TVI Tidbits - Volume 2, No. 16
May 7, 2010
- Webinar on Lighting and Contrast Through the AFB eLearning Center
- NYSAER 2010 Conference - Call for Papers Deadline: May 28, 2010
- Over 1 Million Digital Books Now Available Free to the Print-Disabled
- Full Time TVI Sub needed for Maternity Leave in the Ken-Ton area of Western New York this fall
- Transition Special Education 12-hour Online Certificate Program!
- Parents’ Experiences with the IEP Process: Considerations for Improving Practice (April 2010)
- Teacher Perspectives of School-Level Implementation of Alternate Assessments for Students With Significant Cognitive Disabilities
- Help on a project for kids with Fragile X and Down Syndrome- communication device included
The following information is for your information and not an endorsement of any product or service:
- Save the Date! Webinar
on Lighting and Contrast Through the AFB eLearning Center
This webinar will be held on June 16, 2010 from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Bryan Gerritsen, CLVT, will be the guest presenter. It is for service providers who work with people with vision loss. It will cover the importance of contrast sensitivity function for the person with low vision, how to measure it, and how to increase contrast in the home and other environments. The webinar will also cover illumination, different types of lamps available, and pros and cons for using each depending on type of vision and activity in which person is engaged, positioning of light, and controlling for glare.
Fee: $25. Continuing education credit (CEU): 1 hour through ACVREP, CRCC.
For information on attending, contact Pris Rogers at pris@afb.net - NYSAER 2010 Conference - Call for Papers Deadline: May 28, 2010
- Over 1 Million Digital Books Now Available Free to the Print-Disabled
- Full Time TVI Sub needed for Maternity Leave in the Ken-Ton area of Western New York this fall
- Transition Special Education 12-hour Online Certificate Program!
- Parents’ Experiences with the IEP Process: Considerations for Improving Practice (April 2010)
- Teacher Perspectives of School-Level Implementation of Alternate Assessments for Students With Significant Cognitive Disabilities
- Help on a project for kids with Fragile X and Down Syndrome-communication device included
The New York State Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (NYSAER) will host the 25th Annual NYS Conference to be held in Syracuse, New York between October 24, 25, and 26, 2010. The conference will be held at the Doubletree Hotel Syracuse, 6301 State Route 298, East Syracuse, NY 13057. The hotel is just minutes away from downtown Syracuse and the airport. The theme of this year's conference is "Bringing Our World Closer with Technology." We especially invite proposals on this subject, but submissions on any topic relating to vision rehabilitation and education are welcome. Please share the forms below for a presentation proposal with others who have interesting approaches and ideas for the field and who might wish to submit the proposals of their own.
Click here to download the Procedures for Presentation Proposals
Click here to download the NYS Chapter 2010 Annual Conference Proposal Application in Word
Please note proposals must be electronically submitted no later than May 28, 2010. All applications will be reviewed carefully by members of the conference committee. No later than July 1, 2010, you will receive an electronic notice as to whether or not your proposed presentation will be in the program. NYSAER will provide $100.00 per completed workshop presentation to help defray presenter expenses. Please get the word out to your colleagues in the field of vision. - Dawn Werner, NYSAER Workshop Chair
Available from the Internet Archive by going to: http://www.archive.org/
More than doubling the number of books available to print disabled people of all ages, today the Internet Archive launched a new service that brings free access to more than 1 million books — from classic 19th century fiction and current novels to technical guides and research materials — now available in the specially designed format to support those who are blind, dyslexic or are otherwise visually impaired.
“Every person deserves the opportunity to enhance their lives through access to the books that teach, entertain and inspire,” said Brewster Kahle, founder and Digital Librarian of the Internet Archive. “Bringing access to huge libraries of books to the blind and print disabled is truly one of benefits of the digital revolution.”
Kahle also announced that the Internet Archive will be investing in the growth of its virtual bookshelf by funding the digitization of the first 10,000 books donated. Individuals and organizations are welcome to donate their favorite book or a collection of books. Books in all languages welcome. To donate books visit: http://openlibrary.org/bookdrive
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “Blind people must have access to repositories of digital information if we are to reach our goal of becoming full and equal participants in society. Access to the books that have been scanned by the Internet Archive in a format accessible to the blind will be another step toward that goal. We are excited about continuing to work with Internet Archive to make access to more books a reality.”
Read more about this at: http://www.archive.org/iathreads/post-view.php?id=305502
A full time sub will be needed for vision services in the Ken-Ton School district located near Buffalo NY for September and October of the 10-11 school year. If you know of anyone who is interested in this position, please have them apply on line and call MaryAnn LoVullo at 716- 874-8400 x5320. Thank you for your assistance concerning this matter.
MaryAnn LoVullo, Director of Special Education
Phone :716-874-8400
x5320, Fax:716-874-8615
The Transition Special Education Certificate Program meets the CEC
Advanced Knowledge and Skills Base for Transition Specialists
(2003), which is recognized by most states, and the National
Standards and Quality Indicators of the National Alliance for
Secondary Education and Transition (2005). Most students begin
in the fall by taking SPED 236.DE, Introduction to Career, Vocational,
and Transition Services. (This program is not a teacher certification
program. Those seeking teacher certification in special education
should visit the Transition Special Education Master's Program
web page.) The program responds to the needs expressed by educators
and rehabilitation personnel for research concerning youth with
disabilities, and information concerning legislative requirements
to provide transition services for all youth with disabilities.
For more information, go to:
http://gsehd.gwu.edu/Transition+Special+Education+Certificate
“Parents’ Experiences with the IEP Process: Considerations
for Improving Practice,” a national study released by the Center
for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE),
reviewed literature to explore findings from 10 recent studies
(from 2004 on) focused on the experiences and perceptions
of parents or other caregivers related to the IEP process.
The report highlights recommendations from this body of literature
for improving the experiences of parents and encouraging
their participation in IEP meetings. Available in pdf (9
pages, 392 KB).
http://www.directionservice.org/cadre/pdf/Parent-IEP
Process.pdf
This April 2010 report, a national study released by The National
Study on Alternate Assessments (NSAA), included more than 400 teachers
of students with significant cognitive disabilities from three states.
It provides information on the background and experiences of teachers
of students with significant cognitive disabilities, the skills and
characteristics of the students they teach, and their classroom environments.
It also describes their perspectives on how well they understand the
alternate assessment system, their expectations and beliefs,
the availability and use of instructional resources, and their
students’ opportunity to learn academic content. Available in
pdf (171 pages, 1.96 MB).
http://ies.ed.gov/ncser/pubs/20103007/pdf/20103007.pdf
A researcher at UB’s Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences
is participating in a research study funded by the National
Institute of Health. They are looking for kids with either Fragile
X or Down Syndrome between 5 and 12 years of age, with a significant
speech/language impairments, who live in the Erie / Niagara county
area. They will provide 4 months of Augmentative and Alternative Communication
(AAC) device training (technology that can improve your child’s
ability to communicate) with
a new Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device using
accepted best-practice techniques. They will give the child
the AAC device if they complete the required training regime.
The project is being done in conjunction with the Mind Institute
at University of California Davis, University of Colorado,
and the Institute for Matching Person & Technology
at University of Rochester.
If you know of anyone interested in participating, please contact
Research Coordinator, Jenny Schmich – her email is jenschmich@gmail.com.