• Date: Tuesday 24 February 2026

  • Time: 7.30pm to 9.00pm

  • Location: Zoom

  • Cost: £5

The teenage years can be challenging for both parents and young people, and having a child with a visual impairment can add further complexities. This session, delivered by Emily Harbrecht from The Brain Friends organisation, is designed to help parents and carers understand and support their child.

Adolescence brings significant physical, emotional, and neurological changes and this session is designed to help you understand what is happening during this stage of development and how you can adapt your parenting approach to best support your child. It aims to give parents a simple understanding of the teenage brain, how sight impairment affects sensory and emotional regulation, and practical ways to support independence, resilience and connection. This workshop is aimed at parents of children in the age 11-18 bracket, but we are happy to accept parents of children out of this age group if you feel the subject is relevant.

Workshop content

Emily will look at the connection between vision impairment and sensory overload, exploring how reduced vision changes the way teens take in the world. The session will also explore how teens navigate social worlds, with their visual needs, and the importance of strengthening connections at home during these times. Providing support when it is needed, while taking into consideration their need for space, independence and autonomy. Emily will also touch on sleep and sleep regulation.

To support the learning and for those who would like further guidance putting strategies into action at home, there is an optional printable workbook for you to use at home which covers:

  • sensory load awareness
  • sleep support
  • independence planning
  • emotional regulation tools
  • connection activities

Parents will be invited to complete the Brain Friends Assessment before the session.

This gives you:

  • insight into your child’s emotional profile
  • simple language for the talk
  • personalised areas you can focus on
  • a starting point for independence and regulation planning

Using the Brain Friends model, parents will learn how their child’s brain changes in adolescence:

  • stronger emotions
  • faster overwhelm
  • bigger need for belonging
  • growing independence
  • thinking skills still developing

February is the month to shine the spotlight on children’s mental health and we are delivering this workshop as a personal nod to the cause!

Please apply here!

Parent/Guardian 1

Parent/Guardian 2

If a second parent/guardian will be joining, please include their details below

Details of your VI child

Please fill out the details for your child who has a visual impairment, although children are not attending this is required for our information and planning.

Supporting documentation

If your child is registered for their visual impairment, please include a copy of one of the following registration documents: - Certificate of Visual Impairment (CVI) - Blind Registration Card issued by local authority - Letter from the local council confirming the person to be registered If the applicant is not registered, please provide: - a letter from an ophthalmologist confirming visual acuity. Please note, applications cannot be processed without these documents.

Uploading documents

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Photographs and filming

Declaration, privacy and consent

To be signed by the applicant. This form has been completed accurately and I undertake to update VICTA should any of the information in this form change. a. I agree to to take part in VICTA's activity and have read all the information sent to me. b. I acknowledge the need to behave responsibly at all times during the activity. c. I confirm that this form has been completed accurately and I undertake to update VICTA's organisers should any information contained on the form or personal circumstances change. By signing this form you consent to VICTA using the information supplied for the purpose of administering the named event. All the information will be treated in the strictest of confidence and made available only to those staff working with the participant. We may need to share your details with third party suppliers in relation to this activity. Contact information will be retained and used for marketing of other relevant services. I give consent for VICTA to carry out the following in accordance with the Data Protection Act (1998) and to store my personal information on VICTA's database and/or any other suitable system.