NON-FICTION BOOKS
By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com The following is a collection of non-fiction books that are written by or about people who are (or were) blind or visually impaired. If there are other books you would like to see here, please let me know so I can add them. |
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Taking Hold
Alexander, Sally Hobart. Taking Hold: My Journey Into Blindness. Alexander tells the story of adjusting to blindness as a third grade teacher. The story focuses on her coming to grips with her emotions of fear, anger, despair and eventually, acceptance.
Shadows Behind the Wall
Blair, Clifford R. Shadows Behind the Wall. Brighton Publishing LLC., 2016. (high school level)
Shadows Behind the Wall is a fictional account of the daily lives of students at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. Chris Montgomery, a seventeen year old recently diagnosed with a severe vision disorder, learns to function in the unusual environment of a state institution and unexpectedly finds first love there and becomes involved in a campus tragedy. The Music of Silence
Bocelli, Andrea. The Music of Silence: A Memoir. This memoir by world-famous tenor Andrea Bocelli tells his story of being born in the vineyards of Tuscany, and developing glaucoma as an infant. He reveals the anguish of his blindness and the transcendent experience of singing in this book.
Words in My Hands
Chambers, Diane Lane. Words in My Hands: A Teacher, a Deaf-Blind Man, an Unforgettable Journey. This is the story of Bert Riedel, an eighty-six year old pianist who is deaf-blind, cut off from the world since he was forty-five. He discovers sign language communication through his teacher, Diane Lane Chambers.
Brother Ray
Charles, Ray. Brother Ray: Ray Charles' Own Story. This autobiography by Ray Charles, the legendary musician who was blind and instrumental in creating soul music, tells his story in detail from his musical development to his heroin addiction to his tangled romantic life.
Embrace Ultra-Ability! 
Cheng, Shirley. Embrace Ultra-Ability! Wisdom, Insight & Motivation from the Blind Who Sees Far and Wide. Shirley Cheng gives her precocious wisdom and insight into life as a person who is blind.
The Unseen Trail
Hanson, Michael. The Unseen Trail: The Story of a Blind Hiker's Journey on the Appalachian Trail. This is the story of Michael Hanson who set out on the Appalachian Trail without outside assistance, making a point about the power of technology and the independence of those without sight.
Touching the Rock
Hull, John M. Touching the Rock: An Experience of Blindness. In this story, John Hull tells his story of going blind. He describes how blindness shapes his experiences with his family, with strangers and with God.
Blind Courage
Irwin, Bill. Blind Courage. This is the story of Bill Irwin, who, with his dog, Orient, hiked the 2100 miles of the Appalachian Trail. In this story of perseverance and survival, Bill provides a testimony of how God has helped him turn his shattered life around.
Sight Unseen
Kleege, Georgina. Sight Unseen. Georgina Kleege tells her story of being blind since the age of eleven. She describes the negative social status of being blind and analyzes stereotype that have been perpetuated by movies and in literature.
Crashing Through
Kurson, Robert. Crashing Through: The Extraordinary True Story of the Man Who Dared to See. The story of Mike May who became blind at the age of three. He broke world records in downhill speed skiing, joining the CIA, becoming an inventor entrepreneur, and family man.
By Faith, Not By Sight
MacIntyre, Scott. By Faith, Not By Sight: The Inspirational Story of a Blind Prodigy, a Life-Threatening Illness, and an Unexpected Gift. Scott MacIntyre captivated the nation as the first blind finalist on American Idol. This book is his first-person account of his experiences being blind and challenge of kidney failure.
What Blind People Wish Sighted People Knew About Blindness
Martin, Harry. What Blind People Wish Sighted People Knew About Blindness. Harry Martin, 1996. Harry Martin makes learning about blindness easier than more technical books. He provides the reader with suggestions on what to do around a person who is blind and how to help without being in the way.
Running Blind
Matthews, Rob. Running Blind. This autobiography by Rob Matthews tells his story of losing his vision due to a congenital eye condition and turning to running. He began winning gold medals and breaking world and Paralympic running records.
Almost Like a Song
Milsap, Ronnie. Almost Like a Song. In this autobiography, Ronnie Milsap tells his story of being abandoned by his mom and raised by his grandparents in rural North Carolina. He tells of his childhood, marriage, and career as a legendary country music performer.
Search for Paradise
Naumann, Jens. Search for Paradise: A Patient's Account of the Artificial Vision Experiment. In this autobiography, Jens Naumann shares his story including what happens in a medical research lab and his journey of regaining vision through this miracle cure only to have it lost following his doctor's death.
The Ballad of Blind Tom, Slave Pianist
O'Connell, Deirdre. The Ballad of Blind Tom, Slave Pianist. This is a true story of a black musical savant in the era of slavery. He was born autistic and blind and into slavery in Georgia. He was eventually freed, toured the country and the world playing for celebrities like Mark Twain and the Queen of England!
A Sense of the World
Roberts, Jason. A Sense of the World: How a Blind Man Became History's Greatest Traveler. This book tells the story of James Holman, known as the Blind Traveler. He fought slave trade in Africa, survived a frozen captivity in Siberia and traveled the world.
No Finish Line
Runyan, Marla. No Finish Line: My Life As I See It. Marla Runyan, a U.S. woman Olympian, was nine when she was diagnosed with Stargardt's disease. This book tells her story of what it is like to grow up "disabled" in a society where expectations are often based on perceived abilities.
Hope Unseen
Smiley, Scotty. Hope Unseen: The Story of the U.S. Army's First Blind Active-Duty Officer. This book tells Captain Scotty Smiley's story of being the first blind active-duty army officer who was blinded by a suicide bomber in Iraq. Scotty's response became God's transforming moment. The injury only intensified his spirit as he went on to climb Mount Rainier, win an ESPY as Best Outdoor Athlete, surf, skydive, become a father, earn an MBA from Duke, teach leadership at West Point, command an army company, and win the MacArthur Leadership Award.
You Don't Have to be Blind to See
Stovall, Jim. You Don't Have to be Blind to See. Thomas Nelson, 2004. Stoval shows the reader how to choose a new path that will lead to success in every area of your life. Jim Stovall has been a National Olympic weightlifting champion, the President of the Emmy Award-winning Narrative Television Network, and a highly sought after author and platform speaker. He is also the author of the best selling book, The Ultimate Gift.
Adventures in Darkness
Sullivan, Tom. Adventures in Darkness: Memoirs of an Eleven-Year-Old Blind Boy. This story takes readers readers through his eleventh year when he felt isolated and also felt he was receiving special treatment because he was blind. This is his story of Tom's reliance on God to realize his dreams of a "normal" life.
If You Could See What I Hear
Sullivan, Tom. If You Could See What I Hear. This is an autobiography of Tom Sullivan, who is known as an actor, singer, entertainer, author and producer. This story that was turned into a movie in 1982.
My Path Leads to Tibet
Tenberken, Sabriye. My Path Leads to Tibet: The Inspiring Story of How One Young Blind Woman Brought Hope to the Blind Children of Tibet. Sabriye Tenberken set out to do something about the appalling condition of the Tibetan blind, who she learned had been abandoned by society and left to die. She traveled the country on horseback, seeking out the blind, devised a braille alphabet in Tibetan, equipped her charges with canes and set up a school for the blind.
Touch the Top of the World
Weihenmayer, Erik. Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man's Journey to Climb Farther than the Eye Can See: My Story. This memoir by Erik Weihenmayer begins with his childhood and his gradual loss of sight as a young child. He uses humor to recount agonies and hardships of his childhood, youth and passion for mountain climbing.
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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. |
