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Texas Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments


C/O Texas School For the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI)
Outreach Program
1100 W 45th Street
Austin, TX 78756
Local Telephone: (956) 778-1142
Toll Free Telephone: (800) 562-6265
www.spedex.com/napvi/chapters.html#5
E-mail: iselawilson@yahoo.com

Contacts


Amy Hayes, President Elect, amyhayes@earthlink.net
Isela Wilson, President, iselawilson@yahoo.com

General Information


TAPVI is an affiliate of NAPVI. We are a non-profit organization that provides support to the families of children who have blindness or visual impairments, including those with additional disabilities. TAPVI enables families to find information and resources, as well as connect and network with one another. We offer leadership, support, and training to assist families in helping children reach their full potential in school and in the community.

General Eligibility Requirements: We welcome all parents, relatives, educators, and others involved in supporting Texas families who have blindness or visual impairment. To complete an application (includes membership to NAPVI & TAPVI) visit http://www.spedex.com/napvi/membership.html

Geographic Area Served: Texas

Services Offered


Community Outreach Programs


We sponsor parent meetings and family activities that promote social networking for families of children who have blindness or visual impairments, workshops and conferences on visual impairment related issues, and community social events to raise awareness about visual impairments.

Information and Referral


We empower families of children who have blindness or visual impairments by providing information and referrals and helping families successfully navigate complex educational, medical, and service systems. We have an article titled "TAPVI Talks" in the quarterly TSBVI publication "TX SenseAbilities" http://www.tsbvi.edu/Outreach/newsletter/index.htm. Stories from parents, grandparents, school age children, tweens, teens and young adults are welcome. If you or your child would like to share a story or experience, please submit any articles for consideration by the quarterly deadlines, which are March 1st, June 1st, September 1st and December 1st. Our TAPVI newsletter coordinator is Christina Silva Suarez (Habla Espanol), suarez.chris@att.net.

Support for Parents


We provide support and leadership, sponsor family networking opportunities, and advocate for the educational needs and welfare of children who have blindness or visual impairments. With the TSBVI Outreach Department, we co-sponsor the Texas Focus Parent Conference day held on a bi-annual cycle in June. This includes sessions presented by leaders in the VI field, as well as family members, and provides an opportunity for networking with other families and VI professionals.

Support Groups


Texas is a big state. To help our members connect and network with one another, we have a TAPVI page on Facebook. Here families can share their experiences and photos, and we post VI event info and links to resources. Additionally, there is a listserv for all Texas VI families. To subscribe, send an email to txvifamily-subscribe@topica.com. We also encourage families to connect by attending local, regional, state and national events and trainings for families of children who have blindness or visual impairments. We hold an annual statewide meeting in June. TAPVI has local members at large in the various regions across Texas. If you are interested in starting or participating in a local support group, please contact us.