Skill Building – My Visually Impaired Students Taught Me to See – Stacey Telgren and Carla Morrow Iowa Educational Services for Blind and Visually Impaired

Welcome Name Where you work Welcome Name Where you work? What you would like to learn from this session?

Independent Living skills Personal grooming & hygiene Management of time and money Food management Clothing management Health and wellness Organizational skills Home maintenance and housekeeping We are more alike than we are different - Independent living skills are the abilities to care for personal needs, manage time & money and maintain a safe and healthy living environment.

Why are they important? Why do we need to teach them? Living Learning Working Incidental learning Pre-teaching / adaptations Organizational skills Independent Living skills have a huge impact on relationships. Proficiency of skills determine level of care in living environments. Impact vocational opportunities. Students with visual impairments are at a distinct disadvantage in acquiring independent living skills since these skills are often learned through imitation and observation There are many specific procedures and adaptations which make these skills easier for a person who is visually impaired. Students should not be expected to discover these on their own (Miller & Levack, 1997) Incidental learning Specific instruction and appropriate modifications Modeling organizational skills – establish associations and develop concepts to assist with problem-solving abilities

Skill equivalency for my middle/high school student. TSBVI – Assessment & Ongoing Evaluation Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired Michigan Department of Education – Low Incidence Outreach - Michigan Independent Living Skills Guide Michigan Independent Living Skill Guides Texas Ongoing Assessment & Evaluation Michigan Low Incidence Outreach Independent Living Skill Guides Perkins School for the Blind Washington School for the Blind – Video clips Molly Burke

Additional resources for your middle/high school student Perkins School for the Blind Perkins Expanded Core Curriculum Washington School for the Blind – Video clips Video clips on Blindness - Washington School for the Blind Molly Burke – you tube videos Official Molly Burke page

Things My Blind & Visually Impaired Students Needed Me to SEE! Intentionally or Not!

I am an adult. As a young adult though that does not mean I am completely through acting in childish ways or choosing childish activities. 2. Thank you for talking to me like an adult. Adult conversations or outcomes are still new to me and I need all the practice I can get. 3. I need to be challenged. Just because I see differently or not at all, does not mean I do not need to be successful. I need to be prepared to face the world just like every other student. 4. I need to do things for myself. Personal struggle is necessary for growth! 5. I want to do activities others my age are doing. Social interaction is important. I may not be aware that activities/ hobbies I choose are not age-appropriate if no one has ever let me know.

6. It is frustrating when accessibility is limited or non-existent 6. It is frustrating when accessibility is limited or non-existent. My friends enjoy certain video games, it either has to be accessible or I am out of luck most of the time. 7. I am learning to like myself. I enter your class with my own assumptions, values and beliefs. Can you accept me and learn to work with me without totally changing ? 8. I want to be successful in life, work hard and learn while having fun. Help me learn new ways to have fun, but know getting me out of my comfort zone will NOT be easy! 9. Students are students, now matter what age, size or learning need. Offer advice even though they may not use it. 10. Getting others to do things for me is something I learned through the years. “Learned helplessness” is the result of others doing it for me because it is faster, I will make a mess or I might get hurt. Why should I do it myself if somebody else will?

What Difference Can This Make For You?

Experiential Learning Activities Food Management - independent selection and preparation of daily snack. Money Management – identification of coins and learn the folding techniques to identify bills. Debit and credit card strategies. Clothing Management – identify and selection of clothing appropriate for the weather/activity and dress the mannequin

How do we get successful outcomes? Know your student Practice Generalize Make learning fun Praise Know your student – each student is motivated to learn in different – teaching techniques and approaches may vary on how the student responds best Treat each and every opportunity as an possible teaching moment Practice – VI students learn best through consistency and repetition Practice skills in other environments so student scan generalize what they learn and adapt those skills as needed Praise and encourage students to develop self determination

Questions? Stacey Telgren, 4PLUS Teacher of the Visually Impaired Iowa School for the Deaf 3501 Harry Langdon Blvd Council Bluffs, Iowa 51503 stelgren@iowa-braille.k12.ia.us (319)777-8137 Carla Morrow, Extended Learning Programmer Iowa Educational Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired cmorrow@iowa-braille.k12.ia.us (319) 310-8597

Resources Independent Living , Activity Routines, Including Adaptations for students with Visual Impairments, A companion to Independent Living, Volume II TSBVI Assessment & Ongoing Evaluation, A Curriculum with Adaptations for Students with Visual Impairments TSBVI Department of Michigan, Low Incidence Outreach – Independent Living Skills guides Perkins School for the Blind Washington School for the Blind – Video clips Molly Burke – you tube videos