Geometry & Spatial Adaptations

By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com

Geometry and Spatial sense is best taught through concrete hands on experiences when instructing students who are blind or visually impaired. This is beneficial not only for students with visual impairments but for students with normal vision as well.

Have students assemble puzzles, and sort shapes and objects related to the topic.  Play “Treasure Hunt” games. Have students follow verbal or written spatial directions given to: Locate objects in the classroom, school or community. Encourage students to locate shapes within the environment when transitioning through the school or on community outings. Intentionally discuss positional concepts (on, in, on top of, underneath, thick, thin, rough, smooth, hard, soft, etc.) and incorporate counting and patterning activities and pairing numbers with groups of objects. Encourage students to follow directions and use low vision devices to read directions and discriminate between cards.  Make math fun by incorporating graphs, charts, card and board games. Incidentally embedded math patterning and positional concepts into activities of daily living as well as waiting games during transitions.

Braille and Large Print Protractor

The APH Braille/Large Print Protractor marks 180 degrees. The protractor features a pivoting wand. When aligned with a certain degree measurement, the corresponding angle is created by the wand and the bottom edge of the protractor.

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The Draftsman Tactile Drawing Board

The DRAFTSMAN Tactile Drawing Board is a versatile tactile drawing board that is used to create instant raised-line images. Students may need some assistance in loading the paper, but given practice, should be able to load it independently and create their own tactile graphics.

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Geometric Forms

Geometric Forms introduce students to the circle, square, and triangle through three dimensional forms. The wooden shapes pictured to the right are available from APH through quota funds. APH also offers 9 plastic forms in the Math Builders geometry kit. Don't have access to quota funds? Many similar products can be found a teacher supply stores and other retailers such as Amazon.

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Geometric Shape Sorters ​

Geometric Shape Sorters are another great activity for sorting shapes as well as practicing fine motor skills.

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Geometro

​Geometro provides hands-on experience with manipulatives that aid in teaching 3-D geometry. Geometro models, available from APH or from geometro, are flat plastic shapes - triangles, squares, pentagons, and hexagons - that can be readily joined to form three-dimensional solids.

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Geometry Tactile Graphics Kit

Geometry Tactile Graphics Kit includes a set of thermoformed raised-line drawings depicting geometry concepts, figures, and relationships. Graphics are larger and easier for students to measure than those in braille textbooks.

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Giant Texture Beads with Pattern Matching Cards

Giant Textured Beads with Pattern Matching Cards are available from APH. Pattern matching cards reinforce the tactile continuum from real object to raised-line graphics. Students can practice sorting and classifying by various attributes. Students can also practice creating and extended patterns.

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Inset Shape Puzzles

Inset shape puzzles can be adapted with braille to reinforce practice with shapes. Puzzles are also available in numbers and letters that can be adapted in braille. 

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inTACT Eraser

The inTACT Eraser is a battery operated eraser specifically designed for tactile drawing. It allows the user to erase mistakes and can also be used to create dashed lines. The eraser works like a miniature iron, heating the flat tip to approximately 180 degrees. It flattens tactile drawings quickly and erases them tactually. This eraser can be used in tandem with the inTACT Sketchpad or it can be used with the APH Draftsman.

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inTACT Sketchpad

The inTACT Sketchpad is a great alternative to the Draftsman. It is particularly beneficial for students to use and create their own tactual graphics due to its ease of use. When the cover is lifted, there is a recessed area to place the drawing sheet on. Magnet strips completely cover the perimeter of the board creating a secure closing when the lid is lowered.

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Matchin' Middles Oreo

The Fisher Price Matchin Middles Oreo game is a great way for younger students to practice matching and identifying shapes. Each cookie has a different shape in the middle, 2 cookie halves with matching shapes inside fit together.

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Math Builders Unit 6: Geometry

Math Builders Unit 6: Geometry is a supplementary math program. It includes a teacher's guide with lesson plans specific to geometry standards.

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Math Window Braille Geometry Kit

The Math Window Braille Geometry Kit allows the student to work and solve geometric problems, as well as, graph them on double-sided, framed work surface.  The kit contains point markers for locating points and plotting squares to help the student accurately plot points on the graph.  

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Wickki Stix® ​

Wickki Stix® are used to connect the plotted points, forming line segments and curves, and to illustrate math functions.

Omnifix Cubes

Omnifix Cubes can be used with any math curriculum that specifies linking cubes. Students can snap flat shapes together to form a permanent cube which can then be joined to other cubes to build shapes and teach key geometry concepts!

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New Puzzle Game ​

Toshiaki Iuchi, a former engineer in Japan, has developed this puzzle for people who are visually impaired. He is donating these puzzle sets to schools for the blind!  He has developed the games through his passion and interest in providing games for people who are blind.

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Puzzle Form Board Kit ​

The Puzzle Form Board Kit is available from APH. It is a supplementary aid for teaching basic concepts such as shape, texture, color, size, and matching. It includes 5 different puzzle shapes with puzzle frames: circle, diamond, square, rectangle, and triangle.

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Shape templates

Shape templates allow students to and teachers to easily create geometric shapes. A template is easier to use than a solid shape as it is easier to trace a template.

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Sound Shape Puzzles

An inset sound shape puzzle is a fun way for students to learn their shapes and

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Stackups: Spatial Reasoning Using Cubes and Isometric Drawings

Stackups: Spatial Reasoning Using Cubes and Isometric Drawings available through APH, encourages students using 2D and 3D shapes to: recognize, name, build, draw, compare, and sort; describe attributes and parts; and investigate and predict the results of putting together and taking apart.

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Tactile Tangrams

Tactile Tangrams from APH encourages the development and reinforcement of many educational and recreational skills including spatial reasoning, shape recognition, size comparison, pattern replication, and independent problem solving.

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Tactile Treasures

Tactile Treasures available through APH, is a teaching tool that can be used to help students transition from objects to tactual graphics. Concepts introduced and reinforced include shape, size, comparison of two or more objects, amount, position, and page orientation.

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Talking Shape Sorters

For younger students, talking shape sorters are a great way to practice matching shapes and listening to their names. Keep in mind it is only appropriate to use age appropriate toys with the student, and not use infant or preschool toys with older students.

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Textured Sorting Circles and Shapes ​

Textured Sorting Circles and Shapes can be used to create Venn diagrams. The magnetic backing can be used on a metal surface.

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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


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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.

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