Center for Family Involvement

12/15/2025

DID YOU KNOW?

Did you know the first Deaf permanent school in America opened in 1817 in Hartford, CT? This school gave rise to American Sign Language
(ASL) and a new era of Deaf education.

It was called the "Mother School" because it trained teachers who went on to establish other Deaf schools across the U.S., spreading Deaf education nationwide.

The school became a cornerstone of Deaf education and culture, influencing the spread of ASL and the recognition of Deaf identity across the U.S.

Who are we?
tinyurl.com/CFI-PPD-VCU

1 ON 1 SUPPORT | ALWAYS FREE

Find us on Instagram: center4familyinvolvement

The Center for Family Involvement is affiliated with: VCU School of Education Partnership for People with Disabilities Association of University Centers on Disabilities

12/12/2025

DID YOU KNOW? Ed Roberts

Ed Roberts, the first wheelchair user to attend UC Berkeley in 1962. Berkeley soon admitted more students with disabilities, who formed The Rolling Quads, a group that pushed for curb cuts and broader accessibility.

In 1977, Roberts led the 504 Sit-In, occupying a federal building for 28 days to demand enforcement of Section 504, which prohibits discrimination on any program receiving federal funding.

This activism helped pave the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Who are we?
tinyurl.com/CFI-PPD-VCU

1 ON 1 SUPPORT | ALWAYS FREE

Find us on Instagram: center4familyinvolvement

The Center for Family Involvement is affiliated with: VCU School of Education Association of University Centers on Disabilities Partnership for People with Disabilities

12/11/2025

DID YOU KNOW?

Did you know "Talking Books" began in 1931?

That year, the U.S. passed the Pratt-Smoot Act, funding library services for blind adults and sparking the creation of audio recordings called Talking Books.

The first title was Gulliver's Travels, recorded on long-playing phonograph records, years before LPs became mainstream.

Today, the program lives on through the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, still opening literature through sound.

Who are we?
tinyurl.com/CFI-PPD-VCU

1 ON 1 SUPPORT | ALWAYS FREE

Find us on Instagram: center4familyinvolvement

The Center for Family Involvement is affiliated with: VCU School of Education Partnership for People with Disabilities Association of University Centers on Disabilities

12/10/2025

DID YOU KNOW? Braille

Did you know Braille was invented by a 15-year-old?

Louis Braille, blinded as a child, created the tactile system in 1824.

Using raised dots in a six-cell matrix, Braille represents letters, numbers, punctuation-even music. For the first time, blind people could read and write independently.

Fun Fact: Average Braille speed is 125 words per minute, but skilled readers hit 200 words per minute!

Who are we?
tinyurl.com/CFI-PPD-VCU

1 ON 1 SUPPORT | ALWAYS FREE

Find us on Instagram: center4familyinvolvement

The Center for Family Involvement is affiliated with: VCU School of Education Association of University Centers on Disabilities Virginia Department of Education - VDOE

12/09/2025

DID YOU KNOW? Hearing Aids

From ear trumpets to Al-powered devices, hearing aids have evolved for 400 years to bring sound back to life.

• The earliest aids were ear trumpets in the 17th century, simple horns that funneled sound.
• In 1898, the first electric hearing aid was developed, inspired by telephone technology.
• 1950s: Transistor hearing aids-smaller, more portable.
• 1980s: Digital hearing aids entered the market, paving the way for today's Bluetooth-enabled, Al-powered devices.

Who are we?
tinyurl.com/CFI-PPD-VCU

1 ON 1 SUPPORT | ALWAYS FREE

Find us on Instagram: center4familyinvolvement

The Center for Family Involvement is affiliated with: VCU School of Education Association of University Centers on Disabilities Virginia Department of Education - VDOE

12/08/2025

DID YOU KNOW? Close Captioning

In 1972, PBS aired "The French Chef" with Julia Child as one of the first captioned programs.
Advocacy Wins! Deaf advocates fought for widespread adoption, leading to the Television Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990, which required TVs to have captioning capability.

Captions opened television, film, and later online media to Deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences.

The CC under Julia Child reads:
“THE FIRST STEW IS DARK.
IT'S COOKED IN RED WINE.”

