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Michigan Department of Education-Low Incidence Outreach (MDE-LIO)
Newsletter November 2015
In This Issue:
MDE-LIO Instructional Materials Center Braille Bits Orientation and Mobility TipIndependent Living Skills TipTechnology CornerCamp TuhsmehetaDeaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) News Professional Development Opportunities
Information Line: 888-760-2206MDE-LIO Website: mdelio.org
Greetings!
Please enjoy reading this issue of the Michigan Department of Education- Low Incidence Outreach (MDE-LIO) newsletter. It is a collaborative effort of our staff to provide valuable information regarding services, materials and professional development opportunities for all. MDE-LIO is your state agency, and we want to assist in your tireless efforts to teach/guide students in the great State of Michigan to achieve to their utmost abilities. Check out the latest American Printing House for the Blind (APH) newsletter (www.aph.org/news).
Thanks for all you do!
Collette Bauman
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Collette Bauman, Supervisor, Michigan Department of Education-Low Incidence Outreach
Michigan Department of Education-Low Incidence Outreach (MDE-LIO) Instructional Materials Center (IMC) NewsHow long does it take to get American Printing House for The Blind (APH) books and products?
Michigan Department of Education-Low Incidence Outreach (MDE-LIO) is committed to making sure you get the products you need as quickly as possible. This year we have been receiving many requests for the status of APH book and product orders. Rest assured that your orders are being submitted to APH in a timely fashion. However, we want you to know the time frame to get books and products may be longer than expected.
APH doesn’t warehouse books and products. They produce books and products as they are requested. So a request for a large print or braille book has to be printed, bound, packaged and shipped. Another example, a Peel and Feel sticker set has to be produced, packaged and shipped every time we submit an order. This cost-saving measure ensures that no products go unused and frees up funds for the research and development of new and exciting products. However, it also means that it can take longer to receive the items you have requested. For instance, books can take upwards of four weeks to be received. Back ordered items can take even longer, depending on production schedules.
With this in mind, MDE-LIO encourages teachers to order items for the school year as early as possible. We know APH is a valuable resource, and we are only letting you know their time parameters are different than ours as they are servicing the whole United States. We very much appreciate their educational products and materials.
Where should I submit an order for an APH book?
All book requests should be submitted using the Request a Book page on our website (mdelio.org/blind-visually-impaired/books-and-materials/request-a-book).
Doing so will ensure that your requests for books are processed in a timely fashion and will give you access to the automatic follow up emails that will let you know when your book requests have been processed.
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Assistance for Braille Production
MDE-LIO is happy to announce that we have monies available to assist with your original braille transcription requests. If your braille reader is approved for “free and/or reduced meals” or their parent receives a Bridge card – they are likely eligible. This is allocated for original transcriptions. Please do not wait! Funding is limited and available on a first come first serve basis. Questions? Robert Beaton is happy to be of assistance. Email Robert Beaton ([email protected]) or call the Instructional Materials Center’s direct line: 517-373-2107
Your Instructional Materials Center (IMC) & UEB
MDE-LIO is proud to announce that we currently have thirty-one (31) Unified English Braille (UEB) textbook transcriptions available, twenty-two (22) of which are Math textbooks - UEB with encapsulated Nemeth per the BANA provisional guidelines. We have ten (10) more that are in production!
If there is anything specific that you are finding to be an issue, please don’t hesitate to call 517-373-2107 and speak to Robert Beaton.
Braille BitsBraille Challenge
Ready to take the BRAILLE CHALLENGE®? All students who read braille in kindergarten and above are welcome to participate in the Braille Challenge® on February 27th 2016 at Genesee Intermediate School District. The Braille Challenge® is an academic competition unlike any other. This two-stage contest is designed to motivate blind students to emphasize their study of braille, while rewarding their success with fun-filled, but challenging, local and national events. Can’t make it to Genesee ISD? Contact Johanna Anand ([email protected]) or call her at 517-599-5686 to find out how to take the contest at your school.
Unified English Braille (UEB) Listserv
Join your colleagues here in Michigan to post ideas, questions and comments about the recent changes to our braille code. This forum is open to individuals that work with students that read Braille. Individuals are
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encouraged to pose questions and share ideas regarding the UEB. Contact Johanna Anand ([email protected]) if you are interested in being added to the listserv.
