All Blind Children of Texas: Creating Opportunities for Children with Vision Loss

All Blind Children of Texas (ABCTX) is a volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to helping children and youth in Texas who are blind, deafblind, or visually impaired have opportunities to learn, grow, participate, and thrive.

Join us for a look at how ABCTX helps teachers and Orientation & Mobility specialists create meaningful opportunities for their students who are blind, deafblind, or visually impaired. Through photos and firsthand accounts from the teachers and specialists who make these experiences possible, we’ll see how ABCTX grants help turn their ideas into hands-on experiences such as summer camps, adaptive sports, independent-living activities, technology, Space Camp, and more. These experiences give young people opportunities to learn, explore, build confidence and independence, and discover what they can accomplish.

About our Speakers:

Nancy Hefner earned a bachelor’s degree in history as well as certifications in Special Education and Visual Impairment from The University of Texas at Austin. For 22 years, she instructed middle and high school students in a variety of subject areas, including braille, assistive technology and social studies courses at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI). She co-authored a self-determination curriculum, published by the TSBVI Curriculum Department.

Now retired, Nancy loves spending time with her grandchildren, serving on her church’s Missions Committee and the ABCTX Board. She is passionate about working with ABCTX because it gives her the chance to help provide educational opportunities that are vital to students with visual impairments.

Debra Sewell has been a teacher of students with visual impairments for over 35 years. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in elementary education and certifications in Early Childhood Education and Visual Impairment. Debra taught in an early childhood classroom in Austin Independent School District and worked at Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) for 32 years in various capacities. As the Curriculum Director at TSBVI, she co-authored multiple publications pertaining to the education of students with visual impairment and blindness. Debra is a member of TAER and has received several awards from that organization. Now retired, Debra loves spending time with her family and attending sporting events and theatre performances in which her grandchildren participate. She is thrilled to be serving on the ABCTX Board as it gives her the opportunity to continue to empower students.