Blog Posts

Brown Bear, Brown Bear Book cove with a brown bear on it
Posted by Lisha Yochimowitz
Bill Martin was born on March 20, 1916 and has created many beloved books that have been a favorite for many of our children. Here are some great activities and resources you can use with children who are visually impaired. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom...



Logo for Consortium on Blindness and English Learners
Posted by Conchita Hernandez
As a field of TVIs (teachers of students with visual impairments) and blindness professionals, many of us do not feel prepared or equipped to work with English Learners (EL) who are blind or low vision. English Learners now make up more than 10% (National...



Expanded Core Family Project title grocery shopping for a food bank
Posted by Robbin Keating Clark
  Here's another great Expanded Core family project: grocery shopping for a food bank. ECC skills that could easily be infused into this idea and I knew that I had another family project for you. I have designed this idea for children of...



SOLOM example
Posted by Heather Browne
How do we inform instruction? In today’s world of education, it is paramount for a teacher to create and implement instruction that is geared towards all students. One of the most influential pieces to inform this instruction is data. This is a...



Student at computer with large screen and text
Posted by Jane Miller
Mercy is a fifth-grade student who started a new public school this year after spending a year and a half doing virtual learning, one year of that being with REACH Cyber Charter School. Mercy’s first language was Mandarin. She was not fluent but...



A boy places wooden pegs into a wooden frame.
Posted by Conchita Hernandez
Finding a strategy for our English learners (EL) that are blind and low vision can be a struggle. This has to do with many EL strategies being picture-based, or not practical for the population of students we work with. We have likewise not been trained in...



NCIL Visual Impairment and Dyslexia title slide
Posted by Marnee Loftin
Marnee Loftin, a retired psychologist from the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, answers questions about visual impairment and dyslexia. Is Dyslexia present as well as identified in students with visual impairments? What are...



Second language acquisition
Posted by Charlotte Cushman
By Maria L. Muñoz, M.A., CCC-SLP, TSBVI First Language Acquisition Babies are born with the ability to distinguish speech from other sounds they hear, even though they do not understand what it means. By the time children reach school age, they...



student using an iPad for communication
Posted by Faye Gonzalez
It is more and more common for students to receive an iPad as their personal Communication Device.   The most common Communication apps are designed to provide a large vocabulary to non-verbal students.  However, these apps are often...



Teen student on laptop with chalkboard background saying hello in various languages
Posted by Lisha Yochimowitz
Did you know that Paths to Literacy has articles in Spanish and French? We are lucky enough to have professionals in our community that are bi-lingual and can provide some of our articles in other languages as we try to meet the needs of our viewers with...



A boy holds a bowl while using tactile sign.
Posted by Liamsmom
Storyboxes are a great way to make stories come alive for our children with vision impairments.  Storyboxes are also a way to make pictures in a children's story accessible.  A story box is simply a way to use objects to represent parts of a...



Preschool child on mother's lap on floor with communication device
Posted by Melissa Pebly
“There is no substitute for books in the life of a child" by Mary Ellen Chase (1952), American teacher and author, captured the importance of reading for children in the above quote. The benefits of reading include improved language and...



Braille Box
Posted by TiffanyMoore
The Braille Box is an instructional tool that aids in concept development and emerging braille literacy. About Braille Box I discovered the Braille Box during a session at an AER international conference. It was recommended for emerging braille readers...



A young boy putting clothes into the washing machine
Posted by TinaK
Miha is a 6-year-old boy born with LCA (Leber congenital amaurosis)  and is legally blind with only light perception. He was included in an early intervention program from a very early age, which was a good thing, but also a challenge.  The TVI (...



Braille alphabet
Posted by Charlotte Cushman
There are a number of resources available to teach people who are sighted the basics of the braille alphabet.  These include websites, activities, braille cards, and lesson suggestions for general education classrooms. They are not intended to teach the...



Charlotte and Lisha
Posted by Lisha Yochimowitz
Saying Goodbye and Introducing… Charlotte Cushman has been the Paths to Literacy manager and co-creator since its inception in 2010 when her team, from Perkins School for the Blind and Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, had a strong...



Preschooler looking at Bedtime in a Box
Posted by Conchita Hernandez
Bedtime in a Box is an innovative project that gives families materials for a bedtime routine. This adorable project provides the following items in a box: a bedtime routine log, books, pajamas, soap, towel, alarm clock and many more items to get children and...



Studio recorder
Posted by Diane Shifflett
Cut, paste, delete.  It's really that simple. Radio broadcasting for students who are blind or visually impaired might seem intimidating at first, but with user-friendly software called Studio Recorder from the American Printing House for the...



Young girl with flowers
Posted by Charlotte Cushman
Royal Dutch Visio, Centre of expertise for blind and partially sighted people offers a number of free publications, as well as assessment tools available for purchase, on the topic of tactual development for children who are blind or visually impaired...



Girl writing on Perkins brailler
Posted by Penny Rosenblum
The Project INSPIRE (Increasing the STEM Potential of Individuals who Read Braille) team developed “Nemeth in a Box for Middle School Students” to provide a fun way for students to practice their Nemeth skills and build their math concepts. In...



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