Websites that teach kids of all sight levels about visual impairment and assistive technology, inclusive of blindness and low vision
I just completed my latest ECC kit, Community Partners and I am so excited about it. One of my preschool teachers wanted a kit to help with teaching about community partners. Let me show what I came up with! First, let me go right to our assessment tools and resources from the Expanded Core Curriculum. This way I can infuse skills in every aspect. I always go to my ECC tools first so I can have a clear picture of what skills, concepts, etc. I need to teach. I hit up the Independent Living Skills Assessment (ILSA) and Elementary Concepts from TSBVI (see earlier posts on using Elementary Concepts). There was a whole unit on community partners in Elementary Concepts so I copied the section for my teachers to use. Lots of good ideas for both core and Expanded Core learning (with art, music, writing, etc ideas). I also found some fun color and cut headbands from Totschooling.net (I signed up for free and they have all kinds of things). Next I hit up Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers to find some ideas and resources that general education is using. Remember, we always want to be in alignment with core and general education because it keeps our students included in their classrooms. Plus, TPT has GREAT finds that are pretty cheap. I love TPT! I found these awesome movement cards for $3.00 on TPT. They are available in large and small sizes (or in large print as I like to think of it...). Look at how great these cards are!! I had my intermediate grade students do all the Braille for me (bonus ECC instruction as we discussed as they brailled...). *You can't see the Braille labels very well but they are on there!* I also went and found the props that go with each card. For example, a newspaper, wrench, toothbrush and cut up hose. Now we have meaningful tactual items for the movement. I happen to have some preschool items that I purchased for my early thoughts with dramatic play with community partners. You can easily hit up a Kid to Kid or other kids consignment shop for some items. I also purchased some from Lakeshore. Kids love to dress up for dramatic play (plus it's another ECC bonus because you can work on dressing skills!) We added Braille labels to all the print labels on the dramatic play clothes. Add a little super glue (carefully!) so that the Braille labels stick long term. We packaged up the costumes into large ziploc bags and logged the contents. I like to do this to keep track of things. We are not done yet! We still have more items in our ECC kit. I also found this fun idea from Pinterest to build a photo town. Here's the link: http://www.toddlerapproved.com/2015/03/build-around-town-photo-wall.html. There's lots of good ideas in this post! There are accessibility settings on phones (iPhones for sure) that allows students with vision impairments to take pics with feedback. Go around your town and take pictures of your town to build your photo town. See the post for more ideas. There are so many good ones that are totally doable for our students! Extend your ECC learning by visiting these places and taking your pictures there OR it can be ECC homework for students to do with their families. I decided to have some starter photos for our town so I Googled some free pics of things and made labels (with Braille on it--can't see in picture). It was easy peasy to make the board. Bonus ECC instruction: you can work in spatial skills directions because you can discuss top/botton, left/right and count squares and use systematic search patterns. The last part of our kit has to do with signs in the community. We included a number of directional signs and this real working stoplight to talk about navigating around our community. This stoplight totally works! I found it at Hobby Lobby on sale for $40! It's got metal on it so it has an authentic feel. Plus it's great for students who have no vision who always hear people talking about a stop light but have never 'seen' it before. There is SO much learning that you can do with this ECC Community Partners kit! Other ideas include: asking members of the community to come to your classroom OR scheduling a visit to their location and build an experience book based on the community partners you learned about. Just make sure you hit up our ECC resources to see all the skills from play to compensatory skills that can be included. ILSA is a great tool for this! See you in the community!!
Braille Tales is a free, print-braille book program promoting early literacy skills and excitement for reading among the blind or visually impaired.
