1. Life is About Independence Skill Building for Elementary Students
Carla Morrow CTRS
Extended Learning Programmer
Iowa Educational Services for Blind and Visually Impaired

2. Welcome Name Where you work
State a characteristic that you feel is very important when working with elementary students in the classroom, home or community environments.

3. Objectives for today
Develop an awareness of the need for specialized instruction for independent living skills.
Learn the importance of teaching independent living skills throughout the developmental years to prepare for the future.
Discuss examples of vision specific activities to enhance development.
Learn how to promote adaptations in the environment to support learning.

4. What should an elementary student be expected to do?
Independent Living Skills Guide
Ultimately, the IEP team directs the instruction and focus of learning for the child. As Phil Hatlen stated: Parents and educators form a special, vital, and necessary partnership.
IESBVI offers consultant consultation in math, science, literacy, family & transition, technology and multiple disabilities.

5. Independent Living Skills
Organization
Clothing Management
Personal Grooming & Hygiene
Food Management
Telephone Usage
Money
Time
Health & Safety
Reference we are more alike than we are different /
Gift of Time ….. Phil Hatlen
“If we infuse in our blind and visually impaired children the concept of equality, including the equality of education, then how do we convince them and their parents that equality of education means providing the time to learn all aspects of academic education and the ECC in order to be prepared for adult life? We must provide our teachers and children the Gift of Time.” Phil Hatlen
Why do we need specialized instruction for independent living skills?

6. Organization ….A place for everything and everything in it’s place
Be a good role model
Make sure students have ample space for the materials they are required to use throughout the day
Build in practice, if organizational skills interfere with the ability to complete homework or locate items in a reasonable amount of time
Mark folders and items for easy identification in large print or Braille.
Use dividers, non-slip materials etc.
Reference to know your student – know and understand their vision needs (Read the FVA) and their learning mode.
Reduce clutter – example of packing for ISD (decrease the feelings of anxiety, frustration, being overwhelmed)
What to keep? What to toss? Teach prioritization
Fixed reference points to help explore the world (landmark or clue to assist with organization) and develop a foundation to organizational skills that will be used as the child grows and changes.
Routines and sequences

7. Clothing Management
Ability to understand concepts (front/back, inside out, top/bottom, right/left)
Ensure privacy when dressing, toileting
Buttoning
Zipping
Ability to tie shoes
Clothing selection (understanding weather, dress for the occasion)
Recess example and sequence and routine work

8. Personal Grooming & Hygiene
Toileting
Hand washing
Tooth brushing
Many of these skills are dependent on the ability to have a certain degree of motor control, balance, sensory awareness and cognition …. Teaching strategies will vary with each child.
Toileting – grounded, music or preferred item, reward, communication throughout
Handwashing is important in all environments …. This is the skill that is most difficult to generalize for blind persons in my opinion as every bathroom is different. Another example of sequence and routine practice
Importance in allowing the child to regulate and know how to regulate the temperature of the water
Hand under hand

9. Food Management Navigating the cafeteria – pre teaching
Using a tray and cane simultaneously
Posture
Sensory issues and concerns
Exploration
Lunchtime is social – inclusive experience with peers
Use of utensils
Ability to eat and reduce messiness
Orientation & Mobility specialist can assist with navigating the cafeteria and learning the different techniques that can be used to independently carry your own tray and use your cane
Posture is key to good eating habits and decreases messiness
Recognition that many children have issues with different smells and textures and some may be aversive to the blind/VI child
Exploration with their fingers is acceptable (dependent on the foods) until the student is around the age of 7 and then utensils should be highly encouraged or the child should be exposed to the technique of using a pusher
Messiness is a common problem with blind/VI children. It is important that extreme messiness is addressed otherwise the child does not realize they made a mess and that it is not a common behavior. A child may bring their own sack lunch as it is easier to eat preferred items and most of the time the packed lunch has finger foods so they are not required to use utensils if they have not developed good skills – allow the child to use a tray as it will allow them to organize their lunch items and reduce messiness since the tray will catch some spills, crumbs etc.

