Optical Device UseSensory efficiency skills include instruction in the use of residual vision, hearing and other senses including use of tactual, gustatory, and olfactory input to identify one's personal possessions or use hearing and other senses to identify people. This section provides information on skills and strategies for instruction.
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By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com Updated June 9, 2019 Many students who have visual impairments will be print readers and will use print as their primary mode of communication. Instruction in print reading and writing falls under the area of the general curriculum which means the student will receive their instruction within the general classroom setting. The Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI) will assess the student's functioning and determine what non-optical devices will assist a student in accessing print. The low vision specialist may prescribe optical devices that will help the student access print. The TVI will instruct the student in the proper use and care of the devices. For those that are able, it is ideal and less restrictive to instruct a student in the use of optical and non-optical devices. Low vision devices will allow access to regular print materials both in and outside of the classroom, such as magazines, labels, price tags, game boards, time tables, and menus. This will prepare the student for adult life when most environmental, educational, and leisure reading materials will be available only in regular print.
After the student has been prescribed low vision devices from the Clinical Low Vision Specialist, the Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments will need to instruct the student in accurately and efficiently using the device(s). Some students will only require a short period of instruction, while other students will need longer to gain the skills needed to independently use the devices. As with all areas of instruction, the student's individual needs and skill levels will play a factor in determining the appropriate type and amount of instruction. Prior to optical device practice, encourage the student to independently retrieve the device and clean the device if necessary. Throughout instruction encourage the student to use the dominant eye, grip the device correctly, stabilize the materials, determine the proper focal distance, and ensure the device is in focus. At the end of the practice, encourage the student to properly store the device.
Near Optical Device InstructionStudents who have been prescribed a magnifier for near viewing need to learn to use the device properly. Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI's) instruct students on how to manipulate their devices, on how to focus them, and on how to use them to accomplish functional and academic tasks. Instruction also must center on identifying when it is appropriate to use the devices and on when to use them in conjunction with non-optical devices or techniques. Skills the students will need to learn include:
Monocular InstructionStudents who have been prescribed a monocular for distance viewing need to learn to use the device properly in order to participate in activities across a variety of environments.
Skills the students will need to learn include:
The following are some possible activities the student can use the monocular for:
AFB's site, Family Connect, provides a list of fun activities for teaching magnifier use. The specific page can be found here.
ENVISION Near Magnification Devices
This training program and kit, available from APH, teaches students to use near optical devices and practice the skills of tracing, tracking and scanning with near distance magnification devices. 
ENVISION Distance Magnification Devices
This training program and kit, available from APH, teaches students to use distance optical devices and practice the skills of tracing, tracking and scanning with distance magnification devices. By providing a variety of tools to gain access to print materials, the teacher is applying the principle of filling a student's toolbox with a variety of tools." |
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TVI's Guide Complete Set Bundle + BONUS Resources
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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. |
