Parents of blind children in the Austin area will soon have a new resource for information, networking and support, Shady Hollow resident Beth Freeborn said.

Freeborn and four other parents are starting up Central Texas Parents of Blind Children, which will be an Austin-based chapter of the statewide organization Texas Parents of Blind Children. She said the group is seeking more members to help form the organization and focus on its mission of helping children meet their maximum potential.

"Maximum potential means different things to different people," Freeborn said. "Our goal is to help parents get the training and services for their kids that will help them to support themselves when we no longer can. We have all dealt with the issues with raising a child with visual impairment and we want to be able to help each other with our experiences and suggestions."

Freeborn's son Harley is now 15 and a student at Bowie High School. He was diagnosed with optic glioma—a tumor growing out of his optic nerve—at age 5. She said one tip she hopes to pass on to other parents is that many organizations offer programs that help blind children learn to perform daily tasks.

"When my son was younger, I would have these anxiety attacks about 'What is he going to do when I'm not around? How is he going to live on his own?'" she said. "But I've gotten him into various programs and classes and I'm feeling better and better about him being able to be an independent adult."

One main goal of the Central Texas Parents of Blind Children is to establish a continually updated online calendar showing local events and activities for blind children, she said.

The group will host a networking meeting in Oct. 25 at a member's home. On Nov. 16 at 10:30 a.m. at the Region 13 building, 5701 Springdale Road, members will discuss the upcoming Central Texas Regional Braille Challenge and hear from a representative from HIMS Inc, a company headquartered in Austin that provides technology for people with visual impairments. For more information, email [email protected].