A Sense of Texas

Dr. Rona Pogrund is the Coordinator of Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments Program in the Department of Special Education, College of Education at Texas Tech University. She provides instruction, mentoring, and guidance to those seeking to become a teacher of students who are visually impaired (TSVI) and those working on a Masters or Doctorate degree in our field. Her 49 years in blindness education make her an expert in teacher training, professional engagement, and all the things that make our profession great.

Housing one of the foremost collections of materials and technology used to advance the education of blind, low vision and, Deafblind people in the world, the Museum at the American Printing House for the Blind is showing how the contributions of the past can create better outcomes in the future. APH Museum director Mike Hudson is here to tell us about some of the exhibits on display at the museum and what they have planned for the future. 

To find out more about the museum go to https://aphmuseum.org/ to plan your visit. 

When evaluating a student to determine eligibility for special education and to develop an educational plan, it's critical to take into account a student's accommodations specific to their visual impairment. Marnee Loftin has been a leader in this work for quite some time. We're lucky to have her on the podcast.

Here ares some links to many other great resources available online:

Additional podcasts to check out:

https://www.thetestingpsychologist.com/258-assessment-with-visually-impaired-kids-part-1-w-dr-carol-evans-marnee-loftin-dr-terese-pawletko-may-nguyen-and-stephanie-herlich/

https://www.thetestingpsychologist.com/260-assessment-with-visually-impaired-kids-part-2-w-dr-carol-evans-marnee-loftin-dr-terese-pawletko-may-nguyen-and-stephanie-herlich/

Video Resource from Improving Literacy:

https://improvingliteracy.org/videos/visual-impairment-and-dyslexia-video-series

Curriculum Resources from TSBVI: https://www.tsbvi.edu/tsbvi-publications

Some of the most vital learning at a residential school happens outside of the classroom. TSBVI Residential Director Matt Schultz joins us to discuss how creating a positive environment in our dorms can facilitate learning in the classroom as well as at home with their families. Also joining us are Darius, Pedro, and Michael from the TSBVI Wildcat Wrestling team to tell us about how their experiences with athletics are helping them progress in their journey to adulthood. 

Our conversation continues as Lynne McAlister and Deanna Peterson provide their professional perspectives on children's behavior, and what can sometimes be misinterpreted as misbehavior. Later in the episode we are also joined by James Coleman, who shares a relatable parental view on the matter!

Free behavior guidance tool can be found here: https://www.tsbvi.edu/tsbvi-publications#publications

Further discussions about the topic: Coffee Hour

Lynne and Deanna's contact info:

mcalisterl@tsbvi.edu

petersond@tsbvi.edu

Lynne McAlister and Deanna Peterson from TSBVI Outreach discuss planning behavior intervention for children and young adults who are blind, visually impaired, or DeafBlind. In today's episode, we dive deeper into the complexities behind what behavior means, misconceptions, and helpful perspectives to keep in mind.

 

Free behavior guidance tool can be found here: https://www.tsbvi.edu/tsbvi-publications#publications

Further discussions about the topic: Coffee Hour

Lynne and Deanna's contact info:

mcalisterl@tsbvi.edu

petersond@tsbvi.edu

 

Monique Coleman (soon to be Dr. Coleman) is a longtime educator in the field of blindness education and an adjunct professor with San Francisco State University. Her recent article on Paths to Literacy titled, "Culturally Responsive Literacy Education with Learners Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired," caught our attention and inspired us to invite her on our show. She mentions many other leaders in education with a focus on diversity and inclusion, so be sure to listen close.

 

Article Link: https://www.pathstoliteracy.org/blog/culturally-responsive-literacy-education-learners-who-are-blind-or-visually-impaired

Families of children who are blind, deafblind, or have low vision value resources to better understand, and have conversations regarding, their child's educational program. Paul Olson, Superintendent of North Dakota Vision Services/ School for the Blind, initiated the creation of such a document and is going to tell us all about it. "A Bill of Rights for All Children with Visual Impairment and Their Families" was co-authored by Paul, Emily, and Janie Blome. Check out the below links to view the resources discussed yourself.

 

Bill of Rights in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese:

https://aerbvi.org/resources/publications/

Abbreviated Bill of Rights for families:

https://familyconnect.org/blog/raising-a-child-who-is-blind-and/my-version-of-the-bill-of-rights/

 

Lastly, we will not be posting an episode for January 1st. In the meantime if you have questions or want to suggest topics for future episodes, feel free to contact us at podcast@tsbvi.edu. Otherwise, we'll see you back here in one month!

Teaching and learning STEM subjects is difficult for everyone, and for students with disabilities it can be a greater challenge due to lack of access. Today Dr. Cary Supalo joins us to discuss his experiences as a blind student, and how educators can help encourage students who are blind to get interested in STEM.

In this episode, Emily will explore what it means to work in family engagement. You'll hear from Edgenie Bellah and Yolanda Shaw, some of the hurdles educators and families both struggle with, and how we all ultimately hope to keep the child's best interests at heart. Expert Katherine Houck will also provide further information about family engagement opportunities.

Few things are more helpful to the parent of a blind, visually impaired, or deafblind child than being able to connect with other parents who know the joy, and also the struggles, of their situation. Amy Potts, Barbara Knighton, and Patty Bushland join us this month to talk about how they started TSBVI Family Lynx and how it's helping parents of students at TSBVI and how parent organizations across the country are doing the same. 

Jeff Molzow is a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, someone who helps teach adults who are blind and visually impaired to return to work successfully and effectively. Jeff has continuously pushed the envelope of his field via his passion for blind advocacy, combined with a strong background in technology. 

Now Jeff is here to help us understand what White Cane Day is, and why it's such an important day for the blind community. You'll also hear from TSBVI student Michael Fulk, sharing his take on this holiday.

For more information about White Cane Day visit https://whitecaneday.org/

Dr. Rosy Carranza facilitates the Teacher of Tomorrow Program with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). In this episode, Rosy shares her background, her expertise, and her passion surrounding the education of blind students and the educators who teach them.

To learn more about the Teacher of Tomorrow program visit https://nfb.org/programs-services/education/teachers-tomorrow

Welcome back from the break! Just like you, we're slowly working our way back into the flow of the new school year. Today we're going to share with you a great collaboration some of our students participated in over the summer with Texas Folklife and their Stories from Deep in the Heart podcast series. Today you'll hear stories about Texas barbecue, haunted hotels, and the dark history of the famous moon towers throughout town. 

Visit https://texasfolklife.org/ to learn more about Texas Folklife and to hear more from the Stories from Deep in the Heart podcast series. 

This episode we welcome back Dr. Cay Holbrook and Janie Blome, founders of the Getting Touch With Literacy conference. On the last episode they talked about the history of GITWL as well as how they are preparing to say farewell to the conference this December. This time we let them step up on the soapbox to discuss all things conference and blind education.

 

The Getting In Touch With Literacy conference will be held December 1-4, 2021 in St. Pete Beach, Florida. For more information on the conference visit http://www.gettingintouchwithliteracy.org/ and register now! If you have further questions feel free to contact Dr. Holbrook at cay.holbrook@ubc.ca or Janie Blome at janie.blome@att.net. 

 

Now, after 2.5 years, 63 episodes, and ~23,700 downloads we are finally ready to take a short break from podcasting. In the meantime if you have questions or want to suggest topics for future episodes feel free to contact us at podcast@tsbvi.edu. Otherwise, we'll see you back here in September. Enjoy your summer!