Welcome to the #Outreaching Blog!

Earlier this fall, PRCVI added LEGO kits that are connected with accessible digital online instructions to its library. These kits have been a popular item for teachers to request on loan, and in working with teachers and students as they use these kits, we've been thinking of all the areas of the ECC that could be supported through this activity. The first step in using the L ...

The PRCVI outreach team attended the Getting in Touch with Literacy Conference in Seattle, WA from November 14-16, 2019. We've prepared an overview of the sessions we attended along with links to presentation notes and resources. Turning on Touch Thinking: From Tactile Discrimination to Braille Letter Identification This presentation by Donna McNear focused on teaching tactil ...

Our friends at the Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority recently shared with us a document that APSEA O&M Specialists and TSVIs use to determine which O&M skills are taught by the TSVI in collaboration with the O&M Specialist (Teaching Categories), which are taught by the O&M Specialist but reinforced by the TSVI (Reinforcing Categories), and which are ...

It’s no secret that we love braille at PRCVI! And we always look forward to bringing some of that enthusiasm into classrooms. Recently, a teacher of students with visual impairments invited us into one of their student’s middle school classrooms for an introduction to braille lesson. The students learned about the braille cell, dot numbers, alphabet, and capital indicator. T ...

Have you seen the new LEGO Audio and Braille Instructions? LEGO has made four popular building block sets accessible by creating step-by-step audio instructions as well as screen reading-friendly and refreshable braille display-friendly instructions! Of the four building block sets that have been adapted with audio and refreshable braille display-friendly instructions, PRCVI ha ...

Building a Curriculum Bridge: The Challenge of Itinerant Teaching Dr. Kevin Stewart was the keynote speaker at the Charting Our Ways Vision Teacher Conference in Sidney, BC (October 2008). He is well recognized for his research and publications focusing on the learning styles of children with visual impairments, with and without additional disabilities, and on early orientatio ...

The abacus is a valuable tool for students with visual impairments. It provides them with an accessible manipulative that can enable them to work quickly through even complex math problems. PRCVI has a number of resources that can be helpful when teaching this compensatory skill to students with visual impairments. The Abacus There are several tools available in the APH catal ...

Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year! With many new TSVIs starting work in itinerant roles, this article from Paths to Literacy could not be more timely. Written by our friend Charlotte Cushman, it is filled with incredibly useful tips for those colleagues just starting their itinerant voyage.  20 Tips for New Itinerant TSVIs and COMS I thought it might be helpful to add some ...

On Saturday, June 22 the 19th annual International Braille Challenge Finals were held in Los Angeles. This year's event coincided with the 100th anniversary of the Braille Institute - the organization and team behind this incredible event. Each year, the top ten finalists in each contest category from Apprentice to Varsity are invited to Los Angeles to compete. The finals ki ...

This week is National AccessAbility Awareness Week in Canada. The week, which lasts from May 26 to June 1, celebrates and raises awareness about the importance of accessibility and inclusive design in areas such as work, school, leisure activities, and communities. Activities and events are being held in provinces across Canada, including virtual celebrations through the #Acces ...

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