- Which author’s (Blankenship, Swenson, Farrenkopf, or Holbrook) response is most influential to you? Why?
As a fairly new TCVI, I found Swenson’s response most meaningful, likely because she is coming from a “comfortable” viewpoint as a fellow TCVI. It is helpful to have a viewpoint from a professional who has boots on the ground and can understand the nuances that come from this profound and complex leading question.
Firstly, I agree that teacher preparation coursework did not provide instruction on braille, other than an introduction to the code. I would feel more comfortable taking on a new braille user if I had more preparation in meaningful and research-driven methods of teaching. This would be a great first step in that shocking statistic that only about half of these students remained on grade level. Appropriate instruction from a TCVI would be greatly improved if literacy instruction was a priority during schooling.
Swenson’s discussion about the use of braille curriculum vs. instruction alongside classroom materials vs. introduction of meaningful braille characters was thought provoking. It can seem overwhelming to know what is best for our students and which routes to take. This was a great article to read and I enjoyed hearing the perspectives of so many different professionals in the field!
I totally agree with you on this! It feels very overwhelming with all of the skills required of us to teach with (sometimes) only introductory levels of training. And with the fine balance of LRE and need for direct instruction in order to access curriculum; its a lot to consider! I love the idea of providing inservices to the student’s team and I’m curious if they find it beneficial with what they do on a day-to-day basis or how we can help make the balance of responsibility even?
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Hi Karen -
In Minnesota, we are implimenting the Read Act statewide over the course of the next year. All of the PD opportunities will be about the science of reading and everyone, including paras - with the exception of PTs and audiologists I believe - are required to attend the training. I like the idea of having everyone on the same page re: reading mechanics, what I don’t like is that even though we have reading specialists in our district (2 of 3 with Ph.Ds, one is a reading specialist university professor) they are not “qualified” to teach the classes to our staff. I see it as ineffective and someone is making a ton of money. Talk about budget constraints.
Hello from Michigan! Where we are, we no longer require the medical criteria (although it is preferred). For students with CI, I’ve noticed that we are mostly recommending accommodations to the team and very minimally providing direct instruction. I find that the vision therapy piece is a challenging part of our jobs because families often think that is what we do and it feels like another time when the responsibility ball is dropped. It is an expensive service and not all families are able to provide that for their kids but also we are not qualified in that area. I’m not sure what the right answer is!
Reading Instruction for Students with Visual Impairments: Whose Job is it? (JVIB, 2008, p. 197-209)
- What has your involvement with literacy instruction looked like in your role? What factors have limited your involvement in literacy instruction? Are those factors things that can and should be changed? Why or why not?
In my role as a TSVI my involvement with literacy instruction has looked different for each student that I have served. For students that are braille readers I use the braille edition of their class curriculum to teach braille and support literacy knowledge and skills. For students that have low vision I also use their curriculum that accommodates their specific print needs. I may also use a variety of engaging supplemental materials to help increase any literary skills deficits. The factors that limit my involvement in literacy instruction is timely access to curriculum materials, especially if braille transcription is needed for instruction. Also, communicating with teachers can be an issue due to time constraints, availability of the classroom teacher, and responsiveness/willingness of the classroom teacher to collaborate. Classroom teacher consistency in providing needed accommodations is also an issue. In the district I serve, getting parents to participate and reinforce learning at home is a chronic challenge. Time constraints on the side of the itinerant TSVI is an issue-traveling all day and going from school to school makes it harder to followup on paperwork, communications and material prep. These factors can be changed and should be changed because they are easy fixes; however, the changes come with challenges and are not as straight forward as they appear that they should be. Everyone invested in the student must be committed as a collaborating team member to make these changes.
- What has your involvement with literacy instruction looked like in your role? What factors have limited your involvement in literacy instruction? Are those factors things that can and should be changed? Why or why not?
As a teacher of students with visual impairments I feel like my involvement with literacy instruction has been minimal due to time restraints and often not being included by the classroom teacher. I do believe that it all depends on the student as to how involved I need to be in literacy. Their level of vision and also whether they are print readers or braille readers are some determining factors. I do believe that changes need to be made in order for many students to get the best instruction possible. This instruction should be a collaboration between the TSVI and the students reading teacher. I personally do not feel qualified on my own to give all literacy instruction.
