The Grateful Guardian

05/14/2026

05/13/2026

If you are an adult losing your sight, it is okay to grieve. It is okay to be sad, frustrated, or scared. Then it is time to get up and learn the skills that bring freedom back.

The Louisiana Center for the Blind and the Colorado Center for the Blind are incredible training centers helping blind and low vision adults build confidence, independence, and real-life blindness skills.

05/08/2026

One convention.

One scholarship.

One child realizing for the very first time:
“My future is bigger than people told me.”

That is what this fund does.

It helps blind and low vision children and their families access life-changing opportunities at the National Federation of the Blind Convention.

Opportunities where children meet blind doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, business owners, college students, parents, mentors, and leaders who prove that blindness does not limit possibility.

Opportunities where overwhelmed parents finally exhale because they find answers, support, resources, technology, community, and hope.

For many families, attending the National Federation of the Blind Convention becomes the turning point between fear and confidence.
Between isolation and belonging.
Between surviving and truly believing in what is possible.

And sometimes all it takes is a $20, $30, or $50 donation to make that transformation possible for a family who could never afford to get there alone.

You may never fully know the life you help change.
But the family who receives that opportunity will never forget it.

Donate here:
Support Blind and Low Vision Families

The Peggy Duffy Fund helps blind and low vision children and their families attend the National Federation of the Blind Convention by providing financial assistance for convention-related expenses.

The Penny Duffy Fund was established in loving memory of Penny Duffy and her deep passion for attending and engaging at the National Convention. Penny truly cherished the opportunity to connect with others, share experiences, and be part of a larger community. Her enthusiasm, warmth, and commitment....

04/30/2026

ACTION ALERT from The Grateful Guardian

Credit: Erica Cairns, Director, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired Outreach Programs and Texas Deafblind Project

This information comes directly from TSBVI Outreach and the Texas Deafblind Project. I received this today and am sharing it because it is important for our community to see and respond.

As a special education advocate and a graduate student at Louisiana Tech University preparing to become a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI), I understand how critical it is for students who are low vision, blind, deaf, or hard of hearing to receive services from the appropriate, specialized professionals.

Students with combined sensory needs benefit from a true team approach. A TVI brings expertise in visual access, Braille, and low vision. A Teacher of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing (TDHH) brings expertise in auditory access and communication. These are distinct roles that support distinct needs.

The Texas Deafblind Project is advocating for stronger language in §89.1050 to ensure that both a certified TVI and a certified TDHH are present at ARD meetings for students who are deafblind.

Take a few minutes to review the information directly and make your own informed decision.

Review the proposed rule changes:
https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/laws-and-rules/commissioner-rules-tac/proposed-commissioner-of-education-rules

Review the draft comments provided:
https://files.constantcontact.com/0a50abe7401/88515bc4-d549-4e74-9366-b047560ca24d.docx

Submit your public comment here:
https://www.jotform.com/form/210613401561138

Deadline to submit comments: May 11

As a community, our voices shape what services look like for our children. Read the information. Stand with TSBVI Outreach. Submit your comment.

Please click the link to complete this form.

04/30/2026

Harper and I experienced the Braille Book Fair at the National Federation of the Blind convention in Houston, and it left a lasting impact on us.

At the event, the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults asked if Harper would be willing to take photos to help promote braille. I let her decide. She asked questions, understood it was about promoting braille, and even though she felt shy, she said yes.

After the convention, we shipped one box of braille books home. A week later, two large boxes arrived instead, along with a thank-you note for Harper’s participation. That moment meant something. It strengthened our commitment to braille and to this community.

Braille matters.

Children who learn braille develop stronger literacy skills.
Braille readers have higher rates of academic success.
Adults who read braille experience greater independence and employment opportunities.
Braille provides full access to spelling, grammar, and written language in a way audio alone cannot.

We are proud members of the National Federation of the Blind.
We are proud to support the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults.
We will be in Austin for this year’s convention.

