Objective: To help educators understand the importance of adult role models as children learn and grow

• Blindness and visual impairment is considered a low-prevalence disability, meaning that it is found in an estimated 1/10th of 1 percent of the school-age population world-wide. Children who are blind and attending inclusive schools may never see another blind child. This is especially true in rural parts of the world, where the population is geographically dispersed.
• Blind adults play a vital role in the education of blind children, by serving as adult role models, demonstrating achievement in employment and society, and providing insight into living as a blind person.
• Blind adults demonstrate to parents what is possible for blind children. They are sources of hope, inspiration, and guidance as they share their life experiences, techniques, and solutions. They do the same for children who are visually impaired, especially adolescents.
• Some countries may not have a history of educating blind children, so the literacy and employment rates of blind adults may not be particularly high. These individuals still offer examples and experience and should not be ignored. Seek them out.
• Organizations of blind adults exist in many countries and are sources for speakers for conferences, meetings, and school classes and can serve as mentors for individual children. These organizations are often involved in major advocacy efforts at the national, regional, and international level and are change-makers.
• In any effort to change education and include students with visual impairment in the school system, blind adults are some of the most important and articulate advocates.
• When trying to staff an educational program, remember that blind adults can serve as teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, technology specialists, and producers of braille materials.
• Sighted children have the advantage of observing a variety of people in a variety of occupations throughout their school years. Children with visual impairment cannot see the variety of people in a variety of occupations, and thus often do not even know what is in the realm of possibility for their future. Adults who are blind can show them the possibilities.