10. Telephone / Social media
Model how to answer and engage in a conversation on the phone
Personal telephone and address
911 Emergency
Accessibility
Stranger danger
Advocacy
All children (capable of learning this information) should be taught telephone #, address, parent names – speed dials
911 Emergency and information that is communicated to a person if you call 911 emergency – in the classroom it is very important for the student to know where exits are and be able to differentiate between the various alarms in the school.
Technology and how to access the accessibility features needed for communication (close captioning or voice over or both)
Instruction in social awareness and what information that can and should be divulged when conversing on the phone or receiving information in any social format
How to be self determined and advocate for the use of their phone or electronic device if needed for instructional purposes (hands on magnification or specialized apps)

11. Money
Understanding the various concepts associated with money (purchasing, budgeting, saving, earning)
Differentiate coins
Understand various techniques to effectively identify bills
Orientation of credit cards/hotel cards and how to swipe/insert for payment in stores

12. Time Routine/schedule Past vs. future events Waiting
Importance of being prompt
Understanding concepts (never, soon, always, old, new, now)
Understand time frames within a day (morning, afternoon & evening)
Differentiate day, week, month, year
Telling time
Managing time

13. Health & Safety Understanding evacuation routes
Problem-solving in an emergency situation
Medical
Participate in the class discussion topics
Basic first aid
The child should be introduced to the evacuation routes and how to travel these routes (practice with the O&M)
Problem solving role playing for different scenarios to utilize the ability to problem solve … use example from Goalball last year
Understand their medical limitations – needs in regards to medicine and communicate their health needs/illness to the para, teacher or others use bathroom example at camp
Peer pressure and sexuality and how to explain to the blind/VI child – IESBVI library for that older group of children that may start talking about human sexuality, drugs and how to keep a healthy body and mind.
Basic First aid and how to use a first aid kit – talking first aid kit is available through the IESBVI library
Obviously, all of these skills mentioned can only further the development of skills so that the child can be better prepared for middle and high school. These skills reinforce what is needed to develop more independence and empowerment as the child ages.
Working on these skills at a very young age only helps with the child’s ability to generalize the skills and become proficient in a variety of environments.

14. Activity
Directions: Each group of 4-5 persons can choose a topic covered today and brainstorm ideas for vision specific activities that would reinforce these independent living skills and still cover core academics in the classroom setting. Organization – Food – Clothing – Money Personal Grooming & Hygiene – Time Telephone/Social Media - Health & Safety

15. Activity Example Topic : Money
Instruction on how to fold money – Art & Math (shapes)
Instruction on how to identify coins and their value – Percentages in Math
Role play purchasing an item in the store – receiving change and how to manage it in your billfold/wallet – Drama, Literacy & Math
The local food bank opened 18 days in January and 21 days in February. If it will be opened for 15 days in March, how many days is it open in these three months? – Math, Science (what season would these months fall?) and Health (understanding what a food bank is and how it benefits society)
Incorporate technology and develop QR codes – Technology and Literacy

16. Adapting materials and activities
Equipment adaptations – audible indicator (timer), talking calculator, apps for learning, talking abacus, tactile manipulatives
Rule adaptations – slowing the pace, additional chances, choices, additional time
Environmental adaptations – decreasing distractions, tactile , contrast, lighting, colors, preferential seating, markings for room doors/lockers/stairs, utilization of reference points
Instructional- verbal cues, modeling, physical guidance, tactile modeling, pre teaching

17. What we want for our students
The opportunity to be equal … the right to be different. -Phil Hatlen 2009

18. Questions
Carla Morrow Extended Learning Programmer Iowa Educational Services for Blind and Visually Impaired (319)

19. Resources
Michigan Department of Education Low Incidence Outreach – Independent Living Skills Guides Independent Living Skills Guides
Assessment & Ongoing Evaluation, A Curriculum with Adaptations for Students with Visual Impairments Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Teaching Life Differently, The Expanded Core Curriculum for Babies and Young Children with Visual Impairments Perkins
Quick & Easy, The Expanded Core Curriculum American Printing House (APH)

20. Resources
Labeling, Marking and Organization, A Self-Help Guide for Persons after Vision Loss APH
Strategies for Inclusion, A Handbook for Physical Educators
Lauren J. Lieberman and Cathy Houston- Wilson
Human Kinetics 2009