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CR-VHT-30: Technology Instruction Outside the Box

Overview
The struggle is real! Assistive technology plays a centrally important role in the lives of students with visual impairments and it is critical that instruction occurs at an early age. Teachers of students with visual impairments provide instruction across multiple areas, which creates challenges addressing all their students’ needs across multiple environments. Since assistive technology is one component of the ECC, it is easy to imagine the challenge teachers face of ensuring assistive technology instruction is addressed consistently and effectively. However, teachers of students with visual impairments are creatively integrating instruction and practice using access technology throughout the school day and at home, which is critical for students to become efficient and well-versed users and consumers of technology. Come learn and share ways to integrate assistive technology instruction and practice while teaching or reinforcing other areas of the ECC and the core curriculum.

Learning Objectives

  1. Identify at least three ways to include AT instruction in other areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum.
  2. Describe at least three strategies to reinforce the use of AT throughout a student’s day across multiple environments.
  3. Identify at least three pieces of technology to teach or reinforce orientation and mobility skills and/or concepts.
Strand
Vision & Hearing Technologies

Target Audience

Administrators; Consultants/Trainers; Curriculum and Instruction; Educators; Family Members; Instructional Technologist; Speech-Language Pathologists; Teachers of the Visually Impaired

Experience Level

Introductory

Content Area

Professional Area

ATIA 2020 Conference Recording

This course was given at the ATIA 2020 Conference on Friday, January 31, 2020 2:20 PM - 3:20 PM

Continuing Education Credits

For Satisfactory Completion and Continuing Education information, please visit: ATIA Online Education CEUs

This course is offered for the following CE Provider Credits:
ACVREP (General & ATBVI); AOTA; IACET
For: 0.1 CEU Units.

Start date of ASHA CEUs offering: April 1, 2020
End date of ASHA CEUs offering: June 30, 2023
Type: ASHA

This course was offered for 0.1 ASHA CEUs (Introductory level, Professional area).

Speaker/s:
Andrea Wallace
Florida Instructional Materials Center for the Visually Impaired
Andrea Wallace works at the Florida Instructional Materials Center for the Visually Impaired (FIMC-VI) as a Statewide Educational Specialist for the Visually Impaired and part-time at Tampa Lighthouse for the Blind as a transition teacher. She has taught youth with visual impairments for 10 years in a variety of settings. She started her career as an orientation and mobility specialist and Transition program coordinator at a Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired that served three counties. Her additional experience includes working as an itinerant teacher of students with visual impairments for Pinellas County Schools, as well as a transition and children’s program teacher at Pinellas Lighthouse. Andrea has also taught as an adjunct professor for the Florida State University Visual Disabilities Satellite Program. At FIMC-VI, Andrea provides technical assistance, educational workshops and trainings for parents, teachers, paraprofessionals, and anyone who works with children who are visually impaired.
Relevant Financial Relationship: Yes
My salary is paid by the Florida Instructional Materials Center for the Visually Impaired, a Bureau of Exceptional Education Student Services (BEESS) discretionary project of the Florida Department of Education. Additionally, part-time salary is earned for teaching at the Lighthouse for the Blind & Low Vision.
Relevant Non-Financial Relationship: Yes
Committee member of the Florida Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired.