Blind Children's Fund

The History of Blind Children’s Fund (BCF)

 

Blind Children’s Fund was incorporated as the International Institute for Visually Impaired, Birth to Seven, Inc. (IIVI 0-7, Inc.), in Michigan in 1978. The parents in our program later changed our name to Blind Children’s Fund (1984). 

 

In 1963, a child was born without eyes; there were no agencies available to assist in the development and education for blind children. One of our founders, Sherry Raynor, is the mother of this child.  As an educator, she knew that children’s primary learning stage is birth to seven. If she waited to start development and education, then her daughter would be far behind other children in school. She knew, those with vision learn by watching others around them, so how would a child without vision learn?   The decision was made that her daughter would not be misdiagnosed as mentally retarded (for not being taught) as well as blind, just because there were no services available to preschool blind children. 

 

Seven years were spent developing a National Model Preschool Program for children who were blind in Lansing, Michigan (this model is still used today). Our founders came to realize that there was no central resource for parents or teachers. Attempts were made to have one of the major agencies for the blind make infants and preschool children their focus. Helen Keller International, the American Foundation for the Blind and the American Printing House for the Blind, were all contacted. When they did not feel they could focus on infant and preschool children who were blind as a part of their agency’s mission, it was decided to incorporate. If nothing else – to keep together all the information that had been gathered over the years. Blind Children’s Fund was formed, due to the void that no agency focused on the provision of information, materials, equipment or resources for parents and professionals working with infant and preschool children who are blind. BCF started as a volunteer group until 1985 when funding was made available for one year of Outreach service. After that the need for staff became apparent and BCF started to fundraise to support it’s self.

 

Blind Children’s Fund is now recognized as a resource for information, materials and services not only in the United States but also in all US Territories and in over 90 other countries. The majority of requests emanate from the United States and its territories but we have responded to requests from all over the world. We are in constant contact with colleagues overseas for information sharing. Many requests come from developing countries where services are nonexistent or just starting.

Although BCF started as a totally volunteer organization it grew nationally and internationally through communication and mutual sharing of information and resources. Starting then – and continuing to the present – we have acted as a clearinghouse and have developed materials through networking, sharing and collaborating with others. As we look back over the nearly thirty years, we are very proud of what we have accomplished. As we look forward to our next thirty years and beyond, we are looking at developing more direct services for the children’s needs and for the support of the parents and the professionals that work with them. We are very excited at the new direction we are taking, never forgetting where we started and the need to continue to provide the resources we have collected over the years.