I was hanging in one of our preschool classes with my new fave preschool teacher, Annie, to co-teach with her. She had a fun lesson for dipping apples into different toppings. We did a quick brainstorm and turned her lesson into a Braille lesson with a few quick changes. Next thing we know, we have this fun ECC lesson and are making Braille sundaes. Annie's lesson started like this: And became an Expanded Core Curriculum lesson: We added an APH tray (any tray will do though) and arrange the toppings into a Braille cell. Easy update! For instruction, we reviewed the Braille cell and the corresponding numbers. For example, (look at the picture above), the chocolate chips are "dot one", the caramel sauce is "dot 2", etc. Students took turns selecting toppings but had to request it by the number (to teach the number configuration of a Braille cell). It was a success! The students did great requesting using the dot numbers. For example, "dot 6, sprinkles".We did a quick but direct instruction on the Braille cell to set the students up for success in the lesson. This wasn't just a Braille lesson though. We incorporated much of the Expanded Core, too! We addressed other areas of the ECC such as: Independent Living Skills: cooking skills at the preschool level Orientation & mobility: positional concepts Self-determination: making choices, trying new things and making opinions about them Social skills: turn taking, eating etiquette and conversation. These were the areas that also received special instruction during this Braille lesson. We had each of these areas in mind during instruction (that's the secret to implementing ECC!). This was a preschool lesson so the whole lesson was about 30-35 minutes. My favorite part: listening to these sweet little preschoolers request their toppings using it as a Braille cell ("dot 2, caramel sauce!").
If you've noticed haziness in your senior pet's eyes, it could be cataracts or it could be nuclear sclerosis, a normal condition in aging cats and dogs.
What I learned from my high school teacher of the visually impaired (TVI) as a low vision student
Individuals facing vision impairment will often require help with everyday tasks that were once easily managed independently. They may also require support to maintain their connections with the community, friends, and leisure pursuits.
Complex Child is an online monthly magazine about caring for a child with complex medical needs or a disability.
Hello friends, I bet you thought I quit posting because it has been so long! But have no fear, I am here and have lots to blog about! I will have regular new blog posts every other Friday (starting right after this one...). I am SO excited to share this resource with everyone. Many of you probably know about the Texas School for the Blind (TSBVI) Elementary Concepts Curriculum but if you haven't, have no fear! I a sharing it with you now. I L-O-V-E this from TSBVI! In fact, we have it implemented in all of our classrooms on our campuses. The TSBVI ECC is designed for elementary age students and students with multiple impairments. It's awesome because it is a curriculum designed specifically for children with vision impairments. Teachers can easily implement this curriculum with general education core standards. Each unit has academic support units such as reading and writing activities (see picture above). It does come with an assessment and a full overview of how to use it (see picture below). The curriculum does not specifically spell out which of the units are Expanded Core (the only flaw). However, take out your cheat sheet of the nine areas of the Expanded Core while selecting activities. You will be easily be able to label Expanded Core areas. It's a win-win for teaching both Core and Expanded Core. I can't say it enough---I love using this curriculum!! It is also very supportive for our kids who are just under grade level or require a lot more hands-on experiences. It is my favorite for our classroom teachers (who have classrooms that consist of children with vision impairments). I divided my TSBVI Elementary Concepts Curriculum into three binders because it just enormous! It also makes it easier to share with our general education teachers. There are goals and objectives within each unit. These goals and objectives make it easy to help with potential IEP goals too. Here is the description from the TSBVI website: This curriculum is written for students younger than twelve years of age who have visual impairments and are not yet reading, writing, and doing math at a first grade level. It is based on a thematic approach to teaching. Specific units of study have been included because an understanding of these topics gives students a foundation in their ability to understand themselves, their world, and how it functions. Unit activities include concept development, math readiness, reading and writing readiness, music and games, arts, cooking and eating, pretend play, story time, and extended discussion or activities. The major themes are: Description and Use Self Theme Happy Healthy Me Theme Environment Theme Where I Live Theme Holidays Theme Cycles Theme Transportation Theme Safety Theme Recreation Theme Animals Theme Work Theme Tools Theme Others Theme Community Helpers Theme In addition, the curriculum includes an Assessment and Ongoing Evaluation that includes infused skills in cognition, communication, sensory and motor skills, readiness, work skills, and music skills. These skills are identified as a need through the assessment and then taught through the themes. It's also a steal of a deal at only $105! (If you have ever purchased curriculum before, you know that this is a great price especially for what you are getting. I promise you that I do not get a cut of sales. I am just eager for teachers to have a curriculum that is specifically designed with the needs of children with vision impairments in mind.). You can order it from the TSBVI Book Store: http://www.tsbvi.edu/store/ecom/index.php?action=ecom.pdetails&mode=elem_concepts_for_vi_students. Check back to my Valentine's Day post and you will see ideas of where to use this. I also will keep posting lessons that are based on this curriculum. See you next time!
