14 Kids With Vision Impairments!

14 Kids With Vision Impairments!

We’re currently advocating for FOURTEEN Waiting Children who have vision impairments. Some of these kiddos have more minor vision impairments, while others may have more moderate or severe impairments causing partial or full blindness.

Winnie

Winnie is a precious little girl from China that recently turned 7 years old.  Winnie was not abandoned until she was 5 years old, so she has only lived in the orphanage for the past two years.  It is presumed that she lived with her birth family before she came to live in the orphanage.

Winnie is described by her caregivers as timid and gentle and she gets along very well with other children in the orphanage.  She is said to have normal physical development.  Winnie has good self-care skills such as putting on her own clothes and shoes by herself.  Winnie’s language is delayed and she can only say a few words at this time, however this is a great improvement from when she came to the orphanage and would not say any words.  Winnie’s cognitive abilities are said to be delayed compared with her peers in the orphanage.

Winnie is said to have had an abnormal vision screening, but it is unclear exactly what is meant by that, so we are following up with the orphanage to get more information on her vision needs.  It is possible that she just has droopy eyelids (ptosis) and that she just needs to get surgery to lift her eyelids so she can see more clearly.  This is something that would most likely never be done in China, so she would need a family to adopt her so she could get this kind of surgery in America.

If you would like more information on Winnie you can reach out to the GWCA China Home Finding Team today!

Click Here to Watch Winnie’s NEW Video!

Isaiah

More NEW videos of Winnie are available when you request to review her full file! Isaiah is a sweet little boy from China that is 5 years old. Isaiah likes to interact with other children and play games with him. He is very happy when he is playing with and interacting with other children and his caregivers. His personality is described as lively and joyful, but he tends to be shy around strangers. He can speak with others in simple sentences. He likes to listen to music and hear his caregivers read him stories.

Isaiah is blind and has no vision. He has already had a bilateral enucleation surgery. He does not have any other medical issues. He is very sensitive to sounds and he follow sounds when he hears them, such as when his caregiver’s phone rings, he will follow the sound and go pick it up for her. When his caregiver takes him to school every morning he will hold her hand and trot along side her. Because he is blind he cannot fully self-sufficient as of yet. He needs help getting dressed, although he can put on his own shoes by himself. The orphanage staff feels like he is developmentally behind some of his peers, however they feel that this is due to his vision impairment and not a lack of mental capacity to learn.

Isaiah appears to be a smart little boy overall, but he just needs the love and attention of a Forever Family to help him get to where he needs to be to live a full and productive life. If you are interested in learning more about Isaiah, please contact the GWCA Home Finding Team by requesting this child’s file to review or by calling #512.323.9595 today!

Click Here to Watch one of Isaiah’s Videos!

Leta

Leta is a lovely little girl from China that is 9 and a half years old.  Leta is described as being very cheerful!  Leta likes to be around other people, to play with children and she really likes to smile!

Leta has congenital glaucoma, so her vision is impaired, but she can still see.  She can see toys in a room and pick them up, she can hold food and eat it on her own, and she can walk by herself.  However when she does walk she will sometimes walk slowly if she is in an unfamiliar area.

Because of her vision impairment and from being in an orphanage setting her language development is delayed compared to her peers, as is her overall development.   She does understand what others are saying to her and she can follow instructions given to her by adults.  Leta doesn’t speak very much and she can only say single words, but not sentences.

Leta tends to rub her eyes sometimes, which may indicate there is some ocular pain she is experiencing.  She has not received any treatments or surgeries for her eyes and there have not been any recent tests done on her eyes.

Leta is able to go to the toilet by herself, although sometimes she needs to be reminded to go by an adult.  She can put on and take off her own clothes and shoes.  She can eat solid food like bread on her own, but sometimes she needs help to use a spoon to eat liquid foods like soup.

If you would like to learn more about Leta, please contact the GWCA China Home Finding Team today!

Click Here to Watch Leta’s Video!

Brian

Brian is a sweet little boy from China that just recently turned 4 years old. Brian cannot see due to having optic atrophy of both of his eyes, but he appears to be physically healthy in all other regards. Because of his lack of eyesight, Brian is delayed verbally, so he isn’t currently speaking. However he can make many sounds and he can communicate some of his basic needs such as when he is hungry.

Brian can walk on his own and he can get up on his own from a sitting to a standing position. Brian is very curious and if he hears a sound near him he will go over to it and feel around for the object or person that made the sound. Brian can use a spoon to feed himself at mealtime, although he still needs some guidance from caregivers since he cannot see the food. He also needs help getting dressed, brushing his teeth and bathing.

Brian is very close to his caregivers.  Brian’s caregivers say that he is a lively, active, happy boy, who loves to laugh. He has good appetite and he is not picky. He likes his caregiver to give him hugs and tickle him because it will make him laugh.

