@Pcumston When reading your post I connected with the challenges you mentioned about having such limited time with the classroom teacher to discuss literacy approaches for your low vision students. Only having 30 minutes weekly to see a student is quite limited at best to cover AT skills, use of low vision aids, let alone trying to embed time for literacy skills. I’m finding that I try to schedule 3 different schools in a day for my low vision days and hence can have about an hour per student, which helps with working on ECC skills, and working on any literacy skills embedded in the classroom work. For my older students, I have been working with them to write and update their Visual Resumes as part of their ECC skills and this has helped to build their self advocacy skills and also to build a more direct line of communication with their classroom teachers, even the rotary teachers.
Hi @kwilson as I was reading your post, I was surprised at how little time you have with your braille students per week and it’s so true that your students will require more of a team approach to ensure that their braille instruction goes beyond letter identification and progresses quicker. I’m in Ontario Canada so our direct service for our braille students is more intense – we provide direct support 50% of our time, so I get time with my braille student every other day. This allows me to provide direct braille instruction one-on-one during a quiet space and time but then I can also incorporate the ECC skills throughout the day. I think the supports in your district are less and hence there really needs to be more support staff to work with you to ensure your braille students can progress faster. Do you have Vision EA’s (Educational Assistants) that can work with your students and closely with the education team at each school? I’m not very familiar with how the supports work in each State in the US so I apologize if my question is not clear. Thank you
How long have you been in your role? What grade(s) do you teach?
Getting student buy-in is sometimes the biggest hurdle!
We also have a Literacy specialist in our district. I have found having them on my student’s team is making a difference in getting additional literacy instruction in the student’s day/week. Having these individuals I feel I have additional support in the area of literacy which enhances my ability to work with my students in this area.
Time is difficult I agree that having more time and being able to plan with our collaborators and open communication would go a long way in fixing these issues. It takes all team members and Admin to understand the importance and basing caseloads on these ideas would make a difference in my opinion.
In reading the OSERS 2017 Memorandum, the first line indicates on November 12th, 2014, OSEP issued a response to an inquiry about policy clarification. I find it interesting that here we are 10 years later! I think it all boils down to, does the eye condition, even if it’s “atypical,” adversely affect a student’s educational performance. And we determine this through evaluation. I do think that if a child does have a diagnosis of Convergence Insufficiency, and the team determines, this condition is adversely affecting their educational performance, what would be the IEP goal? Amy, in reading your response to this question, you shared how the IEP team ended up making him eligible in the VI category, because he needed training (specially designed instruction–SDI) on how to use accessibility software and refine listening skills. Could the Special Education Teacher, be the one responsible for this goal vs the TSVI? I’m just thinking in terms of caseload. I have found that some students with eye teaming difficulties are on an IEP identified in a different disability category. When this is the case, one can ensure that any accommodations recommended, are in place.
I also like to use Building on Patterns for the same reason you stated. It is a Braille curriculum that incorporates so much of what our students are also learning in class. During Braille instruction, we can reinforce skills our students need to have as readers. While we are not the primary instructor in teaching reading we can provide repetition that so many of our kiddos need to gain reading skills.
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?
My involvement in literacy has been less than what I now know it should be. In the past most of my lessons related to literacy has to do with timed repeated readings of passages in Braille with the students known contractions. The factors that have limited my involvement include not knowing what to teach, my students who are learning Braille already have literacy in print, and we have an amazing TVI who was a National certified reading teacher who works with students across our country specifically on reading and writing skills including the 5 pillars of reading. I can and hope to learn in this course what and how to teach these literacy skills to my students to add to the instruction they receive from their other teachers.
It is great to hear how you have connected the article with students you are serving now. I liked Swenson’s remark about how instruction in reading may not be in the mainstream classroom so that in later grades they may be more independent in those same classes.
I am aware of the Building on Patterns Curriculum but have not used it with any of my middle schools readers as they have had fluency as print readers and are just now learning Braille.
I know my post is a late but what do you think about introducing contractions before students are independent readers? I have had students whose first reading medium was Braille and who learned contractions early on through BOP and now don’t have the best decoding and spelling skills.
As a Teacher of the Visually Impaired I have thought a braille student since preschool. This student is a dual media student and gains a lot of information through the auditory process. My involvement from day one has been to teach the phonics and phonemes as they are being presented in the general education curriculum. Teaching literacy has to be a team approach, and I found after two years using the Building on Patterns curriculum, that this approach was taking away from the general education curriculum. Therefore, I removed this approach and started teaching lessons that coincides with the general education teacher’s approach. I would introduce new braille contractions as they were presented in the second grade reading material, work closely with the general education teacher to assist with comprehension, spelling, and phonemes. My sessions were taught while assisting with the completion of class work in braille. Spelling words were given in the uncontracted formation so the child could learn the correct spelling, just like her peers. While in the classroom the child was encouraged to complete all assignments in braille a long side her peers. As the article spoke about, these steps could not of happened without a team approach, general education teachers need to understand that these children need to be included in their lessons just as much as they need pull out sessions for basic braille instruction. Teachers have to work together on a daily basis to be sure that at no point is this child missing key literacy instruction thought in the classroom, during pullout sessions. The adminsters are another large player in the proper instruction of literacy for our braille learners, because they have to be willing to be flexible with a TVI and the general education to allow for collaboration between them to take place on a regular basis. Then there is the parent as the article mentioned, parents are key players in literacy instruction. Parents must be willing to learn braille enough that they can support the student at home with literacy homework, encourage free writing on the braille writer, and help the child identify braille around them in the community. If not then the carry over from home to school is lost, and key literacy skills are not reinforced.