I believe it is the responsibility of everyone. I also think it is important for the family to try and learn Braille if their child is reading Braille. If the child’s caregiver is interested in Braille also this helps promote literacy at home for the student and when the student is out with their caregivers’ they can explore Braille together in public.
Beth:
I also was influence by Blankship’s article. Prior to obtaining my TSVI license I had taught special education for nearly 20 years. During that time I had a lot of training and experience in teaching literacy and modifying curriculums to meet student individual needs. I think that experience really shaped my pedagogy and view of teaching students with visual impairments. I had a different approach from some of my peer TSVIs. In regards to further training in literacy, since becoming a TSVI I have not had the same opportunities to access or trainings. Most trainings or inservices address braille itself/print accommodations but not how to teach literacy.
To address your comment on Blankenship speaking of the need for collaboration with other professionals, I think that Blankenship is correct, but there are so many challenges with this. Aside from time, there is staffing issues/shortages and educators that are new to teaching and are overwhelmed. Also I find a lot of classroom teachers are overwelmed by large numbers of students and the wide range of individual student needs.
mnangle:
That’s amazing that your district has a Literacy Specialist in every elementary school and that the curriculum and materials are streamlined across every elementary school. I can see where this approach would make it easier to address student needs across the county. As a TSVI it is a bonus to already know what to expect with the curriculum and materials and who to talk to at each school to help address individual student needs.
The comments you made about paras is so accurate. I agree that a good one is really imperative to the success of many students. This past school year my first grade braille student would not of received any instruction outside of me had it not been for the teacher assistant in her classroom. You are correct, they do not get paid enough.
Goodness, I wanted to answer all these questions. I guess I will go with question 3. In the past, I have been asked to evaluate students with convergence insufficiency (CI). I used to give the standard ‘visual impairment’ definition and think that the student would learn to accommodate for his/her needs. As information about CI has become more readily available, I have realized that these students do need specialized instruction. It seems that it took a few years (likely partially due to the pandemic) for the 2017 OSEP letter to really get out to the TVIs around the country. Even now, I feel that we are missing so many of these students, and I am not sure there are many teachers that are adequately trained in how to determine the best literacy instruction and accommodations for these students. One of the questions that was mentioned in the module (and is a question in schools today) is who needs to be providing services to address CI. I do not think there is a simple answer to this question–truly this decision should be based on the individual student’s needs and likely needs some sort of combination of the special education reading teacher, the TVI and possibly the OT. I am hopeful that in the coming years there will be more training for TVIs about CI because I need more training to better serve this population of students.
While I do feel that it takes a team approach for students with visual impairments to be successful, I do not necessarily agree that parents need to know braille. If we provide parents the resources to work with their child (I.E.) the printed material, braille flash cards etc., the student can be successful. My parents did not learn braille to assist me in school, but they made sure that I studied the code so that I became a fluent braille reader.
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I am also an itinerant TVI, and I completely agree with the barriers that you mentioned. In regards to braille instruction, I have always had the mindset that there is no way to teach the ‘code’ to pre-readers without incorporating literacy instruction. With students who are learning to read braille as their primary and first literacy media, I have tried a variety of methods. I have had students that thrived with a mixture of a braille reading curriculum and the general education reading curriculum in their classroom. I have had students that needed very differentiated instruction in the general education classroom to work more on the braille code within that setting. I really like going collaboratively into the general education reading class in the early elementary grades, as I feel that the classroom teacher (the reading expert) and me (the braille expert) being in the same room together is just wonderful for our students. But, I realize this is in a perfect world, without unmanageable caseloads, long commutes, and time constraints.
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I love to hear from ‘experts’ that still have their ‘boots on the ground’. I do not think there is one magic way to best provide literacy instruction to our students who are braille readers. It is so important that we figure out the correct balance for each student that truly places the student in his/her LRE for all literacy instruction. This is challenging because of staffing issues and time constraints, but, even with recognizing these barriers, I always want to be the one (hopefully there will be others too) that is advocating for what is best for our students.
Hi, Sherilyn,
Thank you for your reply. That must be so difficult for your student who uses ASL and whose parents have not learned. That is the basic method of communication for that child, so how will he or she communicate with their family? My mom learned some braille when I was young, just the alphabet, but it allowed her to braille birthday cards for me, and to label things if necessary. I think it is important for parents to learn braille, especially if the child is struggling in reading.
