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World Sight Day 2021

October is World Blindness Awareness Month and today is World Sight Day, designed to bring awareness to the spectrum of visual diversity. Please join CCAI in celebrating our precious adopted and waiting children who have vision differences!  

Read below about the Puls family, who adopted a son named Mo with low vision from Taiwan:

Adopting a child, especially a child with a specific need will change you. We adopted a child with a vision impairment two years ago. When we started the process, I thought the vision issue would be a bigger deal, but it’s not something that worries me anymore. The hardest part is watching my child work harder than his peers or struggle with more manageable tasks for other children. Having a blind or visually impaired child makes you see the world differently and allows you to notice things you may not have noticed otherwise. Communities have many resources, and local schools have assistive technology that can help children. Some great teachers and advocates want to help, so we’re not navigating alone. Our child has low vision, but his daily life isn’t impacted thanks to magnifiers and other technology. 

Adopting has changed our life for the better. Someone else’s story is now part of you, and you’re never the same. The world as you know it is a different place – a more important place, a more nuanced place, a more broken and yet beautiful place. And because of that, the wins and successes are super high. Blindness, low vision, or vision impairment do not equal a lower quality of life – it’s just different. As I watch my kid run on the soccer field, I don’t think about his vision impairment or fear for his future. I think about how my kid is thriving, happy, and healthy. I think about how lucky his teammates and coaches are to know him and how they’re learning tolerance, acceptance, and inclusion. I’m so thankful he is ours. We could have missed this, and instead, we get to live it. What a gift!

Mo is enjoying his new scooter!

If you are interested in adopting a child with a visual condition, please email us at mail@ccaifamily.org. If you would like to learn more about our Taiwan program, please email us at Taiwan@ccaifamily.org or click here.

If you would like to know more about World Sight Day or Blindness Awareness Month, click here.

#CCAIfamily #WorldSightDay #BlindnessAwarenessMonth #LoveYourEyes #WeCouldHaveMissedThis

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Colorado Expenses

ExpenseAmountPmt MethodPay ToDue
Application Fee$250Check/ACH WithdrawalCCAIApplication submission
Child Abuse Record Search$35/FamilyCheckCO Dept of Human ServiceApplication submission
IAAME Monitoring & Oversight Fee$500Check/ACH WithdrawalCCAI (Sent to IAAME)After App Approval
First Program Fee (Includes Home Study)$5,700Check/ACH WithdrawalCCAIAfter App Approval
CBI/FBI Fingerprint Search$39.50 per personMoney OrderColorado Bureau of InvestigationAfter App Approval
USCIS Filing & Fingerprinting$775 plus $85/adultCheck/Money OrderUS Dept. of Homeland SecurityUpon I-800A submission
Dossier PreparationApprox. $450-$900Check/Money OrderSecretary of State(s), Chinese Consulate(s)As preparing Dossier
Second Program Fee$5,050Check/ACH WithdrawalCCAIDossier Submission
CCCWA Fee$1,270Check/ACH WithdrawalCCCWA via CCAIDossier Submission
Third Program Fee$5,500Check/ACH WithdrawalCCAIPrior to receiving child match acceptance letter
CCCWA Post Adoption Translation Fee$300Check/ACH WithdrawalCCCWA via CCAIPrior to receiving child match acceptance letter
Court Validation Deposit$200CheckCCAIPrior to receiving child match acceptance letter
Post Adoption Deposit (Refundable)$450Check/ACH WithdrawalCCAIPrior to receiving child match acceptance letter
Visa to enter China$140 (plus courier fee)Check/Credit CardChinese Consulate via a courier/travel agencyApproximately one month before travel to China
US Domestic & International Airfare$1,000 – $2,000 per traveler (adopted child over 2 requires full ticket)Credit CardA travel agency/airline of your choice

Approximately 7-10 days prior to China departure

In China Travel & AccommodationsApprox. $4,000-$4,400 for two adultsACH WithdrawalCCAI (wired to China)Approximately 7-10 days prior to China departure
Adoption Registration and Notarization$800 – $1,000CashLocal government in ChinaIn China
Orphanage Donation(Voluntary)Cash or WireOrphanageIn China
Child’s Passport$100-$150CashLocal passport agencyIn China
Food$700 – $800 per coupleCash/Credit CardHotel(s), restaurant(s)In China
Child Physical & Photo$130-$150CashClinicIn Guangzhou, China
Child U.S. Entry Visa$325Cash or CheckU.S. ConsulateIn China
Court Validation Fee$167CheckCounty CourtAfter U.S. Return
Child’s Colorado Birth Certificate$37.75CheckColorado Vital Statistics OfficeAfter U.S. Return
Lutheran Family Services$250CheckLutheran Family Services via CCAIWhen Home Study is approved by CCAI