If you would like to learn more about Brian, please reach out to the GWCA China Home Finding Team today!

Click Here to Watch one of Brian’s NEW Videos!

Cooper

This adorable little guy is Cooper! Cooper will be turning 9 years old this June. One of Cooper’s eyes is underdeveloped and he does not have any vision from it, but his other eye is only nearsighted and he is able to see with glasses on. His host mom says that he was not restricted in any way based on this need, and that he was able to keep up with other kiddos with no problem! Cooper was hosted in the hosting program this past summer and had an amazing time with his host family! Here’s something that his host family wrote about him:

“He is independent, unbelievably well behaved, follows direction and likes to help. Shy at first he quickly opens up to everyone. Very inquisitive, he is constantly asking questions. Wakes up in the morning and greets us with a cheery “Hello!”, one of the several English words he learned while with us. He has been as low maintenance as any child I have ever met. They way he adjusted to the drastic changes of hosting was unbelieveable, he is so ‘go with the flow’. He doesn’t need to be constantly entertained, he will go up to the toy room and just grab whatever he is interested and plays by himself if we are busy. He has a good sense of humor and really understood and got a kick out of his host dads gentle sarcasm. While he was here being hosted it was clear that he knew this was only a short vacation to America but still he bonded with his host dad. As we did the countdown to departure day he was excited to go back to China saying he liked China and America equally. But speaking to the chaperone the night before he told heels he was not willing to go back to China. Once we arrived at the airport it all seemed to settle in and he was clearly devastated to be leaving America and said he wanted to stay. I think a family with a brother for him would be great but he did enjoy playing with the girls. Sounds too good to be true but he didn’t misbehave for a second while he was here. I really don’t have any negatives to say about him. His special need is blindness in one eye and nearsightedness in the other, which glasses helped immensely. Also his eyes wiggle a bit (nystagmus) as he is refocusing but that seemed to be greatly reduced with the glasses. We honestly forgot that he had any vision issues at all. He rides a bike, power wheels, scooter, runs races, all no problem.”

Cooper recently told his caregivers that he’d always wanted a family to love and care for him. Please reach out to Great Wall if you would like to learn more about Cooper!

Check out Cooper’s NEW videos!

Enzo

Enzo is a sweet little boy from China who is 4 and a half years old. Enzo is described by his caretakers as being energetic, active and having a ready smile! Enzo has congenital glaucoma of both eyes and esotropia of the right eye, so his vision is impaired. He had an operation in 2016 that did help his vision somewhat.

Because of his inability to see clearly, as it with many children with vision issues, Enzo is delayed in his language abilities. He can make sounds like “yiyi yaya” and can hum along to songs he knows. Enzo does know how to walk on his own, though he is sometimes nervous about walking too far because of his limited eyesight.

Enzo needs help to do certain tasks like using a spoon to eat or going to the toilet. Enzo did not always like to play with other children because of his inability to see clearly, but since being in the orphanage’s pre-school program, he has improved significantly in his abilities and desire to play with other children and he is now happy to play with other children. Enzo loves being cuddled by his caretakers and he has built stable emotional attachment with his teachers and caregivers. Enzo likes listening to music and playing games.

You can contact the China Home Finding Team at Great Wall if you would like to learn more about adopting sweet little Enzo. We hope we are able to find Enzo his Forever Family soon!

Click Here to Watch one of Enzo’s NEW Videos!

Gemma

Gemma is an incredible and essnetially healthy 13-year old girl who will be aging out of the system this coming Fall. She needs a loving Forever Family to adopt her before she turns 14 or she will never have a chace to know the love and acceptance of a family.

Gemma is a smart, bright, and active girl who would thrive with consistent care and a forever home. She has refractive error in both her eyes, but it is likely she will only need glasses in order to correct her vision.She has been in a foster family since 2006 and has been described by them as being very sensible and obedient.

Gemma likes to do housework and is always available to help her foster family! She is currently in school and is excelling in her studies. She can write over 100 Chinese characters and is able to perform addition and subtraction. She is a great listener and always finishes her homework right after school! Gemma gets along great with her classmates and is well-liked by everyone she meets.

The orphanage and foster family care very much for Gemma and hope that she will have a forever family soon. You can contact the GWCA China Home Finding team today to learn more about how you can adopt Gemma!

January

January is a sweet little girl from China that is about to turn 6 years old. January has amblyopia and strabismus, but she can still see fairly well. She also has some developmental and intellectual delays and is currently not speaking, however she can follow instructions given to her by her caretakers and she understands what others are saying to her. She can walk, go up and down stairs by herself.

