This post will specifically discuss braille instruction strategies for students with multiple impairments or intellectual disabilities.
We are assuming that you have done pre-braille activities up to this point. Examples of tools and resources for the pre...
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Posted by Jaime Brown
Through incidental learning, young children learn to read environmental print, which is an important stage in their literacy development. According to the website Reading Rockets, which is part of a national initiative to teach literacy skills,...
Posted by Cheryl Brown
These ideas are designed to address developing handskills for the young beginning braille reader who is ready to start braille instruction and who has received preschool instruction on concept development. For experienced TVIs this will be a review of ideas...
Posted by Cheryl Hill
I teach a unit on the Pumpkin Life Cycle during the month of October in my typically developing Kindergarten class. This year I have 23 students in my class, one of whom is visually impaired, one who is on the Autism Spectrum, one ELL student and one who is...
Posted by Chris Tabb
Where are we?
How do you begin to know where you are? Before we can begin to tell someone where we are, we have to first have perceived where we are. The process of perceiving where we are has many components; many of these components are...
Posted by Kate Hurst
One of the issues often raised by instructors related to Active Learning is that it looks like “play”. This makes it difficult to explain how the child is actually focused on the same important “work” that engages the time of...
Posted by Charlotte Cushman
It’s that time of the year again! The start of a new school year always brings a range of emotions: excitement, worry, anticipation, wistfulness to say goodbye to summer… We hope that these ideas and resources will help to get the...
Posted by Liamsmom
My son Liam is 7 years old and will be starting 2nd grade this school year. He is deafblind, uses tactile American Sign Language and is a braille reader.
I love TACK-TILES®. I have often been asked how we used Tack-Tiles with Liam...
Posted by Liamsmom
My son Liam is 7 years old and he is deafblind. Liam loves reading and writing braille. I thought a great activity for summer break would be to learn about writing letters to our friends and family. It was my hope that it would be fun and...
Posted by Tracy Fitch
How many of us serve students who have both a severe visual impairment and multiple disabilities, including intellectual disabilities? How many of us have attempted literacy instruction or braille with this population of students? And, if you have, how...
Posted by Kristie Smith
The other day when I was working with one of my students with multiple disabilities and a visual impairment, I heard heartbreaking words from a grieving parent, “Why are they still coming?” he asked with sadness.
Supporting...
Posted by Jaime Brown
It won't be long now before a new school year begins. This brings excitement for parents, as well as children, but it can also bring worry about the transition, especially for young children who are blind or visually impaired. The tips here...
Posted by Jaime Brown
The iPad is an incredible tool for all students, including those with CVI (cortical visual impairment). There are amazing accessibility features that enhance the experience. The iPad can be used to teach visual skills and to conduct vision...
Posted by Kristie Smith
“There is no 'i' in 'team', but there is in 'win'.”
-- Michael Jordan (American retired pro basketball player and current businessman)
Recently, I posted a blog on learning how to teach a...
Posted by Liamsmom
I am the mother of two young busy boys. My oldest Liam just turned 7 and is deafblind. My youngest Finn just turned 4 and has typical vision and hearing. A few years back I wrote about an accessible playground we made for the boys. I just...
Posted by Liamsmom
I have two boys. My oldest is 7 years old, deafblind, and an early braille reader. My youngest is 4 years old and has typical vision and hearing. We recently went on a road trip to visit family out of state. Planning for the trip...
Posted by Tracy Fitch
Introduction:
For my Cortical Visual Impairment mentor training we were assigned to adapt a book for all three phases of CVI. I chose The Very Hungry Caterpillar because I have several classes reading this book through the end of the school year. I...
Posted by Gwyn McCormack
Are you a teacher of students with visual impairments thinking about what belongs in your "toolbox" for the new school year? Or perhaps you're a parent wondering what materials to use during the summer holidays with your child who is blind...
Posted by Liamsmom
My son Liam just turned 7 and we celebrated his birthday at our home with family and friends from school. Liam happens to be deafblind and attends first grade in a mainstream setting. I wanted Liam's birthday party to be accessible and include...
Posted by ScarlettsEyes
As I have discussed previously in other blog posts my daughter Scarlett is a massive lover of music. My mini maestro is literally music mad and, although it is great to see such a burning passion in that area, it is also very important to develop a...