We're the
Nebraska Foundation for Visually Impaired Children
Providing Building Blocks for the Future

Nebraska Foundation for Visually Impaired Children
402-218-7022
info@nebraskafoundation.org

Due to a growing concern of parents with children with visual impairments in the early 1960’s, a group of compassionate women began the Omaha Sight Center Nursery at the Beth El Synagogue. To better meet the needs of these families, these women incorporated the Nebraska Foundation for the Visually Handicapped (NFVH) so that they could receive a $10,000 grant from the Eppley Center. This money was used to start a pre-school at JP Lords facility for the children at the Omaha Sight Center. Once Special Education was implemented into the public schools, the NFVH fought to enable the first child who was blind to be enrolled in District 66. Due to the implementation of the Special Education Program the pre-school was no longer needed.  In the early 1960’s, an annual Christmas Party was established by Ruth Sokolof. This is a great way to teach appropriate communication skills and foster independence for these children. The whole event is wrapped up with a pizza lunch from Valentino’s and a visit from Santa Claus. This continues to be an annual event of the Nebraska Foundation. The NFVH also placed a high priority with cultivating adaptive cultural events for families with children who were blind/visually impaired. Some of the most memorable events have been:

• bowling with talking calculators/Braille score cards
• a hands-on experience with a dinosaur exhibit at the Children’s Museum
• an overnight at the SAC Museum
• and a hands-on experience with instruments at a symphony event.

Today's mission focus's our efforts in the following areas:

• Assistive technology, adaptive devices, and related services for the children's daily use;
• Cultural experiences for the children and their families;
• Training opportunities for educators and parents; and
• Mentoring/Support programs for the children, their families, and their educators.

You can follow the about us link to learn more about the history of the Nebraska Foundation for Visually Impaired Children.