Have a good day.
4. How does the OSERS 2017 memorandum contribute to your understanding of eligibility for students with visual impairments, including blindness? Evaluate the implications of removing modifiers from state-level definitions of visual impairment, including blindness.
I have been in the field for 25 years and have worked in 4 different states. When I started in the field it was generally stated that 20/70 acuity was the threshold for low vision. I worked in one state and their threshold was 20/50. Removing these modifiers has in ways added to our workload and yet has aided students who need assistance. We often see convergence insufficiency which isn’t something I was trained in. In Oregon our OAR (Oregon Administrative Rules) for visual impairment states:
(A) The child has a vision impairment that is uncorrectable by medical treatment, therapy or lenses; or
(B) The vision examination results are inconclusive, and the child demonstrates inadequate use of residual vision;
Students with convergence insufficiency often undergo vision therapy so we communicate with the team that once vision therapy has been completed and if there are still concerns we can proceed with an evaluation.
I have seen students who might have one acuity stated by a medical professional yet perform way less when they are in a classroom. Removing these modifiers has allowed us to evaluate more students who might need some accommodations and not instruction from a teacher of the visually impaired. I do feel like TVI’s have the training to suggest accommodations that other staff have not had.
Your quote from Swenson struck me as I often have teachers ask me why the student isn’t reading braille. Learning to read is hard work and I will ask them if this student could see do you think they would be a reader? These are complex students in life skills classrooms that I am working on other forms of literacy such as tactual symbols.
I also have a student who often says “I don’t remember”. With this student, I have found that she uses that statement as a filler. I tell her I just want her to think and I will ask after 10 seconds. Many times she will come up with the right answer!
@mollysessoms2
I cannot agree with you about “timely access to curriculum materials.” I have not met a TVI that has not had this problem. Team communication is key in serving students with blindness/visual impairments, whether that communication be face to face, text messages or email. I prefer email and/or texts because that provides me with a way to refer to what is needed. I also read over the standards teachers are teaching for the week so I can become more familiar with the expectations of the student for each lesson.
At the beginning of this new school term, I plan on having a team meeting for each of my blind students with administration and all teachers of blind students. I have also asked my parents to bring their children with visual impairment (middle school) to attend the meeting and chime in. Everyone will receive and sign off for student accommodations and disability specific information at that time. Hopefully this will provide some accountability on timely access.
Pamela Joyner
2027 Reading Cohort
@wbailey,
Reading is on the forefront of every district’s agenda (I believe). Many districts are participating in mandatory reading training for the start of the new school year. Unfortunately, the district in which I work did not include TVIs in the initial reading trainings. My VI Program Manager sent an email to attend a LTTRS (?) training at the end of the last school term. My School Administration walked in the room and explained that I would need to attend the first training as this was the second. It seems there is a breakdown in communication among school administration, program managers and possibly even the curriculum department at the BOE level. Communication is so important when planning for the general education program but what about the inclusion program? Special instruction teachers received a memo for the first and second training but TVIs did not. I do not understand how a district cannot consider ALL students we serve in preparation for any new content being introduced with specific ways to teach that curriculum and not include all teachers. My PM did not factor in braille books or consumable books that may be needed for each student participating in inclusion on my caseload. I will make the best of what is available and continue to communicate with all teachers as I have done in the past.
Pamela Joyner
2024 Reading Cohort
I wholeheartedly agree with your post. In my 25 years of teaching, I think I have had one low-vision student who got tested for a learning disability in writing and got support for it. This was in a larger school district and I had to push for him to be tested. In the state I teach in now, I have been told “they only need one ticket to ride the special ed train”, meaning that they only need vision eligibility and they can get whatever other help they need. I don’t find that is the case and students just keep getting promoted and get minimal help. I also did get a reading specialist to help out with one student who didn’t have phonemic awareness. The specialist gave up after 6 weeks of intervention. I have been pushing that this student have an eligibility of traumatic brain injury but that hasn’t happened. I agree with your statement about collaborating with school psychologists but unfortunately, I have found that near to impossible. Their caseloads seem to be worse than mine!