How I create images to simulate common vision impairments and symptoms using the free PicsArt photo editor app on iOS and Android
If someone with a visual impairment lives with you — or if you’re facing some level of blindness yourself — modifying your home makes it easier to navigate and safer to live in. Most modifications are simple, inexpensive changes that you can implement right away or over time, depending on your needs. People with low-level… Read more »
Individuals facing vision impairment will often require help with everyday tasks that were once easily managed independently. They may also require support to maintain their connections with the community, friends, and leisure pursuits.
Braille is a method of reading through touch, rather than by sight. While it is mainly used by those with impaired vision, sighted people can also learn to read Braille. You may think of Braille as a language. However, it's actually more...
I have been asked by numerous people to post my personal favorite lists and it is very difficult for me to pick my favorites because each child is different and I use different apps for different kids but I have narrowed down 10 that use the most with infants and toddlers with cortical vision impairment. I work in WV Birth to Three as a developmental specialist and vision specialist for infants and toddlers with CVI. So this list is in no particular order: 1. Sparkabilities Babies 1 HD for iPad - Bottle Rocket 2. Tap-n-See Zoo - Little Bear Sees 3. BrightStart Baby: A Bright Start for Smart Babies - Eieio Software 4. Baby Rattle Toy - SelenaSoft, Inc. 5. Peekaboo: Ladybird Baby Touch - Penguin Books 6. iLoveFireworks - Fireworks Games 7. Hatch! Plus - Phodder 8. Baby Screen - Planet Sloth 9. ShapeShifter HD - Transform Games 10. Bloom HD - Opal Limited These are probably the apps I go to most for infants and toddlers in late phase 1 and phase 2. I have other suggestions for children in phase 3. For infants and toddlers in early phase 1 I typically only use the free lightbox type apps along with the free flashlights. Hope this helps and would love your suggestions. Bridget Bailey Developmental Specialist/Vision Specialist for CVI
Hi friends, I've updated my accessible group games/ice breakers/team building activities list with some of these new favorite games. A lot of people ask what my secret is to these games. It's really simple actually. I just watch a lot of YouTube group games/ice breakers/team games (or group games websites) and look for games that can easily be modified for our kids. I'm posting some of my favorite ones so you don't have to watch hours of YouTube videos. I always like to think about how the ECC supports these games. For example, during the holidays I will look for popular holiday minute to win it games and teach those games to my students. The way they can participate more in holiday parties. Social themes, nonverbal body language, communication, etc. are all big things I look for to incorporate. These are all areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum. I also love games like Human Ladder where you can put yourself out there and really accomplish something (really builds that self-determination!). So many of my students have been so proud of themselves after they have gotten across the ladder. They have to incorporate so much communication, body awareness, etc. with these types of games. I have posted on Human Ladder before (look for my outdoor ed posts). I stay away from messy games or games that really require you to be overly silly. I stay away from really messy games because they can get easily complicated. The same for games that require really silly body positions (like the empty tissue box on your bum and you have to shake out the tennis balls). Those type of games, although fun, can easily go another way and become a little bit more humiliating rather than exciting. Now I am sure some people play them just fine but it is my experience that they "toe the line" with making people feel really awkward. Many of my students already feel awkward and the point of these games are inclusion so it is my personal choice to steer clear of them. Here are some of my favorite games that require little equipment and get a lot of ECC bang for my buck while playing them: Five minute handshake game Objective: teach different handshakes; personal space; how to give a good handshake (teach the difference between silly, business and friend types of handshakes) Watch the original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DV9C3CUd8jQ Ritz cracker down your face Objective: use your face to get a cracker from your forehead (down your face) to your mouth Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgNWpnxRBGI&list=RDWgNWpnxRBGI&index=1 (speed up to :41 to see this game) Chocolate unicorn: Objective: balance as many chocolate donuts on your forehead (player tilts head back to while partner places donuts on forehead) Bowl on head game: Objective: scoop marshamellows from a bowl (on table) to a bowl on your head. Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgNWpnxRBGI&list=RDWgNWpnxRBGI&index=1 (speed up to 2:37 to see this game) Pass the wooden spoon with your feet group game Objective: Pass the wooden spoon using your feet only around a circle. Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgNWpnxRBGI&list=RDWgNWpnxRBGI&index=1 (speed up to 4:48 to see this game) Zip Zap Zop Objective: helps with attention and voice intonation. Modification: I always have students say name + zip, zap or zop. For example, Zip-Monica, Zap-Chandler, Zop-Ross…. Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-7jmkiSKUk Hot Seat Objective: Get to know someone by asking questions. One student sits in front of the group in the “hot seat” and everyone asks questions. You cannot repeat questions. This game is great because it teaches students to listen to each other and learn to ask meaningful questions to get meaningful information. Wrap the present using potholders with a partner! (Doesn't have to be for just the holiday season!) Objective: This is a twist that I made on the popular Christmas present game. Instead of trying to open the present with potholders on both hands, we paired up students with each wearing a pot holder (on one hand) to try to wrap a present together. Winners were determined by who had the best looking present. Human ladder: Objective: students all hold ladder rungs while one person walks across. Great team building game! Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZZlhZFdqj0 I also love to play popular PE games like Four Corners and Step Tag because they have the fun of chase games without the complication of chasing and running. I've also done a lot of relay games using scooter boards (check my other posts for those types of games). I love to peruse these sites for ideas too: http://www.greatgroupgames.com/icebreaker-games-for-teens.htm and http://www.ultimatecampresource.com. Please share with me other great games with me!
Free online resources for braille art and tactile graphics for blind and low vision students, with an emphasis on STEM content. Written for World Braille Day
Experts weigh in with advice for teachers working with blind or visually impaired students.
I read with my hands books have helped teachers and parents to introduce reading in a fun way to young visually impaired/blind children.
Playing with tactile mazes can be a fun way to talk about movement, getting lost, and plotting a course with your blind child.
Learn how difficulty with visual recognition is a big part of CVI, explore some observable behaviors and compensatory skills, general ideas for accommodations, and current research.
Visual Impairments such as convergence insufficiency, impaired visual saccades, or other visual problems like blurred vision can present as a problem in the classroom. Students with visual impairments will flourish with effective classroom accommodations for visual problems. Below, you will find strategies that school-based occupational therapists can use as accommodations for addressing visual needs while ... Read more
Image 25 of 49 from gallery of School for Blind and Visually Impaired Children / SEAlab. Photograph by Dhrupad Shukla
We had so much fun using The Amazing Race as our Expanded Core lesson! It was a great way to do community based instruction (CBI). You can get all kinds of ideas for The Amazing Race activities online. I love Pinterest so I started there but there are a lot of great online resources to help plan. This particular Amazing Race was for our students and siblings of kids with vision impairments. To make this work as an effective ECC CBI, think about your skills and your location. It should be a good challenge but doable (this allows you to focus on meaningful instruction). I selected a mall that was not very large and didn't have an overwhelming amount of pedestrian traffic (this allowed me to really work on OM skills). We also went to a main street that had a good amount of stores and Walmart. Of course one of our first challenges was for everyone to learn about the ECC! I bought a ton of those onesie PJ costumes and my staff dressed up so we would be obvious for our students to find for challenges. That just made things fun and silly for all. In addition to the clues pictured in the post, students had to work on their ECC skills such as time management, compensatory skills, a lot of different OM skills (using landmarks, monoculars, directionality) and self-determination. The teams needed to work on communication and team building skills. Each staff member had a lesson plan so that we could provide direct instruction on all these ECC topics. Clues were printed in large print and a Braille copy. As always, be mindful of areas that should have some pre-or post teaching. If students have to figure out a ton of items, the main objectives of the lesson get lost. Each group had a (staff) coach who provided some 5 minute instruction as the students played the game. We also wanted to work in transportation skills but it was a challenge to work in public transportation. We used our school bus and named it the "rendezvous point". The bus was parked somewhere along the route and students had to use their mapping skills to locate it. No Amazing Race challenge would be complete without a food challenge. Enter the simulator kits and Oreos! This was for everyone. I bought every kind of Oreo cookie and students had to identify the flavor. It was actually a fun way of doing sensory efficiency because we had to work the other senses for sure! This could easily be a repeated activity and not just a stand alone one day program. You can even give skill level of beginner, intermediate and advanced. There is so much potential and I can't wait to do it again! It also doesn't even need to be just a blind school camp activity, families can do this as well! Just remember some of the points that I shared so that it is accessible and fun.