Who are we?
tinyurl.com/CFI-PPD-VCU

1 ON 1 SUPPORT | ALWAYS FREE

Find us on Instagram: center4familyinvolvement

The Center for Family Involvement is affiliated with: VCU School of Education Association of University Centers on Disabilities Virginia Department of Education - VDOE

12/05/2025

DID YOU KNOW? Wheelchair

King Phillip of Spain developed severe gout and arthritis. An unknown inventor created this plush chair that had leg rests and four small wheels.

It had to be pushed by an aid and was the first clearly recorded wheelchair.

Who are we?
tinyurl.com/CFI-PPD-VCU

1 ON 1 SUPPORT | ALWAYS FREE

Find us on Instagram: center4familyinvolvement

The Center for Family Involvement is affiliated with: VCU School of Education Association of University Centers on Disabilities

12/04/2025

DID YOU KNOW? Disability Symbol

A Danish student, Susanne Koefoed, designed the International Wheelchair Symbol.

For every six accessible parking spaces, one van accessible space is required.

The striped lines next to the parking space is called the
GORE, which allows a wheelchair user sufficient space to exit and enter their van.

Who are we?
tinyurl.com/CFI-PPD-VCU

1 ON 1 SUPPORT | ALWAYS FREE

Find us on Instagram: center4familyinvolvement

The Center for Family Involvement is affiliated with: VCU School of Education Association of University Centers on Disabilities

12/03/2025

🎉AMAZING! Virtual reality program reduces aggression and conduct problems in youth, VCU study finds

Developed by a VCU researcher, Impact VR teaches youth social-emotional skills through gamified tasks in an immersive, interactive virtual world.

Using virtual reality (VR) headsets, youth are guided through a series of gamified tasks that involve recognizing facial expressions, identifying emotional triggers and developing strategies to tackle challenging social situations. The program also places youth as problem solvers in interactive stories that simulate real-world social situations.

“We’re retraining how the brain responds to emotion and social cues,” Thomson said. “By directly targeting the systems that drive empathy and emotional learning, we can shift conduct patterns in ways traditional therapy has struggled to achieve.”

To ensure the program would be engaging for its target audience, Thomson collaborated with an advisory group of youth with conduct disorder and callous-unemotional traits to help shape the experience in a meaningful way.

Who are we?
tinyurl.com/CFI-PPD-VCU

1 ON 1 SUPPORT | ALWAYS FREE

Find us on Instagram: center4familyinvolvement

The Center for Family Involvement is affiliated with:
VCU School of Education Partnership for People with Disabilities Association of University Centers on Disabilities

A mental health intervention that uses virtual reality to teach social-emotional learning skills to youth has been shown to reduce conduct problems, aggression and other antisocial behavior, according to a new study published in Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology.

12/03/2025

DID YOU KNOW? Service Dogs

Throughout history, guide dogs have helped the blind but after WWl, many men came home who had been blinded by mustard gas

• 1916 - Germany, world's first guide dog school opened and in 1927 an article was written about this and published in the US
• 1929 - "The Seeing Eye" was the first American guide dog school
• 1975 - "Canine Companions for
Independence" opened to train service dogs for various disabilities, not just the blind

Who are we?
tinyurl.com/CFI-PPD-VCU

1 ON 1 SUPPORT | ALWAYS FREE

Find us on Instagram: center4familyinvolvement

The Center for Family Involvement is affiliated with: VCU School of Education Association of University Centers on Disabilities

12/02/2025

Registration is open for our next Statewide Continuing Education Workshop! https://dsa-virginia.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/fgzb3W4ZTHivjggQoy2MHw #/registration

Join us Friday, December 12, at 12 PM for a conversation with the Virginia Department of Health experts leading the Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Unit and Birth Defects Surveillance Program. We hope to see you there!

12/02/2025

DID YOU KNOW? Glasses

The earliest recorded use of optical lenses was in 1268.
Venice, already known for
manufacturing high-quality glass, became the center of eyeglass manufacturing.

By 1301, there were regulations in Venice governing the sale of
eyeglasses.

Who are we?
tinyurl.com/CFI-PPD-VCU

1 ON 1 SUPPORT | ALWAYS FREE

Find us on Instagram: center4familyinvolvement

The Center for Family Involvement is affiliated with: VCU School of Education Association of University Centers on Disabilities