This article includes general strategies for building the foundation for literacy, as well as suggestions for creating books for young children who are blind or visually impaired.
Many VI teachers are familiar with the object calendars that are part of the communication methodology developed by Dr. Jan van Dijk for students with deafblindness. The calendar boxes represent time, usually one school day.
Organizational skills include maintaining a structure for ones possessions, including school and personal items), time management, and the ability to prioritize things on the to do list. They are a critical part of compensatory access for students with visual impairment.
Tips for setting up preschool classrooms serving young children with visual impairments
In the past year or two, I’ve written a narrative story incorporating all the UEB braille signs. The narrative is titled, Track Meet Day.
Here are some hands-on Dr. Seuss-themed activities with adaptations and thoughts from retired Perkins teacher Cindy O’Connell on how to make them concept-based. March is the time of year we celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday, although these ideas can be tried any time of year.
This activity is designed to help children who are deafblind, blind or visually impaired to count down the days until an event occurs using a tactile chart with braille.
This lesson is designed to teach braille students to identify punctuation used in the UEB (Unified English Braille) code.
In this hands-on activity, students who are blind and visually impaired learn about seeds in a science project, while also incorporating reading and writing to develop braille literacy skills.
Teaching students to show their appreciation is a great way to practice braille literacy skills, while also reinforcing areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum.