Hi friends, A few weeks ago I decided to organize all my ECC assessments because I am always referencing them when writing lesson plans and activities. For every single thing I do with my students, I always reference my ECC assessments, EVALS and ILSA. I have previously scanned all my ECC tools into Google Drive and made them editable pdf files so I can use them easily. But accessing the digital files was tough when I am laying out all my resources. The answer came when I decided to compile all my ECC tools--skills, screening tools, assessments, examples of each area, etc. into an easy to use binder. I've LOVED it! I use it all the time and all my tools are at my finger tips. I whipped up a fun cover for my binder with an at-a-glance list of everything in my binder and hole punched all my copies. It took me about 20 minutes to make it all happen. Here's what I have in my ECC Resource binder: First is my areas and skills of the ECC handout that we made for our teachers. This is an at-a-glance of each of the 9 areas of the Expanded Core. This way I can always look for how each of the ECC areas can come up in school routines or activities. Picture of the areas & skills of the ECC handout. I also keep several sections of EVALS in my binder. EVALS is a comprehensive assessment for students with vision impairments developed by TSBVI. I love EVALS because it is specifically written for students with vision impairments. Too often I meet teachers that borrow from other disability groups and use their assessments. The problem with borrowing those assessments is that it doesn't cover the unique needs of students with vision impairments. Our students require a special sequence of skills. I use the Exit Assessment (both for students that need on-going support and will not need the support). EVALS comes as a kit with other tools in it: Two books of evaluations for the ECC areas One book of evaluations for academic subject areas for Practical Academics and Basic Skills students Independent Living Skills Assessment and On-going Evaluation TAPS Comprehensive Assessment and On-going Evaluation Every TVI must have access to EVALS! I can't say it enough--I use it for all my planning! If you are unfamiliar with EVALS, you can read up on it (and purchase it) here: http://www.tsbvi.edu/curriculum-a-publications/3/1030-evals-evaluating-visually-impaired-students I also keep a copy of the entire Independent Living Skills Assessment (ILSA) because I also consider it a helpful tool. I use ILSA a lot to see the sequence of skills in each section. I also like it because it has the age group target so I can look forward and backward for each group of skills. The ILSA is a little out of date with skills (like they reference using a phone book) but it still has a lot of valuable use to it. I like to share the ILSA with parents because it shows them what skills by what age are ideal for students. I often copy a few pages and send it home and ask parents to fill it out to see what kind of skills students can do at home. I also keep a copy of my ECC worksheet that I use with my teachers. I use this worksheet when reviewing ECC skills instruction during everyday school routines. I use this worksheet when I am planning lessons and activities. I always outline how the activity meets the areas of the Expanded Core in my lesson plans. Other items that I have that are not pictured are an ECC screening tool developed by Karen Blankenship. You can get the screening tool from the website EA Rubrics. Here is the link for it: http://earubric-001-site1.mysitepanel.net/ecc-needs-assessment/. EA Rubrics has a lot of valuable information for teaching the essential assessments for students with vision impairments. The essential assessments are a functional vision assessment (FVA), learning media assessment (LMA) and the ECC screening tool. I totally recommend that all vision professionals create an Expanded Core assessment/skills binder. It makes referencing skills and evaluating skills easy. Plus it helps me really know the areas and the skills. I have memorized several areas because I reference them often.
How to make iPad accessible for low vision and enable large text, magnification, VoiceOver, and other display settings for people with vision loss
Check out the Best Gift Ideas for the Blind and Visually Impaired. These thoughtful gifts are ideal for someone who is blind or visually impaired.
Complex Child is an online monthly magazine about caring for a child with complex medical needs or a disability.
A teacher of the visually impaired shares insights on the dumb things people sometimes do when they are around a blind person.
Here's an interesting press release about a new initiative that you wonder why it hasn't been done before, given the affinity between LEGO studs and braille:
