This article by DeAnn Hyatt-Foley offers a brief overview of the three components of the IEP: evaluation, curriculum, and placement. It includes a checklist for parents of information that should be written in the IEP document; available in Spanish.
Source: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI)
General Teaching Tips Resources
These resources for teachers offer advice, professional supports, and explanation of team roles and responsibilities in the education of students who are blind or visually impaired.
This webpage offers NCDB products, links to articles and other publications, and Internet resources.
Source: National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB)Future Reflections (1997)
This article by Doris M. Willoughby contains IEP Goals and Objectives for Self-Advocacy for three age groups, from preschool through twelfth grade. It also includes recommendations made by the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children and the National Federation of the Blind regarding the provisions and proposed rules which impact blind and visually impaired children.
Source: National Federation of the Blind (NFB)Independence Science provides talking and sensory products to increase accessibility in the science lab. This is a robust website of technological and tactile solutions or experimentation and modeling.
The Paths to Literacy Project gathers strategies shared by professionals in the field. This resource bank is specific to the mathematics curriculum.
Source: Paths to LiteracyTen easy reminders for classroom instructors, compiled by Guilford Technical Community College. Great for handouts, bulletin boards, in-service training.
The purpose of ICEB is "to coordinate and improve standards for braille usage for all English-speaking users of braille." One of their key initiatives is Unified English Braille.
This article provides suggestions to consider when approaching toilet training with a child who has a visual impairment.
Source: FamilyConnect for Parents of Children with Visual ImpairmentsFuture Reflections (2003.
Penny Leigh describes the Multisensory Space Science Kit, developed by South Carolina School of the Deaf and the Blind and NASA. She describes adaptations to teach the proximity between planets, an Alphabet of Space, and a tactile map of the solar system.
Source: National Federation of the Blind (NFB)Learning Ally (formerly Recording for the Blind ) was founded almost 70 years in 1948 ago by Anne T. Macdonald to provide accessible textbooks to returning soldiers who had lost their vision in WW II. Recording for the Blind (RFB ) became Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB &D) in 1995 in recognition that more individuals with learning disabilities were being served.
Learning Ally provides access to textbooks and other materials in audio (Daisy) format for students with print disabilities, physical disabilities, and visual impairment. However, Learning Ally does not provide materials in Braille Ready Format (BRF)
Yearly membership is $135.00. However, Learning Ally has partnered with some states and districts to offer services to schools and districts at no cost. These include CA Community Colleges, Denver, CO, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York City, North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia.
This section of the Paths to Literacy site includes an overview of the Learning Media Assessment (LMA), Learning Media Assessment Educational Module, guidelines for deciding between print and braille, special considerations if the child has a hearing loss, and sample learning media assessments.
Source: Paths to LiteracyA brief overview of LMA is offered to parents, with related links to alternate media and assessments.
Source: Family Connect for Parents of Children with Visual ImpairmentsJournalist Aaron Gouveia describes the work of physical oceanographer Amy Bower, who is legally blind. While on an expedition to the Labrador Sea in 2007, Bower shared "her research and high-seas adventure" with students from the Perkins School for the Blind via the internet and phone.
Although not aimed at parents of children with visual impairments, this site has useful general information, including strategies for teaching big mathematical concepts, activities that reinforce math skills in the daily routine, and links to additional resources.
Source: U.S. Department of EducationGeneral guidelines for developing programs for students with visual impairment and additional disabilities, including deafblindness. Includes background information, the range of service delivery options, Indian disability legislation, resources for teacher training, and sample forms.
Source: Voice and Vision (India)This document includes the following links: Science Teaching Standards, Standards for Professional Development for Teachers of Science, Assessment in Science Education, and Science Content Standards.
NSTA "is the largest organization in the world committed to promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all." The site contains resources for parents and information on teaching students with disabilities.
Through extensive research, the National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) at WBGH in Boston has provided an extensive set of image guidelines. These were, at first, mainly guidelines for STEM images but have expanded to include images from the social sciences, including art, photographs, and maps.
The guidelines are well-written and provide clarity on description of a images of all types.
Downloadable worksheets and assessment tools for determining a student's O&M needs and goals.
Source: Michigan Department Of Education/Low Incidence OutreachAn outline for teaching Nemeth code. She includes strategies for teaching young adults who are newly blind and adults who are new to Nemeth. Links to learning resources are provided.
Source: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI)