Hey Mackinzie!!
I am also in the Indiana area and am taking classes to add TBLV to my Indiana State license. I am in the same cohort with @Kendra_Sipes . Nice to meet you!
Nice to meet you too, Bianca!
Helllo Everyone.
I am Elizabeth McCann and I am a TVI. For the past 8 years I have taught the mandatory qualiification for TVIs here in Edinburgh, Scotland. I still do some teaching mostly on a consultative basis. For the past 6 years I have worked with a learner who lost her sight around the age of 10 and taught her braille where she was in one part of the country and I was in another. That was fun… but ultimately successful. I am now doing some work at distance with a learner who is 3 years old and just starting her tactile learning journey. Again this is remote work.
I am really here to learn something new and to chat with other like-minded participants.
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Hi Jenny
What an interesting job you have! I have spent the last 6 years working with a girl who lost her sight at the age of 10 and also has autism. She is an able learner but there is no doubt that the autism was an additional challenge, especially when she went to secondary school.
I hope you love working with learners who have VI. Your creativity as a special education teacher will be a big advantage to you!
I too have a variety of students, and provide OM and TVI as well as services to students with DeafBlindness. This has become a true passion of mine. I love learning, and although I have taught for 33 years I learn something new every year.!Introductions!
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Hi! I’m Lani Simonton. I am the Lead for the Vision team in Klein ISD (near Houston, Texas). I have been a TVI and O&M for 20+ years and I love working with students who are visually impaired. I also have a certificate in DHH and waiting for the state test for DB.
Our district currently serves 80+ students with various visual needs and reading medias of all styles. We also have several students beginning their braille journies.
I excited for every opportunity to learn about new literacy tips and tools for our braille students and other tactual learners.
Thank you for the job you do as part of the NLS! I love participating in the summer reading challenge each year. NLS is such a great resource for our students!
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Hey everyone! My name is Courtney Young and I am currently working as a TSVI under a waiver while I complete my Masters program. When I am finished, I will be a TSVI and COMS. I currently work as a early interventionist serving blind/low vision infants and toddlers (birth to 3 years) in South Central and Central Kansas. I am looking forward to learning more about literacy and ways to incorporate it into the daily lives of the families I serve. I am also looking forward to network and meet other professionals from around the..well everywhere!
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Aloha Kira,
I am in awe of your place of residence and work. I visited your state 24 years ago and would love to visit again. Do you have children with CVI?
Be Well,
Anita
Amy Macy Williams
I am a special education resource teacher in Columbus, Indiana at a middle school specifically for students with emotional disabilities. I am excited to learn more and collaborate with teachers that serve more of the BLV population.
Hi Jennifer,
Thank you for sharing your post with us. How many students do you provide services for?
I am looking forward to learning and discovering new ideas as well.
Take care,
Anita
Amy Macy Williams I am a special education resource teacher in Columbus, Indiana at a middle school specifically for students with emotional disabilities. I am excited to learn more and collaborate with teachers that serve more of the BLV population.
Hello Everyone!
I am Kelly Jarrett. I serve students 3-21+ at the MD School for the Blind. The majority of students I serve have autism and complex bodies.
My role for the last 20+ years is that of ATP.
I am excited to learn more tips and tricks to help students tolerate and explore tactile representations.
Hi Lani,
It’s great to meet you! I’m really impressed by your 20 years as both a TVI and O&M specialist, and it’s inspiring to hear about your leadership supporting students with visual impairments in Klein ISD. Working with over 80 students with different visual and literacy needs must give you lots of chances to tailor instruction and promote accessible learning.
I was especially glad to see that some of your students are starting to learn braille. Early braille instruction can make a big difference in literacy, independence, and future success. As a special educator and assistive technology specialist who works with students who are blind or have significant vision loss, I’m always looking for new ways to support braille literacy and tactile learning.
Your extra certification in Deaf and Hard of Hearing, along with your work toward DeafBlind certification, will make you even better at supporting students with complex sensory needs. I’m looking forward to learning from your experiences in this course, especially any literacy practices, tactile teaching strategies, or assistive technology tools that have worked well for your students.
Best wishes as you keep creating new opportunities for your students.
Hi Kendra,
It’s great to meet you! Your special education background is impressive. Working 20 years in preschool special education and serving as coordinator shows your strong foundation in supporting diverse learners. Your move to teaching middle and high school life skills students shows broad experience across ages and disability areas.
I admire your dedication to professional growth through TBLV certification. Students with visual impairments and multiple disabilities benefit from educators willing to expand their skills. I also work with students who are blind or have severe vision loss, so I value learning strategies that support literacy and independence.
I look forward to learning with you in this course and hearing about your experience with life skills students. Your special education background will add valuable perspectives to our discussions.
Best of luck as you continue your TBLV journey
Hi all,
My name is Emily Nostro. I work with Vision Ireland as a Community Resource Worker in the south eastern region of Ireland. I support the teachers and families of students with visual impairments (aged 0-22) across five counties here. This includes training school staff on the ins and outs of braille and accessibility. Prior to joining Vision Ireland, I worked as a TVI/COMS in South Florida and later, with the Bookshare Library with expanding and refining their digital collection.
I support a lot of Resource Teachers and Classroom Teachers who have braille students in their classes or are expected to supplement a braille student’s weekly or fortweekly braille instruction time with a TVI. I am exciting to learn more strategies to help teachers plan meaningful braille instruction. I am always looking for ways to improve collaboration amongst staff.
Nice to see someone on this side of the pond. 
I would love to learn more about the TVI Qualifications in Scotland.
My name is Libby Friedhaber, and I work as an itinerant TVI/COMS in Pittsburgh, PA. I serve students in grades K-12 with visual impairments. I am excited to learn more about concept development and tactile learning, especially in ways that I can incorporate into O&M lessons.
I also am interested in learning more about students who have autism and visual impairments and ways to encourage them to explore their environment and encourage them to touch. Building rapport and lots of extra time and repetition seems important in my experience when working with these kiddos.
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Hi Kira, I just took a trip over spring break with my family to Waikiki. So beautiful!!! But still a lot of traffic lol. While visiting Pearl Harbor, I was impressed with the number of tactile graphics and models available at the museum, specifically models of boats/submarine that appeared to be to scale.