This newsletter is not an endorsement of any organization that may appear.

The Braille Challenge is the only academic competition of its kind held in January through March each year in North America for students who are blind or visually impaired. The Braille Institute developed the Braille Challenge to motivate students to practice and hone their braille literacy skills, which are essential to academic and employment success. Register your student for this event and keep up to date on coming details.

• Hosted by: The Veering Cane
• When: Saturday, February 10, 2024

For more information about how to get your student's involved reach out to the Veering Cane at theveeringcane@gmail.com .

Cane Quest is an Orientation & Mobility contest for school-age students that test their independent travel skills by having them follow a secret route through residential and business neighborhoods. Learn more about the event on the Veering Cane website and keep up to date on coming details.

• Hosted by: The Veering Cane
• When: Saturday, April 6, 2024 (Rain Date 4/13/24)
• Where: Kutztown University

"CVI (Cerebral / Cortical Visual Impairment) is a brain-based visual impairment caused by damage to the visual pathways or visual processing areas of the brain. And it’s currently the leading cause of blindness and low vision in children.

Using health insurance data and advanced analytics, the CVI Center at Perkins School for the Blind conducted an assessment focused on children and young adults with CVI in the U.S., drawing upon analysis from McKinsey & Company. This article explores the epidemiology of CVI and the pressing need for greater awareness, accurate diagnosis, and improved access to quality care."

"In the last quarter of 2023, Google products saw many updates and improvements, making them more accessible and inclusive than ever."

• Magnifier, a Pixel app (Watch the YouTube Video)
• Guided Frame - AI-powered camera feature that aims to help blind and users to capture selfies with a combination of precise audio cues. (Watch the YouTube Video)

• Google Maps
• New screen reader capabilities that pair with Lens in Maps which uses AI and augmented reality to help people discover new places and orient themselves in an unfamiliar setting.
• Accessible walking routes on iOS and Android to surface step-free directions.
• "Disabled-owned business” - It makes it easier for you to find and support businesses owned by people with disabilities.
• Android
• Additional customization to your Assistant Routines on Android by creating a customizable homescreen shortcut to launch any Routines.
• Personalizing phones for mobility disabilities
• Chrome
• Reading mode is now generally available on ChromeOS, Mac, Windows, Linux.
• PDF OCR is now generally available on Chrome in ChromeOS
• Workspace
• Gmail HTML view for desktop and mobile web will be retired in February 2024. Google put together a guide to help screen reader users make the switch from HTML to Standard view. This new guide, along with the existing resource about using Gmail with a screen reader, should help users get up to speed on Gmail Standard view.
• Google Play
• 3 ways we work to make Google Play more accessible

"Individuals with CVI may have difficulties with attention to faces, facial recognition, understanding facial expressions, and body language. Addressing social skills is a required component of the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) for individuals who are visually impaired. In this workshop, the presenter will share strategies and techniques to best facilitate social development for young children who are diagnosed with Cortical/Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI)." Read more about this Perkins training on their website.

Social Skills for Children and Youth with Visual Impairments (8 Segments) - This is a webinar series by Tom Miller. "The ability to develop friendships and interact with other students is a common concern for parents of children with visual impairments. This Webcast demonstrates how to analyze and adapt teaching strategies to teach social skills to students who are visually impaired or deafblind on an equivalent level with their peers. Tom's presentation on Social Skills for Children and Youth with Visual Impairments is part of a larger book called Welcoming Students with Visual Impairments to Your School and is currently available in the Perkins store."

In this webinar, Dr. Sharon Sacks "talks about how social skills naturally develop in children who are sighted through observation and incidental learning and the necessity of teaching these skills to children who are blind or visually impaired who do not acquire these skills incidentally. She describes the social interactions that begin at home and then demonstrates how the child’s social circles gradually widen as they get older. Finally, Sharon discusses the important role these skills play in a student’s success in the community and workplace." Watch the webinar on the Pekins site.

Although this article focuses on Autism Spectrum Disorder, many of the topics and tips also apply to students with visual impairments. Topics include:

• Social Skill Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorders
  
• Lack of "Know-How" Versus Lack of Social Interest
  
• A Five Step Model
  
1. Assess Social Functioning
2. Distinguish Between Skill Acquisition and Performance Deficits
3. Select Intervention Strategies
4. Implement Intervention
5. Evaluate and Monitor Progress

In this article on the site Teaching Students with Visual Impairments discusses social interactions. Topics include:

• Adult Interaction Tips
  
• Peer Interaction Tips
• Courteous Behavior
  
• Phone Skills

• Getting to Know You: A Social Skills and Ability Awareness Curriculum - APH has developed this kit with curriculum to engage both visually impaired and sighted children in an interactive curriculum designed to promote awareness and understanding of how visually impaired individuals develop social skills.
  
• Teaching Social Skills to Students with Visual Impairments: From Theory to Practice - This book addresses the systematic development of skills in listening for and interpreting auditory information as they relate to literacy, independent travel, and sensory and cognitive development.

• Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB) - Teaching Social Skills to Children and Adolescents With Visual Impairments: A Systematic Review
• National Library of Medicine - The Impact of Low Vision on Social Function: The Potential Importance of Lost Visual Social Cues
  
• British Journal of Visual Impairment - Social support for students with visual impairments in educational institutions: An integrative literature review

• Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) and CEC Division on Visual Impairment and Deafblindness (DVIDB) - Supporting the Social and Emotional Needs of Students with Low Vision to Promote Academic and Social Success

APH has modified the definition of blindness for the purpose of carrying out the Act to Promote the Education of the Blind by creating a third category. If the student does not meet either of the first two categories, Meet the Definition of Blindness (MDB) or Function at the Definition of Blindness (FDB), they will qualify under the category for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) definition of blindness — an impairment in vision, that, even with correction, adversely affects a child’s educational performance (34 CFR §300.8(c)(13)).*

Reminder, to be include in the Annual Federal Quota Child Count students must...

• Be enrolled in a formally organized public or private, nonprofit educational program of less than college level
  
• Have the parent permission form signed

The Pennsylvania Bureau of Special Education (BSE), in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) is sponsoring a year-long opportunity for early career (three years or less) special education teachers, teachers of the deaf, teachers of the visually impaired, special education administrators, and school psychologists to benefit from the knowledge and expertise of special education professionals with five or more years of experience. The application for mentees is currently open.

Student-Led IEPs (SLIEP) Hub - This PaTTAN resource is great way for students to develop self-advocacy skills, such as learning how to speaks to others about their visual impairment. It has topics and resources for youth, families, and school/educators. To get started checkout the "SLIEP Assessment of Practices" to determine baseline data and create an action plan for future goals.
PaTTAN Recordings

• Student-Led IEP (SLIEP) Team Meetings: An Introduction for Professionals
• Student-Led IEP (SLIEP) Team Meetings: An Introduction for Youth and Families

Registration is open for the 2024 Summer Academy for Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired. Summer Academy is designed to offer high school age students with visual impairments an opportunity to develop their knowledge, experiences, and awareness as it relates to their future academic and employment goals. Students will participate in 10-day program on a college campus where they will receive assessments, information, and educational experiences in various curriculum areas related to independent living, travel skills, vocational development, and assistive technology. It is available at no cost to eligible students.

Program Dates: Wednesday, June 19, 2024, to Friday, June 28, 2024

Age Range: 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade for 2024-25 school year

Hosted by:The Office of Vocational Rehabilitation/Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services (BBVS)

• Student's must be enrolled with BBVS or in the process of enrolling

Application Deadline: February 5, 2024

• 2024 Summery Academy Student Application

Further Assistance: please reach out to Kiley Foley at kifoley@pa.gov or (814)-949-7960.

BVI Sessions

Dates: February 28-March 1, 2024

February 29, 2024

• Dyslexia in Students with Visual Impairment by Marnee Loftin, M.A. - Much discussion has occurred in the educational and assessment professions about the possibility of dyslexia in students with visual impairment (VI). Much of the discussion has been based upon outdated definitions of dyslexia and a lack of knowledge about appropriate evaluation procedures. This session discusses the characteristics of dyslexia and best practice guidelines for evaluation in this low incidence population. A comprehensive case study is presented at the end for application of the concepts covered in this session.
  
• Intervention Strategies For Dyslexia in Students With Blindness and Vision Impairment by Carol Evans, Ph.D. - This session will explore compensatory and remedial intervention strategies for dyslexia in students with blindness and low vision, emphasizing the use of auditory materials along with braille or print. Called variously “dual-modality reading,” “audio-assisted reading,” and “audio-supported reading,” it is effective with students at all levels and adults in postsecondary settings. Braille reading rates average about 50 percent of print reading rates. Audio combined with braille can increase reading fluency to near average in print.

March 1, 2024

• Collaborative Comprehensive Assessment of Students with Blindness and Vision Impairment by Carol Evans, Ph.D. and Marnee Loftin, M.A. - This session will explore the need for and the process of collaboration between teachers of students with vision Impairments (TSVIs), school psychologists, and other assessment personnel around the comprehensive assessment of cognitive, academic, speech/language, and motor development abilities of students with vision impairments. It will focus on the need for mutual respect for the complementary knowledge and expertise of all team members (including parents) as they plan and carry out assessments, draw conclusions, and come to a consensus on students’ strengths and needs, additional eligibilities, and services.

Learn more details on the PDE Conference website.

The 2024 Mobility Matters Summit is being held virtually on Leap Day, February, 29th, 2024! This year's theme, Navigating Knowledge, brings together themes of literacy, technology, transportation, and AI as a part of their ongoing quest to build more inclusive communities. Don't wait to register to reserve your spot and join in on these rich discussions! Save the date, and leap into Mobility Matters with us!

