My name is Andrea Amestoy, and I live in Boise, Idaho. I have worked as a pediatric and NICU nurse, taught high school anatomy and physiology for five years, and came by the job of TVI through my kids.
When two of my three children were diagnosed with Usher Type 2c, I was looking for classes to learn more about blindness, which led me to my Master’s in Special Education B/VI and also a COMS certificate through Texas Tech University.
The open job involved working in two large regions with children 0-3 years of age and their families. I am their initial point of contact in this journey and help with their transition to preschool.
I’m excited to learn about areas of the B/VI field I don’t typically use, such as the Monarch, due to the ages I serve. I would love to learn anything and everything new related to CVI as that constitutes a majority of my caseload.
Hello Everyone,
My name is Akeyah Patterson, and I’ve been a teacher at the Maryland School for the Blind for the past five years. I currently work with intermediate to middle school students who have a range of mild to severe disabilities in addition to visual impairments.
I’m excited to learn about new CVI strategies, resources, and best practices to better support my students and help them reach their fullest potential.
It’s great to see so many familiar faces here! I come from a psychology background, and after transitioning into teaching at the Maryland School for the Blind, I’ve been working to gain as much knowledge as I can.
Many of my students have CVI, so I enrolled in this course to deepen my understanding and improve my ability to support them. I believe this course will be incredibly helpful not only in the classroom, but also in preparing for IEPs, meetings, and assessments.
how do you find the time to support such a large caseload? I feel like I have just enough time to support my caseload of 20 students who range from IB students to students with significant complex behavioral and medical needs.
Additionally trying to keep up with best practices, and research- particularly in the area of CVI has led to take this course as well as others.
I too have used “the Range” as well as Lueck and Dutton. I am learning along side my district’s TVIs on how best to implement the Perkins Protocol. It is a learning curve for us all. I find it especially difficult to find resources with depth and breadth in relation to CVI and O&M.
Congratulations to you and your colleague for presenting a poster at an upcoming Pennsylvania conference, Bridging Knowledge to Know-How, later in July. Would you be able to share your poster? That is quite an achievement.
My name is Libby Friedhaber. I work in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania as a teacher of students with visual impairments and orientation and mobility specialist. I serve students from kindergarten through high school with a range of needs, including CVI. I am looking forward to learning more about CVI and how to apply it to my caseload.
Hi Patty, I am excited to learn more about CVI with you! I love the discussions that these courses create. They help me to plan for fall and get excited for the new school year. Good luck presenting your poster!
I am from Pittsburgh too in the North Hills That is interesting that you mentioned about going back to school for your TVI certification. I didn’t realize what an affect cochlear implants have on the deaf student population and job security. What a smart decision to expand your knowledge base!
Yes, loving the new and familiar MSB faces! LOVE that we all continue to learn how to better serve our students everyday. As always, let me know how I can help!
SMG
The busyness of each day is a challenge. This field is so much more diverse than in years past. I love learning and am excited to be on this journey of new ideas and information to help the students gain access to all they can in their daily routine.
• William Wanier
• TVI
• Texas
• Last year, I served 8 braille students at different levels of proficiency, from beginners in elementary school to middle and high school students learning technology such as refreshable braille displays
• What are you excited to learn this summer? I hope to develop skills that will make me a more effective teacher. I also aim to better understand how to improve my instruction, especially in keeping students engaged during lessons they may not naturally find exciting. I also look forward to having the opportunity to strengthen my overall teaching methods.
Hello Deborah. Its nice to have someone else from Texas in the cohort. I have had the priveleage to work with the EXIT program several times over the years and appreciate the work you all do. That was one of the most rewarding areas of our job to help students gain independence to the maximum degree possible. I also agree that the CVI training is not really up to the challenge.
Hi Katie! I am also in early intervention in Kansas and our numbers have been increasing here as well. I look forward to hearing more about your experiences in CVI early intervention from an administrative perspective!
Hi Katherine, I am happy to see several SLPs here in the cohort. Some of the most rewarding teams I have been involved with have been those that included a Speech Language Pathologist. We have alot of “spaces” where our skillsets complement each other, and I always learn new methods or information that helps me be a more effective TVI.
Hi! My name is Vicki Wong and I am a TVI in New York City. I work with low vision students as well as severe and multiple disabilities students from ages 5 to 22. I am excited to learn about various methods and materials that I can use to better support my students with CVI. I would love to start creating a box of materials that I can go to for my students with CVI and feel more prepared before the next school year starts.
Hi Becky! I recently made a switch to focus more on early intervention, specifically 0-3, and I look forward to hearing more about your experiences in EI. Is your current position at the private contracting company also working kids under 5?
Hi Tammy! Thanks for sharing that information about the increases you are seeing there in Kansas as well. Looking forward to sharing my experiences as well as hearing others.
That is interesting that you mentioned about going back to school for your TVI certification. I didn’t realize what an affect cochlear implants have on the deaf student population and job security. What a smart decision to expand your knowledge base!