VI ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY ORGANIZATIONS

By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com

The following is a list of organizations and companies that provide information specific to AT for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. 

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AbilityHub

Ability Hub offers assistive Technology solutions for people with a disability who find operating a computer difficult, maybe even impossible. This site includes resources to adaptive equipment and alternative methods available for accessing computers.

AbleData ​

AbleData is a publicly funded organization through the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research of the U.S. Department of Education. It provides objective information on assistive technology and rehabilitation equipment available from domestic and international sources to consumers, organizations, professionals, and caregivers within the US. 

AccessWorld ​

AccessWorld is a branch of the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) that offers comprehensive product evaluations, user-friendly explanations of current technology, practical tips on using technologies, news, and reports from the field specific to technology. It also features interviews with industry leaders. All current and past issues and articles can be accessed online or through the AFB Access World app, AFBAW.

The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) provides a comprehensive product database of assistive technology products used by persons who are blind or visually impaired. Users can browse products by category, manufacturer, or by the task. You can also link to product reviews found on AccessWorld.

Alliance for Technology Access (ATA)

​ATA is a national network of community-based resource centers, product developers, vendors, service providers, and individuals that provides information and support services to persons with disabilities. Their mission is to increase the use of technology by children and adults with disabilities and functional limitations. 

Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA)

ATIA is a membership organization of manufacturers, sellers, and providers of technology-based assistive devices and services. They hold an annual conference on assistive technology. 

Beyond Sight

Beyond Sight specializes in independent living aids and adaptive technology. Products include braille embossers, computer technology, games, kitchen aids, magnifiers and mobility aids. Also, they provide training for using the products

Bookshare

Bookshare provides access to books that are legally scanned for people who are visually impaired or print disabled. The books can be read with adaptive technology or in embossed braille.

CANnect

CANnect is a consortium of schools, and philanthropists who provide courses designed toward people who are blind or visually impaired. Accessible and comprehensive online courses cover a wide range of subjects specific to visual impairments as well as the core curriculum and workplace tools like spreadsheets and word processing. CANnect solves problems for people with visual impairments so they can get on with learning. 

Closing The Gap

Closing The Gap provides information and training necessary to best locate, compare and implement assistive technology into the lives of persons with disabilities. They hold an annual international conference, online magazine and live webinars.

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is a membership association for educators and education leaders who are engaged in improving learning and teaching through the advancement of technology in pre-k-12 and teacher education.

Michigan DOE Assistive Technology Resources List 

The Michigan Department of Education has compiled a great list of Assistive Technology Resources. Visit their site and view all the resources or use the filter feature to locate the exact AT support you are looking for. 

Paths to Technology

​Paths to Technology is designed to assist educators and families in learning and staying current on ever-changing technology for students with visual impairments and blindness.  The goal of the project is to enable students with visual impairments and blindness to succeed in paperless mainstream classrooms and post-school opportunities for employment by achieving digital literacy and by staying current with rapidly evolving technology.  Paths to Technology is a resource for defining and disseminating best practices, training, and support for teachers of the visually impaired, braille transcribers, other education professionals, parents, and students.

National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials

The National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials features the AIM Navigator. The AIM Navigator is an interactive tool that facilitates the process of decision-making around accessible instructional materials for an individual student. The tool helps teams determine the need of AT; select the format; consider the acquisition of formats; and select the supports for use.

Technology Olympics

The VI/Assistive Technology program at the Region 10 Education Service Center in Richardson, TX has developed Technology Olympics, a great activity for motivating students with visual impairments to develop their Assistive technology skills. Technology Olympics provides students the opportunity to compete at their skill levels using the latest technology equipment available for individuals who are blind and visually impaired. Check out the information and forms on their site to develop a Technology Olympics for your area! 

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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.

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