Now that school is back in session, birthday party invitations are starting to roll in. But how do we handle birthday parties when our child is blind? We want him to have friends and be social, but many party places are geared towards sighted individuals. This can be stressful for both the parent and the child. Here’s how our family navigated this situation…

The summer before Titus started kindergarten, I wanted to get him ready, so we began going on weekly adventures. I picked out different places where kids usually have birthday parties, and we went with his older brother. This way, we could check out the area without all the birthday party craziness.

For instance, we went to a trampoline park. Titus had never been before, but his brother had. Trenton showed Titus all the cool stuff at the park by leading him around. This gave Titus a good idea of what to expect if he went back.

Our weekly adventures had a lot of benefits. Before, Titus was scared and nervous about new places. Making this a regular thing helped him come out of his shell. It also let us all try new things together as a family and create special memories.

Now, every summer, it’s the one thing both boys can’t wait for. We go on adventures in town and sometimes out of town. Titus is much more open to new things because he got to try the scary stuff with his family’s love and support.

Titus has been invited to lots of birthday parties. He’s more confident and excited each time. We also are aware that he has also been excluded to some birthday parties because of his disability. Many people do not understand how a blind child can do most of the same things as sighted children, just a little differently.

Our hope is that the more interactions they have with Titus, the more accepting people will become.