By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
​Updated June 6, 2019

All students need to learn to manage their time, but this is an especially important skill for students with visual impairments and particularly for students who are blind. Students will need to have a structured schedule in order to anticipate events and know daytime activities from nighttime activities. 

Time Concepts

In order to manage their time and structure their day, they will need to have a basic understanding of time concepts. Time concept words include: now, later, fast, slow, before, after, during, past, future, next and finished. Understanding time concepts will help students make sense of their world, pace themselves and prepare them for activities.

​Encourage the student to:

• be prepared for activities when they begin.
• identify time frames for completing learning experiences.
• demonstrate the ability to use a watch/clock.
• keep a schedule of activities for the day, week, and month, electronically and/or on paper.
• plan a work schedule for studies and class projects.

Keep Track of Assignments

Of course, it is important for all students, but particularly students with visual impairments to learn how to keep track of their school assignments. Organizing school materials will assist students to keep track of them. Students can use their iPad or iPod to take pictures of the board where assignments are written. The picture can then be viewed and referred to in order to stay on top of assignments.

Encourage the students to:

• use a homework folder to record homework assignments or take pictures of assignments on the board with their iPad.
• turn in homework assignments on time.
• develop methods needed to complete classroom assignments (e.g., assignment sheets).

Six-Ring Binder for Braille
This binder, available through APH, is designed to be used with a mini slate and stylus. The student is able to write quick notes using the slate and stylus.

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Specialty Watches

• ​Low vision watches have larger faces and bold numbers for easy viewing. They are available from a variety of vendors including Maxi-Aids, Independent Living Aids and Amazon.
• Talking watches are available that allow the time to be heard at the press of a button. These watches are also available from a variety of vendors.
• Braille watches are available that feature faces that flip open allowing the student to feel the braille numbers and tactual hands.

Time Keeping Apps...

Free Alarmed is VoiceOver friendly. It features a notes area with reminders. It also has a multi-feature timer, alarm clock with snooze option and a sleep alarm. It also has a flashlight.  

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$0.99 The Pocket Time app allows the user to know the time without taking their iPhone out of their pocket. The app uses motion-sensing software to activate the speaking clock. 

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Free. Shake: Time app is a gesture-based clock. Once the gestures are learned, the user can fully access the time without touching the screen.

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$0.99 The Talking Clock for iPhone is an app that allows you to hear the time when the screen is touched. It can also be programmed to announce the time in intervals.

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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.

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