Episodes
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
The Semi-Modulars
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
Tuesday Sep 01, 2020
One of the most challenging and fun parts of teaching students in a residential school is extracurricular activities. These activities are essential to helping our students gain important social skills and to help fill the time on campus they aren't spending in the classroom. TSBVI Residential Instructor Dan Butler joins us to talk about The Semi-Modulars, a student music group born from his idea of using tactile synthesizers to help kids learn about music and sound design. We also hear from a member of The Semi-Modulars, Graham, about how the group has helped him tackle challenges in his own life.
To hear more of of The Semi-Modulars visit: http://www.thesemimodulars.bandcamp.com/
Saturday Aug 15, 2020
TSBVI Reopening Plans
Saturday Aug 15, 2020
Saturday Aug 15, 2020
This episode is getting uploaded a little later than usual so that we could ensure the accuracy of the information inside. As of the morning of August 15, 2020, these are up-to-date. But given the shifting nature of information, we will strive to keep this updated if anything changes.
Emily, Sally Freeman, and Daniel Wheeler speak about the current plans to reopen the school and what safety protocols and equipment is in place. Emily speaks on the school as a whole, Sally on the Health Center perspective, and Daniel on the technological challenges and opportunities brought about by this crisis.
This is specific to the Texas school, but if you're listening from elsewhere we hope it can help you with information. As always, we hope you are safe and secure and are helping bring services to those who need it.
Saturday Aug 01, 2020
Chris Tabb - O&M at a Distance
Saturday Aug 01, 2020
Saturday Aug 01, 2020
At the very least, Spring 2020 saw school systems scrambling to maintain their educational mandate for their students. Few experienced the challenges of distance learning more than those who teach O&M, the most physically contacted part of education for those who are blind or visually impaired. We are fortunate to have specialists like Chris Tabb, formerly of TSBVI and currently of Maryland School for the Blind (though stay tuned for an update on that), in the field to bring their curiosity and voracious appetite for information to the rescue.
Chris presented some of his insights to these challenges in April as part of one of TSBVI Outreach's answers to the COVID challenge: their three-times-a-week Coffee Hours that provided professional development for people in the field throughout Texas, the country, and the world. This brainchild of newly-minted Outreach Director Kate Borg grew in popularity during its two-month run and was recently recognized with a presidential citation for excellence from the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division of Visual Impairments and Deafblindness and the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired. There are rumors that it will continue in some form in coming months, even once our pandemic restrictions are lifted.
Chris brings his usual passion for the field, as well as his volumes of resources which you can access with the links below.
Chris' Live Binder
Chris' Distance Learning Resources
Coffee Hour Resources, Transcripts, and Recordings
Wednesday Jul 15, 2020
Special Episode: Barbara Miles
Wednesday Jul 15, 2020
Wednesday Jul 15, 2020
Barbara Miles has been a leader in the field of DeafBlind education for as long as we can remember. Before her recent retirement she hosted a workshop at TSBVI and was kind enough to sit down with our own Matt Schultz and Chris Montgomery to talk about communication and building relationships with our students and what she hopes to see in the field of DeafBlind education going forward.
Wednesday Jul 01, 2020
Special Episode: Person First Language
Wednesday Jul 01, 2020
Wednesday Jul 01, 2020
Between given names, nicknames, and any number of adjectives used to describe yourself, language will always be an important part of how people identify themselves. In this episode we bring in our resident linguist Doug Bigham to discuss some context of person first versus identity first language and how it has been used in marginalized communities. We will also share perspectives from past interviews with Adam Wilton, Neva Fairchild, and Greg Stilson to discuss how educators and people with visual impairments are using person first or identity first language to describe themselves and the people in the communities they serve.
Monday Jun 15, 2020
Bruce McClanahan Live!
Monday Jun 15, 2020
Monday Jun 15, 2020
This is the recording of our first live episode on June 5th. Assistive Technology Guru Bruce McClanahan joined Emily for a discussion on the past, present, and future of assistive technology and to trade insights from their years in the field. If you'd like more information or access to Bruce's copious resources, you can find that here.
Monday Jun 01, 2020
Live Sense of Texas Episode Coming This Friday!
Monday Jun 01, 2020
Monday Jun 01, 2020
This is not an episode. It's a teaser for our first LIVE episode this Friday, June 5th at 1PM eastern time. Emily will sit down (virtually) with assistive technology expert and legend Bruce McClanahan for a discussion on all things assistive and remote tech. We hope you'll be in the audience and will contribute your own questions and conversation during the episode. There's more info in the teaser.
The link to the LIVE episode's Zoom room.
See you on Friday!