In the past I was limited because I was not included on teacher collaboration sessions, or provided with tested skills ahead of time, so my sessions were not outside of the general education classroom only and my child didn’t see the need for braille instruction. I would say that to change this everywhere TVI’s and admin. need to be on the same page and the understanding that these skills are better mastered when taught as a team approach then disjointedly across the board. Another thing that needs to be addressed would be a TVI’s case load and the students need for individualized services. As a TVI often large case loads leaves a TVI lack of time to focus on collaboration as a team member, and instead how to juggle travel time, direct instruction time, and material prep, while managing lesson plans, and IEP meetings. Thus, leaving very little time to teach braille or literacy to their students throughout the school year. This could be addressed at the federal and state government levels on how to assist with more programs to help more college students to pursue this course work, without additional financial debt. School districts need to take time to hear TVI’s on their payroll and understand that yes a case load of twenty kids may work for some, but braille learners require much more time and energy, then a large print learner. Therefore, the TVI’s with braille learners may need a much smaller case load to insure adequate learning time for individual students. Then on the school level the admin., classroom teachers, and TVI need to work closely together to insure that adequate braille instruction time is provided, without the student having to give up key literacy instruction time. Another issue I have come across is admin not understanding the importance of braille instruction, and therefore not providing proper classroom space for this instruction. Admin. need to realize that proper instruction cannot be presented in noisy high traffic areas and that more space then just a desk is needed for these students.
Once my student got to second grade as a dual media student, she was still struggling with first grade level Building on Patterns, because she was having difficulty making the in class connection. Therefore, I went away from it and thought the contractions incidentally as they arises in her reading curriculum. Also, we discovered that teaching the contracted words caused a delay in spelling on spelling words. Therefore, every one of her spelling words is presented as uncontracted and during our sessions we discuss what contractions are located in each word or what letters make up the contraction (repeatedly) as we find them in our reading materials. My advice would be if these students were print readers, and now teaching braille, to take material that they enjoy and present it in braille while introducing contractions as they are presented in the reading materials. I have also found that creating flash cards of new contractions on index cards and sending them home with the student helped them to learn the contractions, while enjoying material they want to read. Another way is to find a special person that the student connects with in the school and schedule short reading sessions with them. Then you and the student can practice reading a short passage of their choice and they get to show off their new skills in the end. This can be a peer, another general education teacher, the janitor, a cafeteria worker, or an administrator. The way I reinforce reading comprehension is I ask specific questions throughout the passage, or I give them 10 minutes of writing on the brailler, anything they can recall about the passage they just read. We also have this posted for all to see in the school, if they are comfortable sharing.
Time is of the essence in a school day. My experience has been in order to gain full by in of the braille instruction it could not be presented only outside the general education curriculum. That being said I started with a child teaching the full literacy program outside the classroom using the “Building on Patterns” curriculum. However, due to limited time I was given in a school day, I could found that many of the basic literacy components was being lefty out in order to teach the reading fluency part of the program. My best success has been team collaboration with the general education teacher’s with the grade level materials the class is using on a daily basis. Then the student is able to carry over her literacy skills from the general education class into my instruction and their is a greater by in to the learning of braille.
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?
My current role as an outreach coordinator for our state school for the blind varies depending on the school district I am working with. Two of the districts I work in have full-time teachers of students with visual impairments where I am in the role of COMS. I may incorporate literacy activities in what we are doing during lessons but that is the extent of my involvement in literacy instruction. I have not been directly involved in the planning or instruction of literacy. My limited involvement is due to my role as an O&M instructor within these districts, while I may offer suggestions at a team meeting from time-to-time, reading or literacy instruction is typically coordinated between the TSVIs and classroom teachers. In this part of my position, I feel that things should stay as they are, I am someone who may be in the school for 60-120 minutes a week to provide O&M instruction.
I work with children from birth to graduation, outside of the above scenario I provide a combination of direct and consult services across a large area of North Dakota. I often provide materials and modeling to families and early intervention providers for the birth to 3 age group. For preschool through high school my services are a combination of direct and consult based services. When I have students learning braille the overall plan for instruction is guided by me, however the daily instruction is often completed by a paraprofessional who often has very little knowledge in working with low vision devices or braille. I think the biggest limitation in this role is the large rural area I cover combined with limited resources. I think more resources and teachers with training in working with students with low vision and blindness would be a welcome change.
My first position as a teacher of students with visual impairment was at a public school. I primarily worked with a student from upper elementary through high school. I was in this role for 50% of my position, my time was primarily spent with her. She had been taught braille by a very skilled TVI prior which was beneficial, it allowed her to spend a majority of the school day in the classroom learning alongside her peers. I worked closely with her classroom teachers to ensure all materials were prepared prior to her needing them in the classroom. I spent time with her in the classroom to provide support if needed, however the classroom teacher taught the lessons, and my role was to ensure she had access. I really feel that things were not limited when I worked in this position and having had the experience of being able to provide the level of service that student was receiving, I do find it difficult at times to be spread thin in this position.
Eligibility Determinations for Children Suspected of Having a Visual Impairment Including Blindness Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (OSERS, 2017)
4. The memorandum is something that has been discussed during our school staff meetings since OSEP came out with it. Prior to this I followed a state criterion which listed specific modifiers that excluded some children from being identified as a child with a visual impairment, since I have started doing some additional observing and evaluating of students to be able to gain a better understanding of how their vision may be impacting them in order to determine service needs. When the modifiers are removed my concerns have been with having an influx of students needing services in a field with limited teachers, and I think of those students who are learning braille losing services. I consider what the need will be and question who responsible once adaptations and accommodations are in place.
While I was reading the articles there were so many things that stood out to me, one of those being the lack of preparation teachers have with regards to the actual teaching of braille literacy and the general content area in the ECC. It made me think about the courses I took and how unprepared I would have been, had I not been lucky enough to have started a job in a district with a retiring TVI who stayed on for a year as a mentor and taught me the things that the university program didn’t touch on. Which brings me back to time constraints, we spend so much time figuring out how to teach some of the things that we are required to teach, whether that looks like us reaching out to colleagues, or searching online for some guidance we are always trying to build our knowledge. I also really thought about the approach that often occurs with braille instruction being considered as a separate thing, outside of basic literacy and reading instruction which takes place in the classroom. If we incorporate braille instruction into what the classrooms are already doing we may spend additional time adapting materials, but the student will be learning alongside their peers.
I have also been concerned with a possibly influx of students, more because I know where I am teaching and working the number of TVIs is limited and many of us are spread very thin. I think of my braille students missing out on much needed services to allow for time to respond to the additional caseload of kiddos coming in. This is where I feel that it will be extremely important for classroom teachers and staff to have the basic understanding of working with a student with VI entails.
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 involvment in literacy instruction? Are those factors things that can and should be changed? Why or why not?
I am a VI TVI teaching in Utah going into my sixth year of teaching. I’ve had two academic braille students for several years. My first braille student is on the gifted and talented spectrum and picked up the braille code very quickly. I wasn’t as involved with his literacy instruction due to lack of time, resources, lack of training in teaching the science of reading, and COVID.
My second braille reading student is in elementary school and he has struggled with reading from the beginning. He has an aide with him in class. Unfortunately, I’ve been limited by time, resources, and training in helping an English Language Learner, who I suspect also has some form of a specific learning disability. He struggles with reversals a lot even though I target instruction on them often. I referred him for some psychology testing where the school psych and I administered parts of the braille Woodcock Johnson IV. She didn’t think he had any kind of auditory processing disorder. When I’ve mentioned my concerns to the special education teacher, she says she is willing to give me resources but she’s not sure she would do anything different than what I am doing. The classroom teachers he’s had have all said that he is one of the hardest working students in the class, but they haven’t expressed many concerns with his low reading rates. (I am working through the LETRS literacy training, but I"m not done yet.) I don’t have good access to what the special education teacher is using with other students–the 95% intervention program because it is in standard sized print which is very difficult for me to read. My administration will provide it for me in the fall as an accommodation, but I will have to look through and send any student materials through our state’s Instructional Material Access Center, so I may not have access to them for awhile.
I think these challenges can be overcome. I am excited for this cohort because I think it will give me vision-specific answers that I can share with my teams to help connect my students with the resources and support they need.
That struck me too with the difference between the braille code (something a print reader who may lose their vision would learn) and learning how to read along with braille. It seems like maybe curriculum/methods would look different depending on the student and what the goal is in teaching them?
- Which author’s (Blankenship, Swenson, Farrenkopf, or Holbrook) response is most influential to you? Why?
Everyone has a role to play in teaching children who are visually impaired to read. “Everyone” includes the classroom teacher, the teacher of students who are visually impaired, educational assistants or paraeducators, certified orientation and mobility (O&M) specialists, and family members.
I love Farrenkopf’s response to a holistic point of view. I am an early childhood-focused Resource Teacher Vision (RTV) from Auckland, New Zealand. All RTVs are trained in both mainstream and vision-specific teaching areas. The early childhood curriculum in NZ focuses on holistic development, and the family centre practice is front and centre in NZ’s early intervention services. I believe that literacy is everywhere, and everyone involved around the child should take a role in teaching reading and creating a literacy-rich environment.
I also like how she kept the reality of service delivery in mind. The four factors of literacy instruction she drew out from 40 experts were also quite valuable. I will use it as a service delivery guideline for the students in my caseload.