VI Guide-MAPVI About Us

MAPVI, the Massachusetts Association for Parents of the Visually Impaired, is the state-wide Massachusetts affiliate of the National Association for Parents of the Visually Impaired (NAPVI). We have over 300 members who share a common interest in visually impaired children.

Our children, ranging in age from infancy to adulthood, have many types and severities of visual impairments. Some are in early intervention programs, while others are in mainstreamed, specialized or vocational educational settings.

Our parents and other family members share many similar experiences and goals: adjusting to the fact that our child is visually impaired, helping our child through neonatal ICU stays and eye surgeries, advocating for them, learning about Chapter 766 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and learning how to teach them differently but also treat them the same as their sighted peers.

Our professional members share many of our concerns pertaining to the education and services visually impaired children need to achieve success and independence.

MAPVI provides:

speaker meetings on many subjects such as inclusion, parenting issues, selecting a summer camp, assistive technology, and how to facilitate friendships;
social, educational and experiential events to provide an opportunity for MAPVI children and families to network with each other;
quarterly newsletters to share information from our meetings and social events, articles written by our children, legislative developments, and resources available locally and nationally;

a guide to Internet resources about visual impairments, a publication offered free to dues-paying members and at a nominal charge to others;
a descriptive video (DVS) lending library;
a parent matching service designed to enable members to be introduced to other members who share similar interests, concerns or circumstances; and
a voice for the visually impaired so that our neighbors, communities, and legislators understand and protect their rights.

To join MAPVI or learn more about us, fill out this form.

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