AUDITORY ACCESS DEVICES
By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com Auditory devices are another means for a student who is blind or visually impaired to access print and information. These devices can help a student access information easily, but be aware that listening to books on tape is not the same as literacy. Keep in mind that auditory skills should be used in conjunction with print or braille instruction as listening is not a form of literacy. Every student deserves the opportunity to be as literate as they are capable and it should not be limited to the access of personnel who are able to properly instruct the student. Auditory devices should be used in tandem with print or braille as it is essential for a student be as literate as their cognitive skills allow.
For younger students, or those with cognitive delays, they must be taught to move to sound sources to get what they want (ex. walk to the water fountain to get water, walk to the running water to wash their hands, or go to the lunch table when they enter the cafeteria). Encourage the student to turn their head, turn their body, and point to isolated sounds. Talk about the positions of sounds: in front, behind, beside, left, right, above. Recording Devices
A recording device allows a student to record an instructional lesson for studying, write assignments and for notetaking purposes. Some of the same devices that students use to listen to recorded texts such as tape recorders, CD players, MP3 players, iPads and iPhones. It is important to gain permission from the school prior to implementing this as many schools have strict policies against recording classroom instruction.
Auditory Books
The Library of congress National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (talking Book program), Recording for the blind, and other organizations provide free library services to visually handicapped persons. They offer a wide variety of texts and leisure-reading materials for download, on disk, or cassettes.
Some machines, specifically designed for use with audio books, include variable speed components because the speeds at which special disks and cassettes are played differ from the speeds of commercially manufactured recordings. The National Library Service lends special Talking book and cassette-playback/record machines to eligible persons for this reason. More portable playback/record cassette equipment can be purchased from the American Printing House for the blind and various other companies, such as Humanware, throughout the United States. In recent years, downloads or pdf's are the most common means of accessing electronic text. Registering your student for a Bookshare.org or a Reading Ally account is an excellent way to access recorded books. Electronic Dictionary w/ Speech
An electronic dictionary with speech may be used by a student who cannot access a print dictionary. This dictionary, which may also include a thesaurus, is hand-held and battery operated. It uses a standard (QWERTY) keyboard on which the words are entered. Information is produced in both a spoken and large print format.
Audible Gym Equipment
Beeper balls, balls with bells, goal locators with sound, and other adapted gym equipment can make gym time more accessible to students with visual impairments.
This beeper box, emits a series of beeps and can be used to create your own beeper balls (or attach to any other object)! You can go hide the beeper somewhere, and have the student locate it - much like a game of Hide and Seek. And when kids get older and you're teaching them mobility skills, this beeper is very useful for audibly marking landmarks, street corners, etc.
Screen Reading Software
With this hardware and software, students who are blind are able to access print material on a computer screen. Students can use the internet, word processing programs, calculators and access other printed material without having to see the screen. The best option for students who are blind who will be required to take computer tests or complete other projects on the computer, is for the school to purchase a screen reading software program. Screen reading software, like JAWS, reads the information on the computer screen.
Speech Recognition Software
Speech recognition software turns your talk into text and can make virtually any computer task easier and faster. It lets you interact with your PC and control your digital world with your voice. Create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, send email, and search the Web just by talking.
Talking or Large Print Calculators
Talking or large print calculators are essential for students with visual impairments, particularly those in academic classes. Talking hand-held calculators are available from several manufacturers. They perform the function of speaking each entry and result and are capable of performing all the computations of a non-adapted electronic calculator. Earphones are available for many models.
Talking Watches
Talking watches are important for students who are blind or visually impaired who are learning time management skills.
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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. |
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