Orientation and Mobility (O&M) TipUpdated Resources on the Web
Check out the updated Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Resources in the Orientation and Mobility section of MDE-LIO's website. It is located under Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC). In addition the O&M Goal Bank and O&M Severity Rating Scales, the O&M Resources contain information and links to assessment and instructional tools, screening tools, professional development, early childhood and other web resources. The direct link is mdelio.org/blind-visually-impaired/expanded-core-curriculum/orientation-mobility.
Independent Living Skills Tip“An ILS Tip from the Field”: Victoria Haber
One independent living skill that can be quick and easy to teach is labeling. Labeled food items and kitchen appliances can increase efficiency and independence with snack and meal preparation. Labeling does not have to be complicated. In fact, the simpler, the better. Label only the items and appliances that you need. For example, in the cupboard, placing a label around a favorite box of cereal will make it easier to find and will easily differentiate that box of cereal from others. On appliances, label only the functions that you need. There is no right or wrong way to label as long as it makes sense to the user.
There are many different materials you can use to label including Braille labels, stickers, masking tape, note cards, puffy paint, rubber bands, magnets, pipe cleaners, clips, etc. Talk with your students to figure out favorite food items in their homes and ways to label them.
American Printing House for the Blind has a new product to help teach this skill, Labeling, Marking, and Organization - A Self-Help Guide for Persons After Vision Loss. This book with accompanying recordings of the text on CDs teaches you to organize with and without labeling, and to create customized marking systems. Vision rehabilitation therapists can use the book as
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homework for their consumers—and consumers can use this book on their own. If you are tired of opening apricots instead of tomatoes, wearing your navy shirt with black slacks, or floundering through files when trying to find your utility bill, then Labeling, Marking, and Organization may be the book you need! Written by Lisa-Anne Mowerson, a renowned vision rehabilitation therapist, it contains practice activities in to help you get started on labeling tasks. “Explorers” (fictitious persons who lost vision) are working through the book along with you, to keep you motivated and encouraged!
Helps You: Identify items without labeling or marking them Clear out clutter Organize by using placement systems and organizers Identify items by using your non-visual senses any your remaining
vision Select the label or mark that will fit the task Stay in charge of your labeling system
Learn to Label: Food (frozen, canned, boxed) Cleaning supplies Paperwork, credit cards, keys Medications, personal
grooming products
Clothing and accessories Remotes, DVDs, CDs, TVs,
stereos Hobbies, games, crafts
Includes:Audio CDs (recording of book) with Braille or Large Print Book
Age Range: 14 and Up Catalog Number: 5-08870-00
Price: $69.00
Technology Corner Assistive Technology Evaluations
This past summer MDE-LIO offered technology evaluations for students with a visual impairment in Lansing. The evaluations were a positive and productive event for parents and their children.
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Assistive technology (AT) can be defined as "any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities" (National Institute of Standards and Technology).
The goal of assistive technology is to give children with disabilities access to literacy and communication in the school, home, and community. These evaluations help to assist teachers in planning and instructing students with the devices that may best meet the needs of the student.
In conjunction with offering this opportunity again in April and August of this coming year, we are currently working on updating the technology curriculum guidelines (mdelio.org/blind-visually-impaired/expanded-core-curriculum/technology/assistive-technology-guidelines) for students with a visual impairment. Please remember to access this great tool on LIO’s website to help you with your students’ technological needs. Stay tuned for further details.
Upcoming Technology Workshops
In September, MDE-LIO collaborated with HumanWare to provide hands-on BrailleNote Apex training for teachers, paraprofessionals and parents. Three workshops were offered and were a huge success. Two of the three workshops will be repeated on December 2nd and 3rd.
December 2, 2015BrailleNote Apex Intermediate: Maximizing the Use of the BrailleNote in the Classroom, Lansing
December 3, 2015Using The BrailleNote Apex to Complete Math Assignments and As A Refreshable Braille Display With PC and iOS, Lansing
December 14–15, 2015Teaching Microsoft Word 2010 Using JAWS, Lansing
There will be many more hands-on assistive technology workshops offered during the 2015/2016 school year. Please visit the MDE-LIO website (mdelio.org) for more details and to register.
An Exciting New Technology Loan Program Available Through MDE-LIO
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Assistive Technology Equipment for Loan - Teachers may borrow BrailleNote Apexes, Brilliants and Mountbatten Whisperers from LIO to try out with your students. The loan period is for eight weeks. Please contact us for a loan application form by calling 888-760-2206 or emailing us at [email protected].
