Over the coming year, I plan to do occasional entries on the various types of special needs that are most often seen in waiting children, particularly those in international settings. It is my hope that other families will open their minds and hearts to children who have such needs, and that hearing other families’ stories will help them envision special children in their families. I’ve chosen to start with albinism since we have personal experience with it, and I hope to touch on heart problems next (also one we have personal experience with). And just a note - although our child is from Haiti, most internationally adopted children with albinism are from China and India. :)

From The National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation:

What is Albinism?

The word "albinism" refers to a group of inherited conditions. People with albinism have little or no pigment in their eyes, skin, or hair. They have inherited genes that do not make the usual amounts of a pigment called melanin.

One person in 17,000 in the U.S.A. has some type of albinism. Albinism affects people from all races. Most children with albinism are born to parents who have normal hair and eye color for their ethnic backgrounds. Often people do not recognize that they have albinism.

A common myth is that by definition people with albinism have red eyes. In fact there are different types of albinism, and the amount of pigment in the eyes varies. Although some individuals with albinism have reddish or violet eyes, most have blue eyes. Some have hazel or brown eyes.

Vision Problems

People with albinism always have problems with vision, and many have low vision. Many are "legally blind," but most use their vision for reading, and do not use braille. Some have vision good enough to drive a car.

Vision problems in albinism result from abnormal development of the retina and abnormal patterns of nerve connections between the eye and the brain. It is the presence of these eye problems that defines the diagnosis of albinism. Therefore the main test for albinism is simply an eye exam.

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