Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Children with visual impairments are a diverse group of readers. Some need books with braille and textures to touch and feel; others need large print and increased contrast. For young children with low vision, simple board books with realistic photographs against white backgrounds can be beneficial. Check out these titles featuring sturdy board pages and visually simple photographs against white backgrounds. Creature Colors by Andrew…

Why listen to an audio book with your preschooler when you could just as easily read to them? It's a good question. Listening to audio books together can be fun and engaging. While not a replacement for reading aloud together, audio books can help children to expand their imaginations while practicing important early literacy skills. Audio books are an especially important tool for children who…

Print-and-braille picture books are a wonderful way to introduce braille to blind or visually impaired children.

Children with low vision are a diverse group of readers. Some benefit from large print; others from high contrast. When it comes to picture books, where the meanings of stories usually depend on illustrations, how can we help children with low vision? High-contrast, visually simple picture books are a good place to start. My Bike by Byron Barton For children with Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI),…

There are a number of things parents and caregivers can do to support the development of their child’s early literacy skills. Among them are five simple practices: singing, talking, reading, writing, and playing.

A new school year means a new grade, new teachers, and new goals. It might even mean a new school! These resources for parents and caregivers of children with special needs can help make the transition to a new school year easier. As you begin the new school year, you may have questions about your child's IEP. Your child's IEP Team is there to make…

In late June, LBPH hosted the BELL Academy's 2017 Growing Readers and Growing Leaders program. Short for Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning, the BELL Academy is a program facilitated by the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) that targets blind and low vision children. The program provides Braille and nonvisual skills instruction to children over the summer in a fun and supportive environment. The BELL Academy students…

Set in a contemporary institution for youths with disabilities, Good Kings Bad Kings (DB 77648 / BR 20410) is a novel that reveals the humanity of people the rest of society is too willing to ignore. There's timid Mia, who was abused by her family, self-assured Yessenia, dapper Teddy, who wears a suit and tie every day, no matter the occasion, and Joanne, a woman with paraplegia…

When children are exposed to a mix of diverse narratives and worldviews, they better understand what it means to be a compassionate human being; they develop empathy. But how can we cultivate empathy in our children, and why is it important to do so? In a world that can be so terrifically awful at times, empathy is key. Empathy is a foundation for many things: acting…