Children's Program

picture of child reading Braille

The Children's Program was established by the Florida Legislature in 2000 to facilitate blind and visually impaired children's fullest participation within the family, community, and educational settings.

The program supplements services already offered by the school system to foster the child's learning and ability to function independently. The student's parents, family, and caregivers are an integral part of the program to foster independence.

Children's Program Specialists serve eligible children so that they may reach educational and independent living goals. Successful outcomes enable students to transition from school to Vocational Rehabilitation or other appropriate community programs.

Services

Specific services from kindergarten through high school include:

Students exiting eighth grade or that are 14 years of age may be eligible for our School-to-Work or Transition Program which is sponsored through our Vocational Rehabilitation Program.

Florida Blind Services and its community partners have established outcomes relating to expanding the core curriculum of the school system for students who are blind or severely visually impaired. These outcomes include:

Eligibility

There are only two criteria for eligibility:

It is preferred the child have a Social Security Number, legal status in the United States, and Florida residency at least six months of the year.

Rights and Review Process

An applicant or eligible individual has a right to request a review of any decision made by DBS concerning the provision or denial of services. Read about the Rights and Review Process as it applies to the Childrens Program.

Florida's Response to the National Agenda

The National Agenda is a grassroots effort by professionals and parents to ensure that children with visual impairments, including those with multiple disabilities, are not left behind or overlooked in today’s fast-paced and generic service delivery model. The National Agenda consists of ten goals. Florida has developed a statewide workgroup whose mission is to create a shared vision, an agenda, and an ongoing plan of action for Florida that closely aligns with the National Agenda for the Education of Children and Youths with Visual Impairments, Including those with Multiple Disabilities. Read details of Florida’s response to the National Agenda.

Useful Websites

If you are the parent or caregiver of an infant or young child who is blind or severely visually impaired, you might find these Florida links helpful.

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DISCLAIMER: Links on the Florida Division of Blind Services (DBS) website that are directed toward websites outside the DBS, provide additional information that may be useful or interesting and are being provided consistent with the intended purpose of the DBS website. DBS cannot attest to the accuracy of information provided by non-DBS websites. Further, providing links to a non-DBS website does not constitute an endorsement by DBS, the Florida Department of Education or any of its employees, of the sponsors of the non-DBS website or of the information or products presented on the non-DBS website.