Hello.
My name is Kristie Carpenter and I am ending my second year as a TVI for the MCESC in Ohio. I current caseload consists of 37 students aging from 3 -20. Most of my students are low vision and multiple disabilities. I currently do not have any braille readers on my caseload. I am looking forward to learning about the impact of VI on learning to read.
My name is Jessica Lipperer, I am a TVI/COMS. Currently, I am a resource teacher at the elementary level and do some itinerant vision and O&M services as well. I work for a school district which is located in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. The students I serve typically serve are braille, duel media, and low vision students. My Students vary from young elementary to middle school age.
I would love to learn more strategies to teach reading, which can hopefully make my students more successful.
Hello, My name is Kelly Ballard. I’m from the great state of Michigan!!! Currently, I’m a Teacher Consultant for the Visually Impaired for my ISD. My caseload consists of students Birth-26. I’m excited to learn and share resources to help me in my job!
Hello,
I am Carol Wyatt and I am a Braille Transcriber in Indiana.
I currently have one student that is a Junior in High School. I have followed her since first grade.
I’m looking forward to having the time to explore more options with the Monach such as emails, Google slides, and Google Classroom.
Thank you. I’m excited to be here. This class came along at exactly the right time for me. The transition back to TVI has me a little apprehensive, but I look forward to the challenge.
Hello,
My name is Melissa Hopkins. I am a teacher for students with visual impairments. I am from St. John, Indiana. I work with students in Preschool to High School. I am excited to learn more about reading strategies that will benefit my students to learn more effectively.
Hello everyone. My name is Adam Benton and I am a teacher of students with visual impairments, in Toronto, Canada. This year, I had students on my caseload that were braille users, as well as students, with low vision, that used large print to access reading material. I am excited to learn more about how I can support students in literacy and continue to help them improve and grow in their learning.
Hi Everyone, My name is Nazanin Poirier. I am a Blind Low Vision Itinerant Teacher from Halton District School Board in Ontario, Canada. I currently have a braille student in Junior Kindergarten and a low vision caseload. Our school board covers several cities within Halton Region, just west and north of Toronto. I look forward to learning from all of your rich experiences. I’m also excited about joining this new learning community as this is my first time taking a course with the Hive community through APH.
Nice name! 
My name is Al Roberson and I am currently a middle/high school “general education” teacher (of mostly social studies courses) at the Tennessee School for the Blind (TSB) in Nashville, Tennessee. Here at TSB, we serve the entire state of Tennessee as the special school and resource center for the blind and visually impaired. The students I serve directly here at TSB came to us sometime in their academic career because they needed more specialized supports that could not be provided by their home districts.
Three years ago, I came to TSB as a veteran teacher with over 25 years of experience. I am a trained special education teacher (from undergrad), but I have worked as a general education teacher for the past 20 years. I came to TSB to find a new “spark” in my teaching and felt like a first-year teacher once again in the beginning. Since my tenure here, I fine tuned my old techniques of teaching and embraced many, many new ones. I know the struggles that typical students have in learning when reading is a struggle and see how this is amplified in visually impaired students. I am excited to learn some new skills that will help my students in their reading instruction and help me with the last component needed to complete my Tennessee licensure certification as a TVI.
Hi! My name is Jess Gibson and I’m a TVI in Connecticut. I’m originally from Texas and have worked as a TVI in Houston, Baton Rouge, LA and Philadelphia, PA before landing in Connecticut. My current caseload is babies to high school aged students. My caseload has definitely skewed younger for the past few years, with more pre-braille leaners than braille readers, so I’m excited to refresh my skills and hopefully pick up some new ones this summer.
Hi my name is Ann Otte, and I work for TX Workforce Commision in the Vocational Rehab department as a Vocational Rehab Teacher. I work with transition age students all the way through OIB- Older Individuals that are not seeking employment. I have taught Junior High Math in the Public Educational system for 24 years. I left the classroom and took this position 4 years ago. I am located in Aggie-Land in Bryan, TX. I am excited to learn more about helping my customers a reading process that will assist them to be independent.
Hello!
My name is Lilian Chan and I am a new TSVI who currently works in Toronto, Canada. I have a combination of low vision, blind, and students with CVI on my caseload. I have 30 students at 14 different schools. Some of my students are in a congregated school but all of our other students are intergrated into regular classrooms. They range from grade 1 to high school aged. I work with an incredible team of TSVIs who are very collaborative and this is helpful considering I come from a classroom background. I have been a classroom teacher for 26 years and am very interested in learning about how strategies for teaching reading are different for our students in the BLV program. As well, we are seeing a new movement with UFLI here and I would like to see if and how this plays into what we will be learning.
Greetings! I’m Ann Nix, an Occupational Therapist and Low Vision Therapist. I cover a 100 mile radius from the Veterans Administration (VA) hospital outside of Helena, Montana. I’m presently working with Veterans in their homes for the VA and discovering how so many of these Veterans never learned to read and are now struggling more with their changing vision. I’m excited to learn about everything because I always try to find a way to apply those skills somewhere in my professional or personal life!
Hello! I am Theresa Craig and I am a TVI in Delaware. I am also the assistive technology queen (out of necessity) I currently serve the Seaford School District in southern Delaware. This is my 8th year as a TVI (was SpEd prior) and this is my third career so I have A LOT to learn (at my age). I currently have 10 students and spend most of my spare time brailling and creating tactile images. While this is the part of the job I love most, it is the most time consuming. Being a smallish district we do not have braillists or VI paras so I get to do it all!
Last year I tool the AIM Pathway to Reading Readiness course so I am excited to learn how this applies to blind and VI students as they are beginning their reading experience. I find that phonics instruction is just as essential to blind students as sighted ones but the added contraction processing can interfere. I’d really appreciate your feedback and shared experiences in this regard. My two blind students are horrible spellers so I’d like to learn how to equip them for an improved spelling future.
How do you like working with our Veterans? I think when I retire from the public school industry I would like to work with Veterans (coming from a Veteran family)
Anything rewarding or challenging?
Thank you for taking the initiative to help your blind student. So often teachers will leave much to the TVI who usually has such little time with their students (I’m taking about itinerants). Your care and concern for your student is uplifting!
Kirsten: Am happy to see another Michigander attending!
I am a itinerant TVI in Nebraska. I serve kiddos Birth- 21 in several rural districts in the surrounding Metro area. I have a wide variety of learners at different levels of instruction using both print and braille. I am excited to learn ways to improve literacy instruction. - Jen
Hi all!
My name is Beckie Kirsch and I am a CTVI at Texas School for the Blind in Austin, Texas. Currently I serve VI students with multiple disabilities in our 18+ EXIT program. I am excited to learn about ways to get students interested in reading as a leisure activity. Additionally, I hope to gain insight into supporting non-traditional access to literacy and reading skills for students with CVI.