PaTTAN BVI Newsletter

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

Please take a 3-5 minutes to complete our Blindness/Visual Impairment Needs Assessment (11 questions) so that we may know how to better support you next school year.

Last year we listened to your input and provided, or are currently working on the following supports:

• Monthly newsletters - BVI professional and family editions
• Separate virtual discussions - TVI Time; Coffee, Tea, and O&Me -- each provided quarterly
• UEB Math/Science and UEB with Nemeth: A Guidance Document for IEP Teams - PaTTAN publication

• CVI professional development - 2023 HELIX Conference
• O&M professional development - 2023 HELIX Conference
• School psychologists and VI assessment - 2024 PDE Conference
• Tactile Graphics (coming soon!)

• PaTTAN Technology Adventure For Students with Vision & Hearing Needs

  (coming soon!)

APH, together with their partners, HumanWare and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), has developed the Monarch, a multipurpose device which can receive digital textbooks from APH and other providers, significantly reducing the time to fingertips for our students.

The Monarch is a little under five pounds and roughly the size of a 15-inch gaming laptop. The device features an 8-dot Perkins braille keyboard, up/down arrows, direction pads, Android navigation keys, and a 10-line by 32-cell refreshable braille display, which can render lines of braille and tactile graphics simultaneously with 3,840 equidistant pins. In addition to gesture recognition, the Monarch also has the capability to connect to a visual display for cooperation with sighted teachers and peers. This technology will bridge the educational gap for students along with the development of a new dynamic file type that will bring braille, tactile graphics, and navigation capabilities together in a single braille file.

Currently APH is training TVIs across the nation on the Monarch and giving them their own device. This includes TVIs from across the Commonwealth! Check out what’s happening next with the Monarch Project by reading their blog – Mastering the Monarch.

Brailliance is a puzzle game where you guess the word by adding up braille dots. This game has been carefully crafted to be playable by everyone, and it includes multiple accessibility features for people with blindness and other disabilities. The game is fully compatible with popular screen readers and can be played with a number of different input methods including keyboards and accessibility shortcuts.

Amanda Whelan received the Elinor Long Award from Penn-Del AER on April 25, 2024. The Elinor Long Educator of the Year Award (ELEY) was established to recognize a professional (an educator, administrator, university faculty, or medical personnel from Pennsylvania or Delaware) who has demonstrated outstanding contributions and performance in the field.

Well done Amanda! Thank you for your service to students who are blind or have low vision as well as their families and educational teams. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is thankful to have you as one of our TVIs.

1. Accessible Digital Content for Students Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision

As part of her dissertation, Kerry Lueders is conducting research on the topic of creating accessible digital content. By “digital content,” she is referring to electronic files like documents, presentations, videos, etc. that general education teachers create and provide as learning materials for the entire class, which may include students who are blind or have low vision.

• Recruiting Students: Interested in the perspectives of eight students who meet the following criteria: students attend public school, and attend middle school or high school (grades 6-12); are blind or have low vision; and, they either primarily access digital content non-visually, or primarily access digital content visually.
• Recruiting General Education Teachers: Interested in the perspectives of eight general education classroom teachers who meet the following criteria: they currently teach or previously taught one or multiple students who are blind or have low vision in the public school setting, and they demonstrated progress in creating accessible digital content during the time in which they taught the students who are blind or have low vision.
• Research involves: Two Zoom meetings (to be recorded; about one hour each)
• Outcome: Research will be used to inform the development of a resource (TBD) to aid general education teachers in creating accessible digital content.
• Incentive: Participants will receive a $50 gift card for their participation.

If you know of students and/or general education teachers who may be eligible for this study, please inform them of this opportunity. If the students, their parents, and/or general education teachers approve of Kerry contacting them directly about this opportunity, please send her their contact information and she can take it from there. If you have any questions, please contact her at klueders@iu.edu.

2. Job Responsibilities and Workload of Itinerant TVI and COMS: The study aims to better understand the responsibilities and duties that make up a TSVI’s or O&M specialist’s workload. Their hope is to gain further insight regarding what constitutes a manageable or unmanageable workload.

• To participate: You must currently be working as an itinerant TSVI or O&M specialist, serving children ages birth to 22.
  

• Study involves: Internet-based survey (approximately 30-35 min.); completed via Qualtrics. The survey first asks demographic questions and then asks how much time you spend on different responsibilities. There are no known risks involved in this research.

• Incentive: Upon completion of the survey, you may choose to be entered into a raffle for a $20 electronic gift card.

• Outcome: Gain further insight regarding what constitutes a manageable or unmanageable workload, and may lead to better workload analysis and planning for itinerant TSVIs and O&M Specialists.

• Take Survey

This research is being conducted by Katie Ericson, a Ph.D. student in Special Education at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. If you have any questions about the study, please contact either Katie Ericson (kericson3@unl.edu).

For more information on either of these two studies refer to the Professionals Serving Students with VI Google Drive - Research Studies/Surveys Folder.

