Resource Center at Wills Eye Institute of Philadelphia

Wills Eye Institute Family Resource Center
Sponsored by The Little Rock Foundation
840 Walnut Street, 12th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19107

Phone: (215) 825-9081 Fax: 215-825-9085
George Holliday
Hours Mon thru Friday (8:00AM to 4:00PM)
Email: gholliday@willseye.org

The Little Rock Foundation and Wills Eye Institute of Philadelphia, PA, have joined together to establish the Family Resource Room dedicated to supporting families of blind and visually impaired children.

Located outside the Pediatric Division on the 12th floor, the Family Resource Room is accessible to parents who bring their children to eye appointments.

Our literature is placed throughout the facility. We encourage all of the staff to direct patients to the Family Resource Center. These centers provide computer workstations with access to the Internet and resourceful links to information about medical technology, specific eye diseases and support services.  There are shelves of categorized periodicals on the many services available for families raising children with poor vision or no vision at all.
 


Resource Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
 

The Little Rock Foundation and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have joined together to establish the Family Resource Center dedicated to supporting families of children with disabilities. The center specializes in blind, visual and hearing impairments.

Services and resources include:

- Computer workstations, adjustable to accommodate wheelchairs and equipped with specialized software for visually impaired and hearing impaired children
  and adults
- Closed-circuit television (CCTV) that magnifies hardcopy and pictures
- Braille printer
- Teletypewriters (TTY), Voice Carry Over (VCO) telephones and various communication and signaling devices for hard-of-hearing children and adults
- Reading material, pamphlets and videos on a variety of disabilities as well as catalogs featuring adaptive and assistive devices, games and toys for
  children with disabilities
- Information on community resources
- Periodic In-Services and Open Houses where new technology is introduced and demonstrated
- Come visit and discuss your concerns and needs, observe demonstrations of today’s latest technology in a warm, friendly and comfortable environment.

The Family Resource Coordinator and is located in Children's Seashore House on the first floor.

Stewart Hughes, Director
The hours are Monday - Wednesday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
After hours & weekend appointments available
Email: HUGHESS@email.chop.edu

For more information, please call 267-426-7285
 


Camp Little Rock

Camp Little Rock is the only camp in the tri-state area that provides blind or visually impaired children the opportunity to participate in a day camp program.

Camp is held on the beautiful grounds of the YMCA Camp Ockanickon in Medford, New Jersey. Activities include fishing, boating, hiking, swimming, horseback riding, challenge course, talent show and many other camp related activities.

Our buddy system consists of teenagers from the age of 13 to 17 who would love to volunteer their time to attend our summer program and lend a helping hand to one of our campers. Each Buddy is assigned a camper who has a visual or physical challenge, they assist in all areas of encouragement, friendship and responsibility for their camper.  This is a great way for middle-high school students to collect their hours of community service.

Click for Details
 


Holiday Party

December
The Palace "Paris Catering" (Directions)
http://www.paris-caterers.com/contactus/directions.asp
109 North Black Horse Pike
Blackwood, NJ 08012
12pm to 4pm

Seating will be limited

Click for Details

If you would like to attend or volunteer for the Holiday Party,
please contact The Little Rock Foundation at 877-220-2500 or email dnichols@tlrf.org.

The Holiday Party was organized in 2003 to help families of blind and visually impaired children to come together and meet other families that may have similar challenges. It is not uncommon for families to think there is no one else sharing their experience. By attending the Holiday Party, families can witness first hand that they are not alone. You may have a blind or visually impaired child right in your own neighborhood!
Invitations are distributed through the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired for children who are registered under the age of twelve. The children and their families are invited to share a day of fun and excitement.

The party consists of games, prizes, face painting, world famous balloon twister, music and buffet lunch. Children leave with smiles on their faces and can’t wait to return next year!
 


Seeing Eye Puppies

 

The Seeing Eye,® Inc., is the oldest existing dog guide school in the world. Twelve times a year, as many as 24 students at a time visit the Morristown, N.J., campus to discover the exhilarating experience of traveling with a Seeing Eye dog.

Our students – people who are blind or visually impaired – come from all over the United States and Canada to spend up to a month training with a new Seeing Eye dog. They range in age from 16 to senior citizens, their home environments may be rural or urban, and they may be homemakers, volunteers, or judges. But they all have this in common: They are motivated by a sense of independence and armed with the knowledge that Seeing Eye dogs will provide an extra edge to attain success, however they may choose to define it.  People who are blind or visually impaired truly benefit from The Seeing Eye organization.