Dual Media

Great Expectations title with ribbon that states: bringing picture books to life
Posted by Lisha Yochimowitz
Picture Books for Children Who are Blind by the National Braille Press The Great Expectations program was created to help parents and teachers bring picture books to life for blind children. Each book is chosen for its unique theme and is supplemented...



A young woman uses screen magnification on her computer
Posted by Jasmyn Polite
Over the years, I have worked hard to become an independent, successful young woman with dreams of helping children who are blind or visually impaired grow into successful adults. Florida School for the Deaf and Blind (FSDB), my family, Iowa Department for...



Student reading braille flashcard
Posted by Carlie Rhoads
Constant time delay, or CTD, is a technique that has been shown to be an effective intervention strategy to teach braille contractions to dual media learners making the transition from print to braille.  A research study was conducted at Vanderbilt...



A young girl with glasses using APH Braille Buzz and lego station
Posted by Leslie Edmonds
Braille Lego sets coming out next year are the talk of the town this week amongst Teachers of the Visually Impaired.  I personally will be counting the days until they are released.  I’m a self-described Lego fanatic and any time I can...



A young woman poses for the camera.
Posted by Jasmyn Polite
I have been visually impaired all my life. I was born with congenital cataracts and I had to get them removed at 6 to 9 months old. Then at age 9 I was diagnosed with glaucoma in both of my eyes.  I graduated with honors from the Florida School for the...



Jasmyn using a braillewriter
Posted by Jasmyn Polite
I have glaucoma and currently have low vision, although I expect that, at some point in my life, I will have to use braille. When I was a young child, I thought that braille didn’t apply to me and it seemed too hard to learn, but that all changed when...



The author standing outside
Posted by Elin Williams
My name is Elin, I am a UK-based blogger who is currently studying a BA honours degree in Arts & Humanities with The Open University.  I was diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa when I was six years old and I was...



Sea turtle screenreader example
Posted by Sharon@TSBVI
These lessons are aimed at students who are blind or visually impaired who have never used the Internet with screen reading software. I prefer to start with simple, short assignments and websites. My mantra is “build on success”. So let’s...



Screenshot of Bring Your Mom to Braille Day video
Posted by Liz Eagan
Pictures and videos are an amazing way to share progress, as well as activities, behavioral concerns, strategies and more with parents and teachers. I have found that pictures and videos help parents know what we are doing with their child. ...



A second grade girl using a colored marker
Posted by Penny Rosenblum
Parents often wonder if their child who has a significant visual impairment should learn braille, print, or both literacy media at the same time.  They also question what role audio materials (e.g., books on CDs or downloaded to a special device) should...



A girl places Easter eggs on a grass tray.
Posted by Liz Eagan
Event planning is a great way to incorporate literacy and the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) into student-led activities!  While this particular example was done at Easter, there are many opportunities throughout the year to practice reading, writing...



Boy reads braille on his Christmas stocking
Posted by Charlotte Cushman
The holidays are an exciting time of year for children and there are lots of opportunities to incorporate literacy into the fun!  The ideas here include suggestions to make Christmas and Hanukkah more accessible to children with visual impairments or...



Teacher and student
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...



Girl using Ballyland
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...



Bucket of materials for Frozen activity
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...



Academic Apps collage
Posted by Linda Mamer
Applications (apps) for iOS devices change quickly, but I have compiled a list of apps for academic students with visual impairments.  I have used many of these apps, however I have not used all of them personally.  They have all been used by...



A teenage boy uses a braille notetaker.
Posted by Anna Swenson
  By Anne Spitz, Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Dover, MA and Anna Swenson, Braille Literacy Consultant, Fairfax, VA The ideas in this post grew out of a workshop in Connecticut on Braille Literacy Skills and are posted in their complete...



Teenage boy signs while using brailler
Posted by Steve Perreault
The real purpose of this activity is to create motivation about braille for teenagers who are newly blind and congenitally deaf.   This approach uses  language experience stories written in contracted braille to give the full sense of braille....