Hello My name is Julie Unatin and I have been a TVI/COMS with Oakland Schools in Michigan for 33 years. Almost 10 years ago I went back to school and got my graduate certificate in deaf blindness. I service students 0-26, who are VI, and DB. I have students I teach Braille with 4 days per week, and one that I am doing tactile sign with and haptics.
I love all things braille and provide braille classes through MDE-LIO on Demand for staff working with students with VI as well as my job as an =a consultant with DB central. I love evaluating, collaborating and doing alll I can to provide support to students, staff and families.
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Hi! My name is Denise and I am a TVI in Fulton County Georgia. I will be starting my 11th year as a TVI in August. I was previously a Spanish teacher and made the switch after losing my own vision.
I look forward to this program and learning from you all.
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Hello Denise
I am sure you are learning so much but more importantly, have so much to offer in your own journey with vision loss.
Hello Denise, I recognize your name from other groups. Glad to see you here. What does your caseload look like as far as students and their needs? How do you handle transportation from one school to another. Asking as a co-worker who is also blind that covers several school districts.
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Hi Sharon! I know you and your husband from a certain special school in Morristown NJ. Great to see you here!
I serve K-12 students and all levels of vision loss and impairment. I had 11 students last year and will have around 16 this year. My husband currently gets me from place to place but I have used Uber and Lyft in the past.
Hello, my name is Bethany Hooten. I am located in San Diego, CA. I am an Accessibility Specialist and a Deaf Interpreter that works with DeafBlind community. I use Protactile to facilitate communication for the DeafBlind students. I work at the local colleges working with the students. I am also learning Braille and am excited to learn more about Tactile graphics. I am currently taking courses at CSUN AT program this summer. I am excited to build a new career working with the DeafBlind community and apply my new skills.
Hi Julie! I can see you have many years of experiences working with VI students and you are very familiar with Braille. I work with the DeafBlind community for years and I am a Deaf Interpreter and Accessibility specialist. I am currently taking courses at CSUN AT program and learning Braille from NFB. I also am learning how to use different Braille displays as the students I work with the DB students how to use them for their academic schooling. We communicate with Protactile signings and haptics. I am excited to learn about Tactile graphics to improve their concept learning using tactile literacy. I look forward sharing this journey with our cohort. Maybe you have some ideas how I can improve my learning with Braille.
Hi Denise,
It’s nice to meet you here and I look forward learning from everyone in the cohort. We all bring different perspectives and experiences working with VI individuals. I work with DeafBlind students for many years as a Deaf Interpreter. I am building a new career with AT and I want to focus on the DeafBlind community in San Diego, CA.
Greetings Everyone,
My name is Ruth, I’m an ESE specialist specifically Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Visually Impaired students in Lee County, Florida. I’m excited for this Summer Cohort and learn from all the amazing resources.
Hi! My name is Teri Chaney. I am a TSVI for the Family Infant Toddler Program for the Kansas State School for the Blind and the State of Kansas Early Childhood. I am excited to learn more together. I love the ideas that come from this cohort! I look forward to learning from you all!
Hi Julie! You serve a wide range of children/students! I look forward to working with you to learn more of what you do for the little ones!
Welcome Denise! It will be great to learn from you and your experiences with losing your vision. What a great way to grow from your own experiences and share.
Hello, Denise. I appreciate the wisdom you can give to your students since you have experienced vision loss. I am glad I work with others who can do the same at our agency, since I have had no vision to lose. Also, I wanted to comment that I love teaching our adults who are ESL students. One of my previous managers thought ESL students needed to get a handle on their English first before learning Braille. I have had quite the opposite experience, confirming that Braille supports English language learning! Love tactile graphics, too, because a picture, even a simple one, can be worth many words. Welcome! I look forward to reading more of your posts.