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...
Braille
Posted by Tracy Fitch
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 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 Kristie Smith
A few months ago, our vision department changed our student caseload and I was blessed to be given a bright, funny young student who has become a dual learner. Enter my new first grade student who carries a small red and white cane, but who...
Posted by Catherine Summ
By Lisa Pruner and Catherine Summ
Education Consultants, CT DORS- Bureau of Education and Services for the Blind
Overview:
Officer Buckle and Gloria share everyday safety tips in ways which are engaging and funny for young...
Posted by Holly Cooper
By Holly Cooper, Ph.D., Early Childhood Specialist, Texas Deafblind Project, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Approaches to Literacy Experiences for Infants
When should braille be introduced in books?...
Posted by Liamsmom
My son Liam is 6 years old (almost 7!!) and he is deafblind. He enjoys helping me around the house. One of his chores is to unload the dishwasher (see Accessible Job Chart for the Home). When he first started helping with this, he...
Posted by Liamsmom
My son Liam has a good friend from school named Bella. They are in the same first grade class, where Liam is fully included. (Liam is deafblind and Bella has typical vision and hearing.) We love it when she gets to come over to our house to play!...
Posted by Chris Tabb
The American Heritage Dictionary has two definitions for “literacy”. The first is, “The condition or quality of being literate, especially the ability to read and write.” The second definition is a bit more global, “The...
Posted by Edith West
I have been encouraged to share some tips on creating Braille Art with a Perkins Brailler. These “Art” pieces help students by encouraging them to participate in holiday traditions throughout the year like other sighted students, while they...
Posted by Gwyn McCormack
Creating a holistic approach based on a theme or story enables children who are visually impaired to access and enjoy literacy and numeracy activities in a meaningful way.
The film "Frozen" has been tremendously popular...
Posted by Linda Hagood
Introduction to Standard Tactile Symbols
The Developmental Model
Standardization: Moving from Concrete Tangible Symbols to More Abstract Tactile Symbols
The System is Sustained
Continuum of Symbol Systems...
Posted by Tara Mason
John is in tenth grade and has a visual impairment and cerebral palsy. He is attending high school in a one-to-one iPad school district, and his team would like to investigate the effectiveness of him using an iPad as Assistive Technology (AT). This device...
Posted by Liamsmom
Last year my son started all-day Kindergarten in a public mainstream classroom. I was (and still am) a huge advocate for inclusion for my son Liam who is deafblind. One of my biggest hopes and goals for inclusion was all about the "social...
Posted by Liz Eagan
Tactile books are a great way to foster the development of literacy skills with any child who is visually impaired, including children with other significant disabilities. These can be used at home for enjoyment, to support understanding and anticipation...
Posted by Charlotte Cushman
January 4, 2016 was the official implementation date for Unified English Braille (UEB) in the United States, replacing English Braille American Edition (EBAE) at that time. This date was selected because it is also the birthday of Louis Braille and...
Posted by Alison Prskawetz
Alison Prskawetz is the Co-ordinator of Visual Resource Centres at Blind Low Vision Education Network New Zealand (BLENNZ). For more information about BLENNZ, visit them at: http://blennzonline.edublogs.org/
As part of literacy...
Posted by Liamsmom
My son Liam is a first grader in a mainstream classroom and he happens to be deafblind. I was inspired recently by a classroom letter that was sent home in his backpack. The children were expected to write stories that had a beginning, middle,...
Posted by Laurie Hudson
THE BIG PICTURE
In my iBook “Introducing Braille,” I largely used videotaped examples of bright, enthusiastic young students to show ways to “Make It Fun,” “Make it Developmental,” and “Make It Meaningful...