If you have braille books sitting on a shelf, already read and ready for a new home, follow the directions in this post and send them in.

Let’s make this the biggest Braille Book Fair ever.

My daughter, Harper, lies on her back on a patterned carpet, smiling, with braille books spread all around her and across her body. She holds books in her hands while more are scattered beside her. The image is shaped like the state of Texas, with Harper at the center, surrounded by braille and literacy.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1cLNiNPAjE/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Everything is bigger in Texas, so let's make this the biggest Braille Book Fair ever. That's right, the Biggest Free Braille Book Fair's in the country is just around the corner. It will take place this July at the JW Marriot in Austin, Texas. To make this a huge success, we need donations of Braille books for all ages, all reading levels, and all genres. We particularly love Twin Vision® books, cookbooks, and books for beginning readers (no textbooks, Bibles, or magazines please!).

To make a book contribution, please contact: [email protected] for mailing information and details.

Help make this year's Braille Book Fair TEXAS sized by donating today!

04/28/2026

If it’s written in your child’s IEP, the school agreed to provide it. When those services or supports are not happening, your child is missing what they need to access their education and make progress.

Call an IEP meeting. Ask what has been provided, what has not, and how the team will start delivering everything as written. You can also ask for a plan to make up anything your child missed.

Your child’s IEP only works when it’s followed.

04/24/2026

It’s all about the Braille

94 likes, 15 comments. "Braille: Unlocking the Code"

04/23/2026

Every child brings something unique into the world. Different ways of learning, thinking, communicating, and growing add depth, creativity, and purpose to our communities. A classroom filled with identical minds would be quiet, predictable, and limited. A classroom filled with diverse learners is alive with possibility. When we honor those differences and provide the right support, every child has the opportunity to thrive and contribute in their own powerful way.

04/16/2026

This is for all my low vision friends.

The new iPhone features like Liquid Glass and Contact Posters are creating real accessibility barriers. Clear and tinted glass effects reduce contrast and clarity. Contact Posters require manual changes one by one. These are system-level issues that need system-level solutions.

Accessibility means control, clarity, and usability. These features need to be optional with a true ability to turn them off.

The Grateful Guardian has created an email for you to send directly to Apple Accessibility. The more of us who speak up, the greater the impact and the higher the probability of meaningful change.

Send your email to: [email protected]

Copy, paste, and send:

⸻

Dear Apple Accessibility Team,

I am writing to share an accessibility concern that directly impacts individuals with low vision.

The current implementation of the Liquid Glass interface and Contact Posters creates significant barriers to usability. These features are applied as defaults without a true opt-out option, which limits accessibility rather than supporting it.

The Liquid Glass effect, including switching between clear and tinted variations, does not improve visibility for users with low vision. Instead, it introduces visual distortion, reduces contrast clarity, and makes it harder to read and navigate the interface effectively.

Similarly, Contact Posters present another challenge. Requiring users to manually edit each contact to remove or change these visuals is not an accessible solution. Accessibility requires system-level controls that allow users to disable such features universally, without needing to make repetitive, contact-by-contact adjustments.

For individuals with low vision, clarity, contrast, and simplicity are essential. Features that override these needs without a global off setting create unnecessary barriers.

I am requesting the following:
• A system-wide option to fully disable Liquid Glass effects
• A system-wide option to disable Contact Posters across all contacts
• Greater prioritization of high-contrast, clean interface options designed specifically for low vision users

Accessibility features should always provide choice and control. These current implementations remove that control and create additional challenges for users who rely on accessible design.

I appreciate your attention to this matter and your continued work in accessibility.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

03/26/2026

Stop telling children and parents of low vision kids to use the vision. Instead give them the skills and tools to navigate each day with or without vision. You are destroying the potential and future of children with this outdated inappropriate mindset.

03/21/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1G6XjRQvDP/?mibextid=wwXIfr