January has good self-care skills like taking a shower by herself and eating by herself. She has a outgoing personality and likes playing with blocks. January is also fond of playing on the swing on the playground. January also loves puppies.

If you would like to learn more about January, please contact the China Home Finding Team today!

Johnny

This sweet little guy’s name is Johnny! Johnny is 5 years old. He has been diagnosed with hydrocephalus, but he received a shunt shortly after arriving to the orphanage and has been doing great since that time. Johnny was also diagnosed with purulent meningitis and a brain hernia, but after treatment he appears to be doing well. He also has oculomotor palsy, meaning that he has difficulty controlling his eye movements. Johnny has some language and mobility delays, but he has made amazing progress! He is able to walk with assistance, and is able to speak in two to three word sentences. He is also able to follow directions and has excellent fine motor skills! He is a shy, sweet little boy who would thrive with the love of a forever family. Please reach out to Great Wall to learn more!

Liv

Meet Liv! Liv is a precious 7-year old girl in need of a home to call her own. Liv has hypoplasia in both eyes, meaning they did not develop fully. She also has cerebral dysplasia, but appears to be doing well in regards to her overall development! Liv was living with a foster family at the time her file was prepared, and her foster parents love her very much. They describe her as mischievous, clever, and cute! Liv is a sweet kiddo who would thrive with the love of a family. Please reach out to Great Wall to learn more!

Marina

Marina is an amazing 11-year old girl who is blind in both eyes. Marina is a smart, bright girl who would thrive in a forever family. She is an outgoing kiddo who loves to play with other children and sing songs with her caregivers. She follows her caregivers instructions well and appears to be doing well in school overall. She is always quick to compromise with other children and is great with sharing so that everyone gets a chance with a toy. Marina loves music and has a beautiful singing voice. Please reach out to Great Wall if you would like to learn more!

Rebecca

Rebecca is a lovely young girl from China that turned turned 13 years old earlier this year. If Rebecca is not adopted before she turns 14, she will age out of the China Adoption System and will never get the chance to have a family.  Rebecca has expressed to her caregivers that she very much wants to be adopted by an American family and that she desires to have a home and parents of her own.

Rebecca is missing her left eye and has corneal leukoplakia in her right eye, so her right eye has some sight, and can walk around freely in a familiar environment without any assistance. She goes to a special school for children who are blind. Her cognitive abilities and language abilities are normal and she is doing very well in school. Rebecca is currently in 6th grade and she gets excellent grades. Rebecca has been awarded “Triple-A” student every year at her school. This year she won the second prize in a singing competition at her school. Rebecca can also read in braille.

Rebecca likes to sing and will often perform at different celebratory events at her school and at the orphanage. Rebecca gets along very well with her peers and with her caregivers! Her teachers describe her as being obedient, sensible and polite. Rebecca is a very outgoing and active girl and has a ready smile.

You can contact the China Home Finding Team at Great Wall if you would like to learn more about adopting sweet Rebecca. We hope we are able to find Rebecca her Forever Family soon!

Click Here to Watch Rebecca’s NEW Video where she is singing beautifully!

Summer

Summer is a precious little girl from China that is 9 and a half years old!  Summer is described as being a smart, optimistic girl who is polite and likes to have conversations with other children.  Summer has said that she very much wants to be adopted by an American family!  One of our GWCA Staff Members met Summer when she was in China last year and she would love to speak to any interested families about Summer!

Summer has atrophy of both eyeballs so she cannot see at all.  Summer has good cognitive abilities and is not delayed in that regard.  She is smart and going to a special school for blind children where she is learning to read braille.  She has good language ability and can sing many children’s songs.  She has great self-care skills including dressing herself, going to the toilet by herself.  She gets along well with other children and adults.

Summer as normal gross and fine motor skills compared to other children her age.  She can walk on her own, although due to being blind she may need a walking cane to get around unfamiliar places.  Summer also loves to dance!  In regards to her fine motor skills, she can button small buttons, build towers with jigsaw blocks and can use chopsticks and a spoon to eat rice and noodles at mealtime.

Summer is doing very well for a blind child who lives in an orphanage in China.  She is clearly very smart and has a positive outlook on life.   Summer would love to be adopted and be a part of a family!

If you would like to learn more about Summer and how you can adopt her, please contact the GWCA China Home Finding Team today!

Click Here to Watch one of Summer’s Videos!

Tommy

This precious kiddo’s name is Tommy! Tommy is 9 years old and was born with albinism. Tommy is a sweet, helpful child who always assists his caregivers around the orphanage. He is currently studying in the sensory integration classroom, where he works hard and does extremely well. He loves to play with the other kids and often sings children’s songs to the younger kiddos when they go to sleep. He is a sweet, smart boy who would thrive in a loving home. Please reach out to Great Wall to learn more!