COMMUNICATION APPS
By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com The iPad is a great tool to use with students who are visually impaired and there are more and more apps that are creating more accessibility. The following apps assist with communication. |
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TVI's Guide Complete Set Bundle + BONUS Resources
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TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC: An Activities Based Curriculum for Teaching Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired The TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC is a digital pdf available for download. It is designed specifically for fellow itinerant Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI’s), and consists of over 400 activities and topic areas of discussion for instructing students in the Expanded Core Curriculum. The activities are age-neutral and multi-sensory and therefore can meet the needs of the broad range of students served on an itinerant caseload serving. The activities can be individualized to the students various learning modalities and scaffold in order to challenge students but ensure success. Select those activities that align with the student’s learning objects based on the student’s unique visual needs and academic and developmental level. In addition to the core activity areas, each of the 32 Thematic Units incorporates additional unique ECC concepts and skills providing you with a years’ worth of activities. These units are cyclical and can be used repeatedly to help students build on prior knowledge and develop a deeper understanding of concepts. Each unit includes suggestions for activity adaptation associated with the unit. These include lists of objects, possible community-based experiences, environmental print, poems, children & young reader books, children's songs, pop culture songs, movies, and websites. In addition to the book, the following two supplements are included: ·      TVI’s Guide to the ECC Concept Checklist ·      TVI’s Guide to the ECC Activities Checklist For complete product details and additional images, visit the TVI's Guide product page. TVI's Guide to the ECC Product details ·      Digital pdf download: 346 pages (11 pt font) ·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments ·      Author: Carmen Willings ·      Language: English Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheets: TVI's Guide to the ECC Grab and Go Supplements The Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheets is a Grab and Go supplement to the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC. This workbook is a pdf download that can be printed on demand for use with students. It contains five different types of worksheets for developing visual motor skills and near magnifier fluency skills particularly with the use of a video magnifier. As a companion to the TVI’s Guide to the ECC, the worksheets correspond to each of the 32 ECC Thematic units. The worksheets, along with a list of environmental print for each thematic unit, are designed to help students refine their visual motor skills while reinforcing ECC concepts presented in the thematic units.  For complete product details and additional images, visit the Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Product Page. Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheet Details: ·      Digital pdf download: 210 pages ·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments ·      Author: Carmen Willings ·      Language: English Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency and Maintenance Worksheets: A TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC Grab & go Supplement The Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency and Maintenance Grab and Go ECC worksheet packet is a print on demand workbook that contains worksheets in print and simulated braille to use for data collection. Present the student with a hard braille copy and use the worksheets to document accuracy and fluency in reading braille. As a companion to the TVI’s Guide to the ECC, the worksheets correspond to the ECC Thematic activities presented in the curriculum guide. These word lists and sentences will help the student refine their keyboarding or braille reading skills while bridging ECC concepts presented in the thematic units. Although the lists and passages can be produced using a manual braillewriter, you may also copy and paste the passages into any braille translation software for quick production on an embosser. They may also be entered into a typing program such as APH’s Talking Typer to build keyboarding fluency. For complete product details and additional images, visit the Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency & Maintenance Product Page Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency Worksheet Details: ·      Digital pdf download: 338-page print and simulated braille worksheets ·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments ·      Author: Carmen Willings ·      Language: English Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists: Grab & Go ECC Supplement The Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists Grab and Go ECC supplement is a 446 page pdf downloadable print on demand workbook that includes 2940 vocabulary card on 3 1/2" x 2" templates divided by each of the 32 Thematic Units along with a checklist of each unit words in print and simulated braille. As a companion to the TVI's Guide to the ECC, the vocabulary cards correspond to the ECC Thematic activities presented in the curriculum guide. Additional Use: Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments can have a extremely varied caseloads. It is possible to go several years without having a student on your caseload who requires braille instruction. Like other skills, if you do not practice your braille regularly, it is easy to lose those skills. Use these checklists and cards to maintain your braille skills. Fold the checklist along the line dividing the print from the braille. Choose to either read the print and produce the word in braille using a braillewriter or read the simulated braille and decode it. Finally, these vocabulary cards and checklists may be used with family members or peers who are interested in learning and practicing the braille code. For complete product details and additional images, visit the Thematic Vocabulary Cards & Checklists Product Page Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists Details: ·      Digital pdf download: 446-page print on demand resource ·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments ·      Author: Carmen Willings ·      Language: English BONUS! Lotto Cards The LOTTO Cards Grab and Go Supplement includes 37 theme related unit cards along with activity suggestions that support activities within the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC. On My Way File Folder Cards Print and use these cards to represent locations the student may visit that are related to the current thematic unit. Use these with the On My Way File Folder Game outlined in the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC p. 27. NEW! Access to TVI's Guide Bonus Membership Pages Note: All products are digital pdf downloads. Once you make your purchase you will be directed to an order confirmation page where you will find the download link. This download will also be included on the receipt sent to the email address you provide. The pdf download can be found directly under the order number. If you encounter any difficulty, please let me know and I can assist you. |
Voice Messenger
Free. Hey Tell is a cross-platform voice messenger that allows you to instantly talk with friends and family. No account needed.