• 2023 Mobility Matters website includes the recordings page
• Visit their website to learn more.

The 2024 InSights Art Contest is Officially Open! Since 1992, The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) has hosted the InSights Art Competition, an international art contest open to artists of all ages with vision loss. This popular program reflects APH’s mission to promote the independence of people who are blind and low vision by encouraging artists to create original works, in addition to improving arts education and arts opportunities for individuals who are blind and low vision.

• Students from preschool through high school can download the Student Entry Form 2024
• Only one artwork per artist can be submitted each year.
• Lean more on their website page.
• Deadline is March 29, 2024

Encourage your students to submit an entry!

Did you know that PaTTAN has a monthly BVI Family Newsletter? The BVI Family Newsletter for March includes information about the Parent UEB survey, ESY Determinations, summer camp options (more to come in future newsletters), and a family special education quick start guide. We encourage you to share this resource with families and check it out yourself!

• Sign up

All families of children who are blind or visually impaired (BVI), deaf or hard of hearing (DHH), or deaf-blind (DB) are invited to sign up for the PaTTAN Family Resource Group.

The goal of this group is to send out resources, event information, and contacts that can benefit your family and child. It is an easy way for you to get updates and take advantage of any available opportunities.

For more information:

• Watch our 2-minute video
• Contact us by email: FamilyResourceGroup@pattankop.net
• Check out the PaTTAN website for additional information!
• Sign up today: Blind-Visual Impairment Initiative and Family Resource Group Sign up

Resources to share with families:

• Family Resource Group Information
  
• Family Resource Group Poster
  
• Family Resource Group Flyer
  

Do you know families who may be interested in connecting with other families of children who are blind or visually impaired? APH (American Printing House for the Blind) FamilyConnect and the Chicago Lighthouse have partnered together to provide a virtual support group that connects on the first Wednesday of every month from 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm (ET). Visit the FamilyConnect website to view additional details and resources.

AER continues with synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities, with a discount if you are an AER member. AER is releasing has a slew of exciting upcoming live opportunities , which can be viewed on their events page. They also created an extensive library of recorded courses, presented by experts in the field. Complete your continuing education from anywhere: home, work, even at the park! Every webinar on this site is approved for ACVREP credits and will provide a certificate upon completion.

The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) Hive offers a variety of free online courses for vision professionals and educators to increase their ability to respond to the needs of students with visual impairments. This “one-stop” for professional development offers ACVREP continuing education units upon successful completion of a course.

The APH ConnectCenter includes FamilyConnect, CareerConnect, and VisionAware – a hub of websites that offer curated advice and resources to assist children, parents, adults, job seekers who are blind or visually impaired, and their associated professionals, leading to greater independence and success in their lives.

Access Academy is your one-stop resource for the meaningful education and training webinars you need to get the most out of APH products and services. From tutorials on new products and hacks on how to get the most from your beloved tech, to information on resources, services, and programs: our goal is to give you the info you need for home, the classroom, and the workplace.

APH is also hosting many live events, including a focus on transition. Visit the APH Connect Event page to register for live online learning opportunities and earn ACVREP credits.

Eschenbach Academy is a "new online educational platform designed to supplement the knowledge and training they currently provide via in-person and webinar formats. Eschenbach Academy’s educational content ranges from interactive low vision courses, low vision training modules and general business courses useful for practice managers and owners.

This new eLearning platform provides training content that will help you and your staff become more efficient and effective in providing low vision care to your patients who have a vision impairment. In so doing, it will allow your low vision care service to deliver even more successful outcomes for both your patients and your practice."

This resource will be added to future newsletters under "Leisurely Learning."

Hadley offers a variety of free online learning opportunities in the following categories:

• Daily Living
• Recreation
• Braille
• Adjusting to vision loss
• Technology
• Vision loss

*Sign-up/log-in to get access to the entire training.

Perkins School for the Blind has a number of offerings for those working with students with visual impairments to increase their knowledge and skills. Visit the following sites to learn more:

• Perkins eLearning - Professional Development
• Accessible Science
• College Success
• Paths to Literacy
• Paths to Transition
• Paths to Technology

We encourage all supervisors and professionals in the field of visual impairment to sign up for access to our drives. We will be posting recorded presentations, resources and much more! Sign up today! Select your group below to request access.

• Supervisor Access Request Form
• Professional Access Request Form

PaTTAN East - 333 Technology Drive Malvern, PA 19355

• Jenifer Edgar - jedgar@pattan.net - Educational Consultant
• Tess Nasehi - tnasehi@pattan.net - BVI Family Consultant

PaTTAN Central - 6340 Flank Drive, Harrisburg, PA 17112

• Greg Gerhart - ggerhart@pattan.net - Educational Consultant

PaTTAN West - 3190 William Pitt Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15238

• Tim Knight - tknight@pattan.net - Educational Consultant
• Greg Lazur - glazur@pattan.net - Educational Consultant