Labeling SystemSchool and classroom environmental adaptations can help the student who is blind or visually impaired move safely and efficiently through their environment. A student's need for adaptations to the environment depends on their visual impairment and any additional disabilities. It is important to understand each student’s visual diagnosis and the implications with regard to functional vision to make the appropriate adaptations in order to maximize the student's use of vision.
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By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com Updated November 4, 2017 Considerations will need to be made when adapting labels and signs throughout the classroom in order to make them accessible to students who are blind or visually impaired. When labeling materials in the room, it is important to use a labeling system that is accessible to all the students. This may mean that labels need to be in a variety of formats: print, braille, pictures, and even objects. This will help students locate materials as well as put them away correctly. Incorporating print and/or braille for non-readers and pre-readers will also help promote literacy. The following labeling suggestions will help create an organized and accessible room that will encourage independence and promote emergent literacy.
1. If the classroom is broken into learning stations or center, using a clear and consistent system for labeling these learning stations will help the students connect the name of the station in visual and tactual formats of written language. Refer to the sections on visual clutter when choosing a font type and background. 2. Signs should be placed at the eye level of the students. Learning area signs can be placed on the end of a cabinet by the entrance to an area, on a table or on a shelf. Be sure to place signs in strategic locations for the student’s observation and exploration. Creating signs for the various centers can be a fun beginning of the year activity for the students as they learn what is available in each area. 3. Clearly label materials within the learning areas in a way that makes sense to the students. This will expose the student to print/Braille literacy in a natural way. The following pictures were taken in the inclusive preschool classroom in which I taught as an example.
4. Label important landmarks such as locker/cubby or a coat hook. When assigning a student a locker/cubby it is helpful to chose one that can be easily located. Typically this will be one that is at the end of a row.
5. If all the students in the class can access information visually, you could instead take a picture of the items in the bin. Use a large font size with uniform, bold, well spaced letters. If you use this method, be sure to take a picture on a solid background in high contrast (black or white depending on the color of the materials). In the picture on the right, you can see that I labeled the bins in print/braille and also glued an object from the bin on the front. 6. Label with objects if the student does not have functional vision or is at a pre-symbolic level. Encourage literacy by pairing the objects with print or braille labels. Label the objects in both formats if you are unsure of whether the student will read in print or braille. The manipulative bins on the left were labeled by glueing (using a hot glue gun) one or more objects from the bins on the outside of the bin. This helped the students quickly scan (visually or tactually) the bins to determine where materials belonged. Labeling Resources...
Braille Labeler
A braille labeler can be used to make quick labels in the classroom. It is paired with print enabling non-braille readers to create labels. The down side is that it only produces uncontracted braille. None the less, it's always great in a pinch! 
Braillable Labels & Sheets
These clear braillable and self-adhesive labels, available from APH, allow you to create labels of various sizes. Labels are available in various sizes or full sheets. Don't have access to APH funds? Try using Contact paper or clear adhesive laminating sheets that are thick enough to maintain form when brailled. 
Feel 'n Peel Stickers II These stickers, available from APH, are printed and embossed with numbers, reward statements, stars, point symbols and color names that can be used as part of a labeling system.
Magne Tachers Magnetic Labels
These magnetic labels, available from APH, can be used to create reusable large print or braille labels that can be attached to canned goods or other magnetic surfaces. Similarly, Flexible Magnet Data Card Holders allow the user to change the label as frequently as needed! 
Sherlock Talking Label Identifier
This hand-held digital voice recorder with each recorded message keyed to an adhesive label or plastic disk tag is available from APH. Labels or tags can be attached to books, documents, CD's or any other item that needs to be identified. The Reizen talking label identifier is another device that allows the user to program and read buttons. 
Word Association Print/Braille Labels
These self-adhesive print/braille labels of common words, available from APH, will help create a literacy rich environment for both print and braille learners. If you don't have access to APH funds, use clear adhesive laminating sheets and create your own braille labels. |
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TVI's Guide Complete Set Bundle + BONUS Resources
$125.00
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Buy together at a reduced price and get BONUS resources! 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. *Please contact me if you need to purchase using a purchase order. I am happy to help guide you in the process of adding Teaching Students with Visual Impairments as an approved vendor for your school or program or you can visit the product support page for information on using a PO. 
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Although physically attending workshops and conferences allows you to network, teachers are not always permitted to take professional leave or travel to attend conferences. It is for that reason that I have put together this bundle of 8 on-demand webinars along with accompanying resources. Earn CE credits from the comfort of your home or office! Each webinar is 1 hour, and a 1 hour CE is available with each, for a total of 8 CE’s. I love special offers and I know you do as well! Purchase the complete set of webinars and receive this significant discount of 40% off! This special offer provides individual access to the following webinar pages and resources. Learn more about each webinar by following the links to each product page.
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 Request a Certificate of Completion To receive a certificate of completion for each contact hour, complete the short quiz for each webinar on Google Forms and receive a score of at least 80%. Don't worry. If you don't pass, you can look over your notes or re-watch the presentation and retake the test! If you have any accessibility issues with the form, please don't hesitate to let me know and we can make other arrangements.   System Requirements: These are PowerPoint presentations and you must be able to access PowerPoint in order to view these webinars. Please note that the webinar pages are closed member pages, available to individuals who have purchase access to the webinars. *Please contact me if you need to purchase using a purchase order. I am happy to help guide you in the process of adding Teaching Students with Visual Impairments as an approved vendor for your school or program or you can visit the product support page for information on using a PO. |