In this article from Paths to Literacy discusses how TVIs must assess and prepare for transitions in a way that not all teachers must consider. Here are questions to ask well before the summer break starts:

• How did this school year go? Socially, academically, emotionally
• Does this student qualify for ESY: Extended School Year?
• Are there ECC (Expanded Core Curriculum) skills to work on over the summer months? Including Orientation and Mobility skills
• What materials need to be ordered for next year?
• Are there assessments and paperwork that need to be done before the start of the new school year?

In this article from the Michigan's Department of Education's Low Incidence Outreach review a few steps that parents can take over the summer to help ease the back-to-school transition in the fall. A nice resource to share with families. Topics include:

• Talk About Progress
• Order Textbooks
  
• Consider Assistive Technology Needs
• Practice Independent Living Skills
  
• Plan for Extended School Year Services
• Summer Activities and Camps

Now is the time to make program material requests for next year to your supervisor.

• APH Press offers a wide variety of books for teachers to utilize in their classrooms. Review this list of books to design a specialized curriculum for students.
• Maxi Aids, Independent Living Aids, and LS&S specialize in products for individuals who are blind and have low vision.
• Ambutech specializes in O&M canes.
• Eschenbauch, HumanWare, and Freedom Scientific specialize in Assistive Technology (AT) devices for students who are blind and have low vision.

This module from the Iris Center provides helpful tips for general education teachers on setting up the physical aspects of their classroom and will introduce types of equipment used by students with visual disabilities (est. completion time: 1 hour). By completing the entire module and reviewing the accompanying activities, the learner will:

• Identify resources for obtaining assistance with including students with visual disabilities in the classroom
• Describe key considerations for organizing their classroom to include students with visual impairments or blindness
• Help students with visual impairments safely navigate the classroom
• Consult with professionals who will assist them in familiarizing students with the school and classroom environment and who are knowledgeable about the equipment that students with visual disabilities may use
• Identify and describe the functions of commonly used assistive equipment designed for students with visual impairments and blindness

A helpful resource for general education teachers to dive into this summer! They may also find the PaTTAN publications Teachers' Desk Reference: Visual Impairment and/or the Teachers' Desk Reference: Deaf-Blindness helpful.

The NE PA Lions Service Foundation is sponsoring a free, asynchronous, virtual professional development course through Salus University for general and special education professionals.

• Free for NE indicated counties covered by IUs 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21.
• Self-paced
• 5 Act 48 Credit Hours (for eligible participants)
• Course will be available anytime between May 15 and June 15 via Blackboard Learn

• Registration is on-going until June 15

Learning Objectives:

• Identify steps to be ready to welcome a student with visual impairment (VI) to your school
• Describe various roles of each member of effective teams for students with VI
• Identify key legislation regarding students with VI

For additional information, please contact Salus' Division of Global, Interprofessional, and Specialized Programming at ceregistration@salus.edu

PaTTAN will not be offering the HELIX conference this fall. We are working on something new but can't spill the beans just yet. Look for more details in the 2024-25 school year.

In the fall we might be offering regional AT events for teachers, students with sensory impairments and family members. Keep your eye out for details as soon as the 2024-25 school year begins!

We might be offering a training series on tactile graphics, starting this summer. If you are interested please complete the form below so that we can contact you this summer.

This STEM course from PaTTAN focuses on teaching and learning computer programming with accessible block technologies. Topics include foundational programming concepts (e.g., variables, conditionals, loops), the use of blocks in the context of learning programming, an introduction to text-based programming, and using blocks in an accessible context (e.g., screen readers, keyboard or mouse interactions).

Educators engaged in the course will:

• Develop programs that include sequences, events, loops, and conditionals
• Compare and contrast block-based programming and text-based programming
• Describe accessibility considerations for teaching with block-based programming

Target Audience:

• Training and Consultation (Tac) involved in the CSinPA TACTICS team
• Teachers of Students with Visual impairment (TVI)

Important Information:

• Space is limited
• Space reserved for 3 TVI (one per region), however we may have additional spots after the TACTICS team gets registered
• Travel assistance will be available for those participating
• Credit: Act 48 Clock Hours

If you are interested complete the form below.

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.

Important Information for the 2024-25 Program:

• The application for the mentors/mentees program will open this summer
• If you applied last year, you will need to apply again
• We do not know if COMS will be added as a mentor/mentee category, but apply just in case
• We encourage ALL to apply
• Mentees from the 23-24 school year are permitted to reapply and continue with their mentors
  

AER is taking over the Sheraton/Le Meridien Hotel in uptown Charlotte from July 24-28, 2024. They have big plans in store for you as they celebrate their 40th anniversary in what will surely be an informative and fun gathering of everyone working in the education and rehabilitation of people who are blind or have low vision! Just imagine five days of curated sessions, events, and special celebrations. Learn more on their website. Registration is open!

Wait!! Do you see it? Out on the horizon, I can just make it out... "Summer, summer, summertime;
Time to sit back and unwind..." (DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, 1991)

The BVI Family Resource Group Newsletter includes information about upcoming events, seasonal topics (such as summer camps), the expanded core curriculum, family organizations, and a family feedback form. We encourage you to share this resource with families!

• 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

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

PaTTAN Statewide

• Tess Nasehi - tnasehi@pattan.net - Statewide BVI Family Support Specialist