PaTTAN BVI Newsletter

At the end of June 2020, Perkins released a statement on why they are ending the CVI Range Endorsement. The article states that they are "not moving away from the Roman CVI Range and the methodology." However, they noted their endorsement has had "unintended consequences; namely, as an institution, we could not ensure assessor competency in administering the CVI Range."

Researchers recently published an article on families of students with CVI. The researchers found 4 themes: assessment and understanding implication of CVI, education, family life, and psychological wellbeing and quality of life. Take a look at the article to hear your student's parents perspective on CVI.

Step-By-Step has just been updated and is available for purchase with Federal Quota funds. This text is a comprehensive curriculum for teaching future orientation & mobility (O&M) specialists, teachers of the visually impaired, and other instructors on how to teach mobility skills to people who have visual impairments.

If you are looking for Lego kits, then look no further. APH has opened ordering up to all teachers. Teachers can request the kits in quantities of 4 by ordering with the Lego Request Form. As a reminder, this is a one time offer from APH and Lego. When supplies are depleted they will no longer be available.

The Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services will continue its STRIVE On Program to support students with visual impairments across the state. The program runs September 16 - December 9, 2021. Applications for the program have been extended until August 20, 2021.

Follow these steps if you need to find a needed textbook:

• Search the Bookshare NIMAC Inventory
• If not found complete the NIMAC Request Form
• Learn about NIMAC Books

When adding new students to Federal Quota, Parental permission is required in order for a student’s information to be reported to the census. Students are not eligible to use these funds unless they are included in the census. If you have questions or concerns regarding the Annual Federal Quota Registration Process, please contact Julie Breneman, Accessible Instructional Material (AIM) center manager at 717-901-2238, by phone or email jbreneman@pattan.net

Below are the typical dates that have been used in previous years as deadlines for enrollment and accommodations:

• Winter Keystone is second week of September

• Spring PSSA is last week of September

• Spring Keystone is last week of November

• Summer Keystone is the first week April

Pennsylvania has a new Secondary Transition Website. The Pennsylvania Community on Transition is a group comprised of various stakeholders from across Pennsylvania who work collaboratively to ensure appropriate transition outcomes for Pennsylvania youth and young adults with disabilities. The team consists of representatives from the State Departments of Education, Health, Labor and Industry, and Human Services; Various Youth-Serving Agencies; Young Adults; Parent Organizations; Advocates; Higher Education; and Employers. Check out their changes today!

The following items have been added to short term loan and are available to order for your students:

• Code Jumper
• Braille Trail Reader LE
• Chameleon 20

• Mantis Q40

• Clearview Go 17”

The following items have arrived and will be available for order shortly:

• OrCam Read Smart

• Orcam MyEye

We will be offering credit for attending our virtual discusions this year. Registration will be through the PaTTAN Calendar. Discussions will run from 3-4 PM. They will be relevant to all professionals in the field. Please refer to the dates below and save the dates!

• October 6, 2021
• December 1, 2021
• February 9. 2022
• March 30, 2022

The High Expectations for Students with Low Incidence Disabilities Conference will be held at the Penn Stater from November 8-10, 2021. Concurrent strands will be running from various initiatives! Stay tuned for more details!

The Annual Penn-Del AER Conference will run from April 27-29, 2022. This conference will be held in Harrisburg. Planning has already begun!

ACVREP and Google partnered to offer a FREE Chromebook Accessibility Certificate Program. Successful completion of the 8 module training program will result in a Chromebook A11Y Expert digital badge that can be displayed on your emails, social media and personal website.

AER has 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.

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