Hi Jonathan,
Glad to be experiencing this Cohort with you. Looking forward to reading your posts.
Patty (AIU3)
Hi Patty, great to see you here as well! Looking forward to it. Thanks for reaching out!
Hello, my name is Missey Evers. I am a TVI and Kindergarten -1st grade teacher at Kentucky School for the Blind. This next year, I will have 7 students; 1 first grader, 6 kindergartners. Four are blind and 3 have low vision. 3 are diagnosed with CVI. 1 who is Deafblind. I LOVE learning especially things that will help me unlock my students potential.
Hi! My name is Gina Carter I am a teacher of blind and low vision learners in Spokane, WA. I serve a wide variety of students, from pre-school to high school age students. My caseload includes students with low vision, braille learner, students with multiple disabilities, etc. Iām excited to learn about how I can support my low vision students who are using print, but are struggling readers, and how to help my teams learn to differentiate between difficulty with access and difficulty with learning.
Good to meet you, Emily! Looking forward to learning with you.
I Jonathan. Looks like you work primarily with students with CVI. Iām looking forward to seeing your posts and learning from you. CVI is a tough area for me.
Hi! My name is Christine Garcia. I am an itinerant TVI and work for Laurel Regional program and Early intervention in Lynchburg VA. Laurel services students in Central Virginia who have complex health need, severe behaviors and other factors which prevent them from participating in the general education curriculum in any area at their home schools. They also offer vision services to eligible students at Laurel and to eligible students in those participating school systems that utilize these services. I personally work with a variety of students who range from low vision to no light perception. I also have a few students with CVI. I am looking forward to learning more strategies to help my braille readers maintain their braille skills and ways to increase their WPM.
I grew up in Troy Mi. When I graduated WMU, there werenāt any VI positions available in MI. I ended up in TX way back in 1983 and have been a TVI here ever since! One more year until I retire.
Hello, My name is Glenda Wahlert. I am from Cassville, Mo. I am one of the 3 special education teachers for the primary school. None of the children on my caseload are braille readers, but I have visually challenged learners.
Hello everyone, my name is Emily Adams. I work in the Dayton Ohio regional area as a TVI with Montgomery County ESC. Iāve been this role for over 20 years. I currently have four braille readers on my caseload of 38 students, I have a Masters degree in assistive technology and Iām looking forward to learning new strategies to help my young Braille readers engage in reading activities and enjoy reading
Hi! Happy 4th of July, to most of you!
My name is Annie LagacƩ, I am in New Brunswick, Canada close to the border of Maine.
I work as a COMS for the NB French Department of Education. The students on my caseload, are from birth to 21 years of age, with various visual condition from NLP to mild visual impairment. I donāt teach braille, but I work closely to the TVI that does, and as I visit school regularly, I want to be able to support the learning as much as I can by better understanding the process.
Hi everyone!
Iām Autumn Booths, TSVI/COMS in Juneau, Alaska. I serve our entire district, 3-22yrs. I also contract for birth-3. I currently have 4 braille students on my 17 student caseload. I am looking forward to addressing my students literacy needs since we do not currently have a reading specialist at my disposal.
Go Redbirds! 
Hi - I am Debbie, a TSVI and O&M Specialist from Pennsylvania. I have worked with students from birth to 21 years old throughout my career. Currently, I teach students who are in preschool. During the 24-25 school year, I will also be completing evaluations with school age students. I am looking forward to learning more about the reading process and how I can help students improve their reading skills.
Hello! My name is Megan Kessberger. I am a TVI/ COMS in Phoenix, Arizona. My caseload fluctuates each year. The last few years I have had students who are totally blind, low vision, multiple disabilities, deaf/blind, and progressive eye conditions. I am interested in learning about reading for students with visual impairments; specifically students with dual medias as well as assisting the IEP team to determine if the student is having difficulty with reading due to vision impairment or due to another reason not yet determined by the team.
Hello! My name is Erica McKinney and I am a TVI and COMS for a rural county in Georgia. I have taught in the field of special education for 20 years, and the last 7 of those have been in the field of visual impairments. The youngest student that I currently serve is 5 and the oldest is entering 11th grade, but I could potentially serve age 3 up until age 22. My caseload is quite varied from severe and profound to gifted. There seems to be a higher number of females to males in my county.
Last summer I completed a reading endorsement program aimed toward print readers. I am excited to learn how to pair this information with information from this course to better meet the needs of my students with visual impairments. I look forward to working with and learning from all of you!
Hi Mary Ann! Fellow Georgia girl here Kudos to you for being aware of personal weaknesses (understanding of the reading process) and being willing to obtain focused professional development in that particular area. I feel like it can be difficult as a TVI to be a āmaster of all tradesā but in some ways we need to be that for our students. I feel like the teaching of reading to students with visual impairments is an area that I need to build up, especially since I have a student who is a braille learner entering the general education kindergarten setting next year. I look forward to learning alongside you!
Greetings from North Dakota! I am an Outreach Teacher with ND Vision Services/School for the Blind. Our school is located in Grand Forks however, my office is in Jamestown about 150 miles from Grand Forks. I work with ages 0-21 who have a range of visual impairments and who have multiple disabilities. Iām excited to learn about the reading process for those with low vision and blindness.
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My name is Michael Nangle and I am a TVI in Lowell, MA. I am the only TVI for the entire district and have a full caseload that ranges from three to 21.
I currently have three braille readers on my caseload and in the fall they will be in 3rd,6th and 11th grade.
I am excited to increase my knowledge and help the many teams I work with for these great kiddos.
- Name: Sheri Frisque
- Professional Role: TBVI and COMS (full time since 2001)
- Location: St Paul, MN
- A brief description of the students you serve: In MN we serve B-22 years old. Currently I have 40+ students in all areas. In our area we try to share the academic Braille kids because they typically are considered ādailyā kids. Many of my friends are under the age of 5 and another chunk are with multiple impairments. My last great project was getting a better handle on my friends with CVI.
- What are you excited to learn this summer? In MN they implemented a reading focus and all PD will be focused on this. I want to make sure that I/we also focus on the BVI community. Although I have a Reading Language Arts minor, itās been a while.