Friday May 15, 2020
Neva Fairchild - AFB
Friday May 15, 2020
Friday May 15, 2020
The impact of becoming blind as an adult isn't often on the minds of educators working mostly with children who are blind or visually impaired. Helping adults learn the skills needed to live and work with their disability is an important part of educating all individuals with vision loss. Neva Fairchild, National Aging and Vision Loss specialist with American Foundation for the Blind, joins the podcast this week to discuss how AFB is helping individuals who become blind later and shares some of her own journey as a person who is blind.
Friday May 01, 2020
Chrissy Cowan & Cyral Miller - Mentor Programs Part 2
Friday May 01, 2020
Friday May 01, 2020
In March, Chrissy and Cyral told us about the origins and operations of the Texas Mentor Programs with special attention on the experience of the mentee. Now they return to focus on the experience of the mentors and speak about their work helping other states set up programs for their own teachers. Afterwards, one of the alumnus of the program Pam Parker, Outreach Director for the Washington State School for the Blind (and one of Emily's mentors), joins us to offer her perspective on the Texas program as an out-of-state professional and program participant.
All of us at TSBVI and A Sense of Texas hope this episode finds you healthy and helpful in this time of upheaval. We hope the podcast has and will continue to provide needed information to you. If you are looking for further resources, please visit the TSBVI Media Library for our extensive collection of webinars and training videos.
And check out our new program Coffee Hour with TSBVI, a thrice-weekly chance to hear from and chat with education professionals from TSBVI, around the country, and around the globe.
Wednesday Apr 15, 2020
Dr. Yue-Ting Siu - Accessibility and Remote Instruction
Wednesday Apr 15, 2020
Wednesday Apr 15, 2020
The Covid-19 pandemic caught many systems and individuals by surprise, causing many to scramble for solutions to daily-changing circumstances. As one state’s school districts after another closed schools and delayed student return, many teaching professionals found themselves working fast and improvising in order to keep lessons making it to their students. These challenges are especially acute for special education teachers.
One person inordinately prepared for a challenge such as this is Emily’s guest Dr. Yue-Ting Siu, a TVI and assistant professor in the Program for Visual Impairments in the Department of Special Education at San Francisco State. She literally wrote the book on accessible technology and we couldn’t be more fortunate to have her with us to share her critical knowledge at a tumultuous time.
Links Referenced in This Episode:
Wednesday Apr 01, 2020
Greg Stilson - APH
Wednesday Apr 01, 2020
Wednesday Apr 01, 2020
Greg Stilson joins the podcast to discuss his journey as a blind programmer in the private sector and how APH is positioning themselves as a global innovator in the field of assistive technology.
Sunday Mar 15, 2020
Chrissy Cowan & Cyral Miller - Mentor Programs
Sunday Mar 15, 2020
Sunday Mar 15, 2020
Sometimes a new TVI or COMS (or one in training) find themselves in an area with a small support system. In a state the size of Texas, this can happen more often than not as many school districts are far-flung and in isolated areas. Cyral and Chrissy join Emily to discuss the programs TSBVI Outreach instituted decades ago to address this issue and how they've kept it going and the improvements that have been made over time. This will be Part One of this discussion, which will conclude this time next month.
Sunday Mar 01, 2020
Kathi Garza - NOAH
Sunday Mar 01, 2020
Sunday Mar 01, 2020
TSBVI's own Kathi Garza joins the podcast to tell us how NOAH (National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation) provides opportunities for individuals with albinism to fellowship with one another and create an empowering environment for parents of children with albinism to learn more about the condition and how they can help their child lead rewarding lives. To provide a parents perspective on NOAH Sara Venn joins us via telephone from North Carolina.
Saturday Feb 15, 2020
Scott Baltisberger - Emotional Literacy
Saturday Feb 15, 2020
Saturday Feb 15, 2020
When a child resists being taught, what is the problem? Is it simply behavioral? Is is a failure of teaching skill? Emily speaks with TSBVI Outreach Consultant Scott Baltisberger about his recent article in TX SenseAbilities (TSBVI's newsletter) regarding some recent new understanding about what's necessary to create the right environment for learning to take place. It's both new and remarkably intuitive. After the interview, Ann Adkins- editor-in-chief of TX SenseAbilities- tells us more about the publication and how to get your own copies to read articles like Scott's.
www.tsbvi.edu/tx-senseabilities
Saturday Feb 01, 2020
Adam Wilton - Services in Canada
Saturday Feb 01, 2020
Saturday Feb 01, 2020
While the United States and Canada are often viewed as very similar there are some distinct and interesting differences between how the two countries offer services to people who are blind and visually impaired. #LearnedGentleman Adam Wilton from the Provincial Resource Center for the Visually Impaired (PRCVI) in Vancouver, British Columbia joins us to discuss how services in Canada differ from those in the US and to explore many tangents with host Emily Coleman.