Texas Tech Launches WHALABY Study on Health of Blind and Low Vision Youth

The Youth VIEW team at Texas Tech University is initiating an important research study named Well-being and Health Among Low Vision and Blind Youth (WHALABY). This project seeks to explore how family dynamics, educational environments, medical settings, and community experiences affect the physical and mental well-being of children who are blind, have low vision, or are visually impaired.

The study aims to recruit 500 families with children, aged 9 to 17, who are blind or have low vision and reside in the United States. Both the child and a parent or guardian are required to participate. Importantly, participation in the study is voluntary and will not influence access to education, medical care, or employment opportunities.

Participants will begin by completing a prescreening survey that takes approximately 5 to 10 minutes. This initial step will offer detailed information about the study's procedures, potential risks, and anticipated benefits. After completion, eligible families will be contacted for further qualification and scheduling.

To learn more or to participate, interested families can visit Texas Tech’s prescreening survey page online.