Free. Roger is a walkie-talkie style app that makes it simple to keep in touch with people no matter where they are. Tap to talk for an unlimited amount of time and tap to listen. The app supports both VoiceOver and Talkback. Users can sign in with their phone number and email.
Free. The TalkBox Voice Messenger app is a voice messenger on mobile that allows users to exchange, share and publish their voice messages. It is similar to a global walkie talkie!
Using the iPad
$2.99. The Ballyland Magic App by Sonokids is an educational and fun iPad game specifically designed for children who are blind or have low vision to learn and practice a number of touch gestures for VoiceOver, Apple's built-in screen reader.
$2.99. The Ballyland Rotor by Sonokids is an educational iPad game designed to teach children the VoiceOver rotor concept and gestures through a fun game, in which Ballicopter, the little red helicopter from Ballyland, goes on an adventure. You set the rotor to change his story. It comes with a free file for download to 3D print.
$1.99. The Big Calculator Low Vision App by N Thorn is a large print calculator with 4 high contrast color modes for good clarity in day or night lighting.
$2.99. The Big Keys Low Vision Keyboard App by N Thorn is a keyboard specifically for persons who are visually impaired by featuring large print with high contrast.
$1.99. The Big List App by N Thorn is a note taking or list making app specifically designed for persons who are visually impaired.
$4.99. The VO Lab App by Sonokids is a great app to learn the basics of VoiceOver through educational iPad games designed specifically for people who are blind or visually impaired.
Communication Apps
$4.99
The Attainment Switch app turns your iPad into a wireless switch for PC, iMac or a laptop! 
Free. The Choice Board Creator app by Techno Chipmunk is a great app for creating customized choice boards. The picture size and number of pictures displayed can be adapted and customized sounds can be included.
$4.99 The My Pictures Talk app allows the user to
make an electronic “choice book.” 
$18.99. The Pictello app allows the user to customize this digital photo album with your photographs and add your voice to tell the story behind the photos.
$189.99 The Proloquo To Go app allows users to turn their iOS device into a communication system. Developers call it “AAC in your pocket.” Similar to the Dynavox communication system.
Free. SoundingBoard app transforms your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad into a tool for communication. In just minutes, you can create custom boards using AbleNet symbols or your own words. SoundingBoard includes switch access and is compatible with the AbleNet Blue2 Switch.
$14.99 The Tap Speak Button app features a huge red circle that acts like a jellybean button switch with multiple messages. Customize dozens of messages on one switch
$29.99. The Tap Speak Sequence app uses Dynavox Mayer-Johnson symbols to tell a graphic story with your voice message.
$0.99. The Vola Friends HD app is useful for teaching emotions to kids via short video clips with depictions of emotions on the faces of actors.
$1.99. The Word Totz app offers general communication flash cards but also has section called “My Cards” that allows you to post your own images coupled with your own voice!
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