So glad you’re here, Tammy!
HI! I’m Miss Ingrid and I am a retired tvi working at TN School for the Blind…I went back to work after covid working with struggling readers. It is an honor and a pleasure and …it is lots of fun!! Looking forward to learning more about fundamental reading skills for these children.
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Hi Dawn, Well we just posted another position if you’re interested! We have one full time TCVI position that was just posted, as well as a Dual TCVI/OM position. We’d love for you to bring all of those years of experience back to your hometown!
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Hello! My name is Deb Heeren, and I am a TVI/COMS in Wichita, KS. I recently retired after teaching blind and visually impaired students for 38 years. Most of these years were spent teaching in an elementary VI resource room…with lots of fun braille instruction! This VI classroom currently has 10 VI students. Four of those students use braille as their primary learning medium. Three additional students also use braille as a secondary learning medium. During retirement, I am enjoying providing volunteer and contract VI services. I am looking forward to learning more during this course about providing excellent literacy instruction to our VI students.
Greetings from Vermont! My name is Jeanne Neu and I am an Itinerant TVI with Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. I currently travel to many different schools in the Champlain Valley. My students range in age from almost 2 to 19. I have one braille student. All of my students have multiple disabilities.
I am excited to learn more about the process of learning to read for our visually impaired students.
I am not sure why my name is followed by “Mastering the Monarch” other than that is another group that I am in.
Hello, my name is Pamela Joyner, and I am one of 3 TVIs with the Savannah Chatham Public School System in Savannah, Georgia. I currently have 3 blind students participating in an inclusion model at a school for the arts. I also have students with CVI and low vision. My caseload is about 11 students (a few have moved). I am excited to delve into this course and learn more about reading and its implications to my students.
Hi, I’m Diane here in Minneapolis, MN. I am a TBVI/COMS with many years of experience as an itinerant teacher. I am currently working with the MN Dept of Education, supporting teachers and students within our state. I am interested to learn and discuss how teachers can support literacy, particularly as the student participates in a general education curriculum. Our state has a literacy initiative and it will be helpful to show TBVIs how they can be the most effective with their students.
Hi! My name is Jamie and I am an Itinerant TVI in Montgomery County, PA. My current caseload includes school aged through high school students. The needs vary greatly from daily braille instruction for learning support students to CVI
curriculum modification in a life skills classroom. I hope to increase my knowledge and skills to better serve my students.
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Hello, everyone! I missed this intro thread. My name is Corita TenEyck-Stull, TSVI with a MS in Special Education. I work in Maryland, currently at the School for the Blind. I am switching to SpEd intervention in public schools next year, but planning to go back to Vision instruction after a break. My ESY students are high school aged with multiple disabilities including visual, and are non- or emergent readers. I am very interested in strengthening my overall Literacy Support, with more tools for instruction in reading braille.
Excited to work through with the cohort!
Howdy Y’all!
My name is Serena Garcia and I’m an Assistant Principal at the Maryland School for the Blind. Moved from Texas to work with this organization! Now, I work with students 1st - 12th+ who join our program after an IEP team determines that visual impairment is significantly impacting the students ability to access their education. We have students who are medically fragile or have multiple diagnosis, students on a certificate track, others on a MSDE approved diploma track. I love what I do and where I work. As my background is in special education and not as a TVI, I would like to learn all that APH offers to better support paras and teachers who work most closely with our students. If I can help the grown ups be successful, they’ll help our students be successful - everyone wins.
SMG
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Hello! My name is Lynn Shortis. I am a TVI/COMS in Western Massachusetts working in a public school. I have a caseload of about 50 students ranging in age from 3-22 with varying academic skills and abilities. I have a high number of students with CVI characteristics as of the past 2 years as well as dual media learners with some braille background. I am excited to learn any strategies, materials and skills to help students learn reading. Our district’s current mission to increase and improve reading skills across all grade levels and I want to be sure our students with visual impairments are given equal opportunities to acquire these skills. I look very forward to collaborating with everyone as well.
Hi! My name is Jachala Garnder. I am a TVI in Springfield, IL at Springfield Public Schools. I have just graduated and look forward to learning from others to add to the education I have just received. I will be itinerant in the school district, but do not yet know my caseload. I am also a parent of a child with a visual impairment and am very excited to be in the field.
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Name- Katharine Wilson
Professional Role- TVI/O&M Specialist
Location- Southern Maryland
A brief description of the students you serve- I serve students within the district ages 0-21.
I am excited to learn how to help the students I work with to be better readers and give information to the staff that works with them
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Hi–my name is Virginia Goodman. I am a TVI/COMS/CATIS in Vermont. I work with many students who cannot engage in the typical ELA curriculum and are braille readers. Literacy is very important to me, as expressing oneself is part of learning who you are and communicating that. I hope to learn more approaches to reading and processing information.
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I am the Instructional Support Specialist for the Visually Impaired in Duval County Florida. As I enter my 29th year as a TVI/O&M, I eagerly seek out new techniques and ideas to guide students in utilizing their skills effectively, fostering proficiency in reading. This knowledge will not only enhance my instruction for the students I work with but also benefit the 14 teachers and 250 students I support.
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This is Kate Power. I have been the reading specialist at the Maryland School for the Blind in Baltimore, Maryland for eleven years. Our school serves both residential and day students from across the state of Maryland who are blind and low vision.
I teach individuals, small groups, and whole classes. This summer, I am most excited to see how our instructors complicate and elevate the discussions currently happening around the “science of reading.”
Looking forward to it!
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My name is Terri Lane, I am Special Education Resource teacher and TVI> I am in Knob Noster Missouri. I serve special education student K-3 and this fall I will have 2 students that are low vision. I am excited to update Braille knowledge and have a better understanding of introduction Braille.
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Hello Everyone! My name is Dana and I currently serve as a Gen. Ed MS and HS English teacher, a Spec Ed. teacher, and a TVI at the Governor Morehead School, NC’s school for the blind and visually impaired. I am just finishing my 2nd year learning about the Science of Reading through NC’s partnership with Lexia who developed the LETRS program. I participated in this program along with teachers from NC’s 2 schools for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. It was a great experience! I’ve tried to incorporate some activities I learned through LETRS into my classes, particularly with my MS students who are very below grade level in reading - both large print and Braille readers. I’m excited to join this course that is geared specifically towards the students I teach. I am also interested in learning how the researchers in reading are conversing with researchers in the field of visual impairment, and vice versa.
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Hello everyone. My name is Patricia (Patty) Cumston. I am beginning my 7th year as a TVI and 6th year as a COMS currently serving Marion City Schools central Ohio. I work with students 3-18 years. I serve 28 students as direct and 15 students on consultation. There are 10 high school, 8 middles, 19 elementary, 4 pre-K and 2 home instruction students. Of the students receiving direct services, I have 9 working on braille and 9 with CVI.
I am excited to learn new information and new ideas to support my students in their learning journey.
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Hello- My name is Allison. I have been a teacher for 22 years, most of them a TVI. I live in Massachusetts and service students in a handful of school districts south of Boston. My caseload is comprised of a students of a variety of ages, varying levels of VI, and multiple impairments. I am really excited to be enrolled in this class. Reading/literacy is often an area in which my students have struggled. Literacy is a life long learning journey starting in infancy. Without support, consistency, and solid programming students could potentially struggle. The braille learners I have recently have taught, let braille go to the way side because of sufficient amount of vision and lack of motivation. I have really struggled to let this happen, however, if the student does not buy into braille as an impactful tool for them, it’s a challenge to continue braille instruction. Next school year I will be taking on a very beginner braille reader, so I am very excited and hope he is as excited as me!