages. Examples include: the Children's Discovery Portal, creative writing contest,, summer reading club, audio newsletter, and a catalog of braille, PrintBraille, E-text, audio, and descriptive video titles.
     
  • Are you ready for a real challenge this summer? Looking for some career information? Want to take charge of your future? And most importantly, do you want to make new friends, learn new skills and have fun?
     
    Supported by the Gretzky family since it began in 1986, SCORE Youth Development Program is a unique summer experience for motivated students from across Canada who are blind or partially sighted and in their final two years of secondary school.
    SCORE Youth Development Program believes that with the right balance of work and play, plus opportunities to discover, learn, share and build on personal strengths, anyone can achieve their goals.
     
  • The National Braille Factory produces tactile colouring books with simple drawings and a single Braille word describing the object.
     
  • Military Police Fund for Blind Children specializes in assisting Canadian children who are blind or sight-impaired up to the age of 21. Specifically, the fund supports charitable organizations and individuals involved in the education and recreation of children and young adults who are legally blind.

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