TRAVEL

By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com

Students who are blind or visually impaired and will be independent travelers will need to learn strategies for accessing transportation, planning a route, and traveling.

Being a Non-Driver

Most students who are visually impaired will not have enough vision to be a driver. These students will need to acquire skills in seeking out and arranging for their transportation needs as well as coping with the reality of not being able to be a driver. To help students learn skills needed to be a non-driver, encourage the student to:

• identify reasons why persons with and without disabilities do not drive including the functional implications of their visual impairment and the social aspects of being a non-driver. Then help the student understand that there are ways they will still be able to travel with independence that do not include driving.
• share (to the extent to which they are comfortable) experiences and feelings associated with being told they cannot obtain a driver's license. While some students will be indifferent to not being able to drive, other students may need extra support and help coping with their feelings.
• understand different rites of passage for adolescents in technologically oriented societies. Work with the student to discover how they can also participate in these rites of passage, but in different ways. This may include permitting the student to independently travel once they have the skills needed for the task (independently walk to the store, take a bus to the mall, etc.)

Access Transportation

Students will need to learn various ways in which they can access transportation in their area. They should also be familiarized with ways people in other cities are able to access transportation. Encourage the student to:

• identify destinations where they believe they are capable of traveling.
• discuss how non-drivers access transportation and how these methods influence their lifestyles (hiring, scheduling, directing, and firing a driver).
• discuss how non-drivers with different lifestyles structure their lives to access transportation.
• identify the advantages and disadvantages of methods of travel (scheduling, costs, routes, and so forth).
• solicit information from businesses and other individuals regarding the location of businesses, activities, and so on.
• identify the advantages and disadvantages of public methods of travel.
• demonstrate skills in asking for and declining rides.

Gather Information on Low Vision & Bioptic Driving

Some states allow people with low vision to use bioptic devices for driving, while in other states it is illegal. The student will need to first determine whether they meet the unaided and aided visual requirements of the state in order to pursue driving with low vision. If the student is a potential candidate for using bioptics for driving, they will need to learn to: 

• understand some of the differences between driving with low vision and driving with typical vision.
• understand some of the legal and self-imposed restrictions in driving experienced by low vision drivers.

Gather Information on Budgeting for Transportation

Transportation is expensive whether you provide your own transportation or use public transportation. To prepare the student for budgeting for transportation, have the student:

• list various sources of funding for transportation, including optional reduced fare programs for those with disabilities.
• establish a weekly and monthly transportation budget.
• evaluate which forms of transportation are most appropriate to purchase in order to meet current and future needs.

Create & Follow Routes & Directions

Anyone who plans to travel needs to understand where they want to go. This is no different for a person who is blind or visually impaired. The Orientation & Mobility specialist will work specifically with students on how to create and follow routes and directions. As part of this training, the student should learn how to:

• use different resources to plan a route.
• create a set of directions for personal use.
• create a set of directions to share with others.
• calculate the time, distance, and cost for short and long distance trips.

Problem Solve as it Relates to Travel

Everyone encounters problems with travel from time to time. Students need to plan for such problems and problem solve ahead of time as to how to handle the problems in order to be prepared. Have the student:

• list several activities that may be done while waiting for late rides in different environments.
• be assertive and solve problems concerning transportation schedules for arriving at or leaving a destination.
• provide a list of ways to reduce the frustrations associated with non-driving.
• complete a self-evaluation to determine what skills they still must develop to maximize independent travel.
• describe acceptable public behaviors while a passenger in transit.

Franki Napolitano has written a blog about Using Airports with Sensory Impairments to address the challenges of navigating the airport. Although the focus of the study was in UK airports, the tips are helpful for all airports. 

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IGLU Cruise features a must read guide by Lisa Bonet if you are you considering going on a cruise with a guide dog. Lisa provides a list of well thought out tips to help you prepare for and enjoy your cruise with your companion!

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TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC: An Activities Based Curriculum for Teaching Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired

$50.00

Written specifically for fellow itinerant Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI’s), this book 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.

The core activities listed in the Activity section can be adapted to each thematic unit. These include:

• Object Characteristic Activities
• Quantity & Number Concepts
• Time Concept Activities
• Environment & Job Awareness Activities
• Listening Skills Activities
• Reading Foundation Activities
• Reading Fluency Activities
• Braille Basics Activities
• Writing Activities
• Tactual Efficiency Activities
• Developing Skillful Hands Activities
• Visual Efficiency Activities
• Optical Device Instruction Activities
• Recipe Activities

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.

Unique Concepts within the Units include:

• Self Advocacy Activities (e.g. advocating for safe classroom, presenting to class on visual impairment, requesting help and more)
• Social Skills Activities (e.g. Being bullied or teased, giving and receiving compliments, body language, "I" messages when upset and more)
• Recreation & Leisure Activities (e.g. exploring interest areas, getting involved in clubs and sports, playing games, and more)
• O&M Support Activities (e.g. Suggestions for community based experiences, dog guide information, locations in the school, bioptics, ride sharing, traffic signs, and more)
• Independent Living Skill Activities (e.g. chores, being responsible, using tools, recipe suggestions, hygiene, staying healthy, labeling foods and products, and more)
• Sensory Efficiency Activities (e.g. unique sensory experiences related to the unit, unique optical device activities, and more)
• Compensatory Activities (e.g. organizing materials, study habits, and many unique concepts related to the unit)
• Career & Vocational Activities (e.g. job awareness, completing applications, job task suggestions, and more)

Although the intended audience of this resource is fellow Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments, special education teachers may find these activities beneficial to the students in their classrooms as the activities are multisensory and include life skills and concepts needed by all students. This resource, however, is not intended to take the place of a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI). Readers are advised to consult their own TVI’s regarding instruction in the ECC and the unique visual needs of the student’s served in their programs.

Note: This curriculum is a digital pdf download. 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.

Each download is intended for single instructor use per copyright. Thank you for helping me preserve the content and not distributing copies to third parties.

Product details

Digital pdf download: 364 pages (11 pt font)

Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments

Author: Carmen Willings

Language: English

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Visual Efficiency & Magnifier Fluency Grab & Go ECC Supplements

$20.00

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 supplement 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.  

Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheet Details:

Digital pdf download: 210 pages

Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments

Author: Carmen Willings

Language: English

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