TJ is a happy one-year-old with a big personality. He makes new friends every time he meets someone. He was also diagnosed with oculocutaneous albinism. It’s a rare, inherited condition that means his skin, hair, and eyes are all light. It also affects his sight. TJ’s condition is rare – only one person in 20,000…
30% of youth in foster care identify as LGBTQ, a rate nearly three times higher than those not in the foster care system. There are five times more transgender youth in foster care than in the general population. Here are three things foster families can do to support LGBTQ youth: Remember you are not alone:…
Wayfinder’s Child Development Services program provides a wide range of services for children, birth to age 3, with visual impairments and/or other disabilities in Northern, Central and Southern California. Fill out our Child Development Services Referral Form to receive more information. “The longer we are with Wayfinder, the more independence and freedom that Axton has,”…
Brian Barreto has a long history with Wayfinder, dating back to 2008 when it was known as Junior Blind. In his position in external affairs for California American Water, Wayfinder’s water utility, he has been at the forefront of his company’s partnership with Wayfinder. Brian recalls volunteering at Wayfinder’s athletic events, which his company sponsored….
How has Wayfinder grown and changed with recent changes in the world? We have changed for the better. We chose our name—Wayfinder—because it’s about moving forward. We’ve always been an organization that keeps progressing. One example is in our child development program for young children with vision impairment or multiple disabilities. Initially because of the…
If you have vision loss and don’t have a reference for color or shape, what are your dreams like? Nick Aull, then a teenage counselor-in-training at Wayfinder’s Camp Bloomfield, wondered about this and more regarding the life experiences of people with visual impairment. A camper named Zion told Nick that his dreams were audio-focused. “Hearing…
“I knew I had to step up and be the dad I needed to be for Liam, says his father, Ryan. “Wayfinder helped me out a lot.” After a divorce, Ryan became a single dad to Liam, who had been born three months prematurely, weighing only 2 pounds. Liam was in the neonatal intensive care…
Camille is 16 years old. She had a shocking 26 foster family placements over 10 years. A little more than a year ago, Camille’s case came to Wayfinder—changing the trajectory of her life forever. In 2012, Camille and her younger sisters, Maya, age 3, and Dani, age 1, were removed from their home due to…
Alex wanted to be a mom, and Rob wanted to be a dad. With Wayfinder’s help they now have the family they longed for. And their children have the loving home they deserve. The couple approached Wayfinder to adopt through foster care. “I’d seen so many sibling groups be split up between separate homes over…
