Mississippi Hearing-Vision Project

05/18/2026

Collaborative Approaches for Orientation and Mobility for Students who are DeafBlind

04/27/2026

Mark your calendar for a meaningful and fun-filled morning!

This April event was postponed due to weather. Please join us Saturday, May 2, 2026 (8:00 a.m. to noon) at the Woolmarket Community Center in Biloxi for the 7th Annual Walk & Roll for CHARGE Syndrome - "Charge for our MS CHARGErs!"

Bring your family and friends to walk, run, roll, skate, or bike the community center paths as we raise awareness and support for individuals and families impacted by CHARGE Syndrome. This special event celebrates strength, resilience, and hope - highlighted by inspiring stories like Holden's.
- Community agencies that serve individuals with disabilities are invited to participate and host a table.
- Every step you take helps provide direct support for families, research, and outreach services.

Location: Woolmarket Community Center
Address: 16320 Old Woolmarket Rd., Biloxi, MS

Register or donate using the QR codes on the flyer. Let's come together, move with purpose, and make a difference! We can't wait to see you and Holden there.

04/27/2026

NWR Health Science Academy thanks Dr. Tara Brister from MS Schools for the Deaf and Blind for sharing her passion of communicating with persons who are deafblind.

04/25/2026

Walk and Roll postponed to next Saturday due to weather. Join us - same place - same time! 🚶🧑‍🦽‍➡️

04/25/2026

Save the Date: Mississippi Assistive Technology Conference at The Mill Conference Center in Starkville on September 11, 2026 from 8:30 - 4:30. Hosted by Project START and the TK Martin Center for Technology and Disability. $100 per person.

04/25/2026

Looking forward to seeing you this weekend!
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14Y99dSoZDP/

Mark your calendars for a meaningful and fun-filled morning!

Join us on Saturday, April 25, 2026 (8:00 AM – Noon) at the Woolmarket Community Center in Biloxi for the 7th Annual Walk & Roll for CHARGE Syndrome — “Charge for our MS CHARGERS!”
Bring your family and friends to walk, run, roll, skate, or bike the community center paths as we raise awareness and support for individuals and families impacted by CHARGE Syndrome. This special event celebrates strength, resilience, and hope—highlighted by inspiring stories like Holden’s.
- Community agencies that serve individuals with disabilities are invited to participate and host a table!
- Every step you take helps provide direct support for families, research, and outreach services.
- Register using this link or the QR code on the flyer: https://runsignup.com/Race/IL/BuffaloGrove/WalkandRollforCHARGE
📍 Location: Woolmarket Community Center
📍 Address: 16320 Old Woolmarket Rd., Biloxi, MS
- Register or donate today using the QR codes on the flyer!
Let’s come together, move with purpose, and make a difference. We can’t wait to see you there!

04/17/2026

Get ready to unlock your full potential! Save the Date for the MS Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (MAER)'s fall conference. Held at the MS Schools for the Deaf and Blind on Sept. 17-19, 2026. Foundations of Education and Rehabilitation: Building Independence. Who better to teach independence than social media influencer Anthony Ferraro? He says, "The only disability is a bad attitude."

04/12/2026

*Adventure is Calling*
Get ready to explore the great outdoors at the 2026 Sea and Sun Camp! We’re inviting all explorers who are age 5-to-16, blind, visually impaired, or deafblind to join us for our 30th annual weekend of discovery and friendship.
This year’s theme is Forest Explorers, and we have a jam-packed schedule of hands on activities including growing one's own marigolds! Register via the QR code on the attached flyer or https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdxb9E_aPcztTQ-KAGYtGxdNgWkOKVqY8fq0xlz4HWX2jy3Gg/viewform
📅 When: May 15–17, 2026
📍 Where: Camp Wilkes, Biloxi, MS
🌲 Theme: Forest Explorers

04/10/2026

Linked-In Post from Angelea Perez, Ph.D, FAAO
https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelea-perez-ph-d-faao-311a4141?trk=public_post_feed-actor-name

Why it matters - Be a vision hero!

Why Visual Pursuits Matter for Young Children 👀
Visual pursuits—the ability to smoothly follow a moving object with the eyes—are one of the earliest and most foundational visual skills children develop. While they may seem simple, they play a critical role in how children learn to explore, interact with, and understand their world.

From infancy, visual pursuits support:
• Tracking a caregiver’s face
• Following a moving toy
• Coordinating eye and head movements
• Building attention and early visual curiosity

As children grow, these skills become essential for:
• Hand-eye coordination
• Reaching and grasping
• Reading readiness (tracking across a page)
• Sustained visual attention

When visual pursuits are not well developed, children may:
• Lose interest in moving objects quickly
• Have difficulty tracking during play or shared attention
• Show delays in motor coordination
• Struggle later with visual-motor tasks like drawing or reading

What should we look for?
**Smooth, continuous eye movements (not jerky or jumping)
**Ability to follow objects horizontally, vertically, and eventually diagonally
**Sustained attention to movement

Simple ways to support visual pursuits:
• Slowly move a high-contrast toy or face side to side
• Use light-up or sound-producing objects to maintain engagement
• Incorporate movement into routines (peek-a-boo, tracking bubbles)
• Follow the child’s lead—engagement drives development

Visual pursuits are more than a milestone—they are a gateway to learning, connection, and communication.

Dr. Angelea (Angel) Perez Scientist | Advocate | Educator|Advocate for Early Childhood… · Experience: Good-Lite Company · Education: University of Alabama at Birmingham · Location: Ocala · 500+ connections on LinkedIn. View Angelea Perez, Ph.D, FAAO’s profile on LinkedIn, a professional comm...

04/10/2026

The difference between early detection and irreversible vision loss hinges on a fragile pathway to care—how quickly a concern is recognized, whether resources are available, and whether medical providers are informed enough to spot the warning signs. As a result of recognizing this in her son, one mother helped start 'Know the Glow' a global initiative to eliminate preventable childhood blindness.

A golden glow in a child’s eye can be easily dismissed as a trick of the light by the camera flash in the annual Christmas card. But for some families, it is the first sign of a life-altering diagnosis. When Megan Webber ’90 saw that glow in photos of her son, she unknowingly stepped into a much...