Multiple Disabilities

Switch for "hi"
Posted by Jaime Brown
Circle times in early childhood classrooms (preschool and early elementary) frequently follow the same format.  Students have an opportunity to say hello, participate in attendance, review the calendar, sing a couple of songs, and read a story. There...



Children's drawings of faces
Posted by Debra Goodsir
The development of vocabulary and an understanding of the patterns of language are essential parts in the development of literacy. "10 Minutes With" is a program which has enabled some of my students, who have multiple disabilities, to develop...



alphabet chart
Posted by Megan Mogan
Looking back on my own early reading and writing experiences, I have a very clear memory of my first-grade classroom’s beautiful alphabet chart hanging over the windows of our classroom. I even remember the long wooden pointer the teacher used to direct...



Student reaches for materials
Posted by Faye Gonzalez
Those of you who know me understand how passionate I am about children with Multiple AND Visual Disabilities.  Here are my personal “Top 10 Tips” to guide in helping these special children grow and develop new skills for independence....



christmas tree book collage
Posted by Liamsmom
We have made it a tradition that my son Liam (who is deafblind) and his little brother Finn, each get to decorate their own small Christmas tree.  Every year, I introduce new items they get to add to their tree. We decorate our tree in this order:...



Girl matches shape on iPad
Posted by Linda Mamer
This post presents discussion points for the use of the iPad with students who are blind or visually impaired, including those who are deafblind or who have multiple disabilities.  Also included are iPad cases and adaptive equipment, and...



theme books collage
Posted by Liz Eagan
I created these books for my low vision students in life skills and classrooms of students with multiple impairments. These were my way of trying to help add to their functional vocabulary. I created a "Teacher's Guide" to go with it to help the...



Adapted literacy collage
Posted by Megan Mogan
Buried deep in the Paths to Literacy archives is a little post called Adapted Adapted Literacy.  It describes how my TVI colleague Sheryl Katzen and I worked together to adapt parts of our school’s conventional English Language Arts Curriculum for...



early learning apps collage
Posted by Linda Mamer
Many apps (applications) are available to promote early learning for young children who are blind or visually impaired, including those who are deafblind or who have multiple disabilities.  This is a partial list (part one of two) to help you...



homemade books
Posted by Liamsmom
Enlist the help of friends and family to make these tactile books!   The purpose of these books is to... create appropriate books, at Liam’s level, that he can read and enjoy independently.  be used in...



iPad with CVI / Multiple Disabilities Collage
Posted by Tara Mason
For students who have cerebral / cortical visual impairment and/or multiple impairments we need to be thinking about visual characteristics of CVI, positioning, and learning environments, in addition to planning ways to incorporate the iPad into a...



Student with teacher and pink balloon
Posted by Linda Hagood
Editor's Note:  Please refer to the background article:  Writing CAN Be Child's Play:  A Collaborative Writing Program.   Students in the Writing Together Program have produced many kinds of interesting stories.  I will be...



student using toy bar
Posted by Jaime Brown
Introduction Settings Activities   Introduction: A Learning Media Assessment (LMA) is an evaluation process that allows the observer to identify the student’s primary and secondary learning channel, i.e. whether...



scribble on paper
Posted by Liamsmom
When I was first introduced to the idea of "scribbling" for my son Liam who is deafblind, I remember thinking, “Scribbling doesn’t really make sense for my son since he can’t see what he is scribbling”. Well, I came to...



Adaptation of Brown Bear for children with CVI
Posted by Charlotte Cushman
A group of teachers in the Deafblind Program at Perkins School for the Blind presented an hour-long webinar on various aspects of literacy for children with deafblindness: Literacy Adaptations for Students Who Are Deafblind with Christa...



girl holding a stuffed kitten
Posted by Charlotte Cushman
Adaptations for a child who has a combined vision and hearing loss will depend on many factors, such as the amount of vision and hearing the child has, age, cognitive abilities, motor skills, and personal interests.  This post is the first of four parts...



A young girl jumping on a trampoline
Posted by ScarlettsEyes
I have previously mentioned in my blogs about my daughter’s disdain of handling and exploring items unless they vibrate or sing! Counting for Scarlett has never been a problem as many musical toys incorporate the number sequence, which she can...



Collage of recommended hearing apps
Posted by Linda Mamer
This post is a collection of my favorite applications (apps) related to hearing, speech work, and sign language.  This list may be helpful to anyone working with children who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind, including Speech Language...



Ideas for Developing Functional Literacy Skills
Posted by Frank Mead
    I have been a teacher in the Secondary Program at the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts for more than 30 years, and I am retiring this spring. I was asked to share some of my thoughts and strategies on...



mother showing child birthday book
Posted by Liamsmom
Our Liam turned 5 last week and his little brother Finn turned 2 the week before. Liam and Finn celebrated their birthdays together with family and friends by having a birthday party at our house.  For those of you who don't already know, my son...



Pages