The Outreach department at Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired has a variety of online offerings to support professionals working with the blind or visually impaired population. Our Coffee Hour, Tech Tea Time, and Early Childhood Learning Community sessions have been attended by professionals both nationally and internationally. Take a look at what’s coming up this semester to see if you might also benefit from some of these opportunities.
Coffee Hour
Coffee Hour is a free, one-hour, weekly, virtual professional development series. There are monthly themes, and the sessions each week relate to that month’s theme. This school year’s themes have included evaluation, instructional strategies, orientation and mobility, family engagement, etiologies, and braille. This semester’s themes are as follows:
- February will cover CVI topics.
- March will cover the Expanded Core Curriculum topics.
- April will cover deafblind topics.
- May will cover mental health topics.
The vast majority of TSBVI’s Coffee Hour sessions are recorded and archived on the TSBVI Coffee Hour Landing Page, along with any handouts, transcripts, and the chat from each session. To see what’s upcoming and register for Coffee Hour, visit the TSBVI Events Page, or sign up to receive TSBVI Updates via email.
Tech Tea Time
Tech Tea Time is a weekly, one-hour gathering designed to support individuals working with students who have visual impairments, including blindness, and who rely on various technologies to access their curriculum. The series provides a platform for educators, assistive technology specialists, and other professionals to share innovative lesson ideas, discuss new advancements in assistive technology, troubleshoot challenges, and connect with peers in a collaborative community of practice. Since its inception, Tech Tea Time has been an invaluable resource for teachers to exchange knowledge and ensure that students with visual impairments can make the most of the latest technological tools to succeed in their educational journeys.

Looking ahead, the upcoming sessions for the Tech Tea Time series promise to dive deeper into a range of technologies and teaching strategies.
- On January 30th, Sara Larkin will discuss the Desmos graphing calculator, a versatile tool for students with visual impairments.
- On February 6th, Jeff Bazer will present on Vispero, exploring its assistive technology solutions.
- On February 13th, Stephanie Steffer will showcase the Look and Gaze Detector.
- On February 20th, Lara Rondberg and Mary Ann Mendez will discuss Bookshare.
- On March 6th, Klaus-Peter Hars from Inventivio will offer a live demo of the Tactonom Reader.
Tech Tea Time sessions then move into topics like digital math workflows, mind mapping tools, and even the role of AI in supporting students with complex needs. This is a unique opportunity to stay on the cutting edge of assistive technology and enhance the teaching experience for students with visual impairments. To see what’s upcoming and register for Tech Tea Time, visit the TSBVI Events Page, or sign up to receive TSBVI Updates via email.
Early Childhood Learning Community
The Early Childhood Learning Community (ECLC) is a new monthly forum designed to support professionals working with young children who are blind, have low vision, or are deafblind. We discuss focused topics, share our experiences, and brainstorm solutions to the unique challenges we may face in creating quality programs for our students. Attendees are encouraged to engage in discussion and share ideas for future topics of interest. We would love to learn along with you. Some topics we have covered include CVI, the ECC, coaching, and early literacy ideas for braille learners. Each topic is typically proposed during the current forum, but some ideas we have for future sessions include a focus on deafblindness, low vision, and creating routines. To participate in the group, complete the short TSBVI ECLC Registration Form.
All of our offerings allow for individuals to indicate whether they have accessibility needs, and we encourage you to reach out if you have questions before signing up. CEUs are available for attendees of Coffee Hour and Tech Tea Time. A special thanks to Kaycee Bennett and Donna Clemens who contributed to this article on behalf of Coffee Hour and Tech Tea Time. Happy learning!