INFANTS & CHILDREN SERVICES

Diane McMillan is the Manager of our Infants & Children Services division. She manages our staff who work with infants, pre-schoolers and school-age children up to age 14 in 9 New York counties.

We have more than doubled the number of children under 5 years of age being served, and there is clearly a need for even more children's services.  Through a major grant, we have been able to enhance our services by purchasing new teaching tools such as the SAL (Speech Assisted Learning) to teach pre-Braille skills, storybooks that feature large-print, Braille and tactile illustrations, and special toys that use audio, motion and visual stimulation to teach pre-mobility skills.

We have also increased our school and Early Intervention contracts to ensure that we reach even more children during their early years.  A.V.R.E. is moving forward with plans to further expand our staff and services in this department.

Ages 0 through pre-school --

Diane and our service staff work with infants and toddlers, and their parents to provide a wide variety of early skill training.  These include tactile and sensory learning experiences, such as buttoning and zipping clothing, opening bags of food, and peeling bananas or eggs.  Children ages 0 - 2 are provided with vision stimulation.  Pre-schoolers are provided with Orientation & Mobility (travel-training) instruction, and pre-Braille skills to prepare for schooling. Forums and information sharing for parents are also provided.  Diane coordinates closely with Early Intervention and Pre-school agencies and the New York state Commission for the Blind.

School-age children --

Diane and her staff work with school age children, their parents and teachers in all grades up to the age of 14. Services include O & M instruction at schools and around the community, independent living skills training both at home and at school, teaching Braille and adaptive computer technology, and connecting to peers.

Recreation For Kids--

Through a Recreational Grant from the New York State Commission for the Blind, A.V.R.E. provides recreational outings for children and teens who are legally blind.  Involvement in recreation and social activities during the formative years of life has a significant, positive impact on many of the basic aspects of growing and reaching adulthood.  A.V.R.E.'s goal is to increase the social skills, independence, confidence and self-esteem of children with a vision disability, by using a recreational setting. 

Contact:
For more information about our Infant & Children Services,
please contact: Diane McMillan, Manager of Infants & Children Services
or Rick McCarthy, Director of Program Services.

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