Camp Tuhsmeheta New Renovation at Camp Tuhsmeheta
We are excited to announce the new improvement to the Camp T waterfront. The original Brown Memorial Boathouse needed to be replaced due to foundation issues. The new boathouse has a very strong foundation and will undoubtedly last for many years to come.
The Boathouse Before After
Other improvements to the camp include miscellaneous repairs to Elm Hall, Maple Lodge and White Pine kitchen. Save the date for Family Adventure Day!
January 30, 2016 is the date set for the 2016 Family Adventure Day at Camp T! Families will love this wintertime “Adventure Day” at Camp Tuhsmeheta. We will offer expanded core curriculum activities for students and their families in a fun and relaxed setting.
The theme for the day is “Warming Up at Camp T.” Activities are designed for the whole family with a special focus on outdoor recreation and leisure
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(snowshoes, sleds, fire-building, and s’mores). Lunch, which families will help make, will be provided!
Deaf & Hard of Hearing (DHH) NewsSKI HI Training
This fall, MDE-LIO sponsored the Sensory (Kids) Impaired Home Intervention (SKI HI) Curriculum training for 19 professionals serving students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Professionals from around the state met for four days of intense face-to-faced training with Dr. Debra Lively from Saginaw Valley State University, then completed several online modules independently to complete the required course work. Participants had the option to earn three credit hours through Utah State University, or seventy-five State Continuing Education Clock Hours (SCECH) credits. The early intervention providers learned how to use the SKI HI Curriculum materials and philosophy to support and coach families of children with hearing loss from birth to five. Knowledge and use of the SKI HI Curriculum will assist these professionals in their support of families in Michigan.
EIPA Video Conference Series
MDE-LIO continues to sponsor Educational Interpreters Performance Assessment (EIPA) video conferences from Boys Town National Research Hospital to provide professional development for educational interpreters in Michigan. Eight host sites partnered with MDE-LIO to present the streamed conference feed at their sites. Educational interpreters in attendance were able to increase their knowledge in key areas as well as earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs).
Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities
December 1, 2015 to March 22, 2016Regional On-Demand Beginner Braille - 16 WeeksMarquette, MI
December 2, 2015BrailleNote Intermediate: Maximizing the Use of the BrailleNote APEX in the ClassroomLansing, MI
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December 3, 2015Using the BrailleNote APEX to Complete Math Assignments and as a Refreshable Braille Display with PC and iOS ApplicationsLansing, MI
December 3, 2015Power Hour: Self Advocacy and Bullying in Children with Hearing LossOnline Event
December 14, 2015Teaching Microsoft Word 2010 Using JAWSLansing, MI
February 6, 2016EIPA Video Conference: Storytelling: Learn Techniques from a Master Storyteller and Make Stories Come AliveOnline Event
March 19, 2016EIPA Video Conference: Mathematics: Learn Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Your Math InterpretationsOnline Event
Go Green; save paper. Protect the environment and go paperless whenever you can. Let us know your email address if you want to be added to our email list. Just send a request to [email protected].
Newsletter is edited by Collette Bauman, Brenda Mahoney and Lynn Pensari. Comments or questions can be directed to Collette Bauman at [email protected], Brenda Mahoney at [email protected], or Lynn Pensari at [email protected] or 888-760-2206. This publication is available in alternate formats. Please contact us for Braille, print or large print copies.
The information in this newsletter was produced and distributed through IDEA Grant Funded Initiatives for Low Incidence Outreach awarded by the Michigan Department of Education. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Michigan Department of Education, the Michigan State Board of
Education, or the U.S. Department of Education, and no endorsement is inferred. The information in this newsletter is in the public domain and may be copied for further distribution when proper credit is given. For
further information or inquiries about this project, contact the Michigan Department of Education-Low Incidence Outreach (PO Box 30742, Lansing, MI 48909; 888-760-2206; [email protected])
MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STATEMENT OF ASSURANCE OF COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL LAW
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The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) complies with all Federal laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination and with all requirements and regulations of the U.S. Department of Education. It is the policy of
the Michigan Department of Education that no person on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, age, sex, marital status, or handicap shall be discriminated against, excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination in any program or activity for which it is responsible or for which it received financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education. For further
information or inquiries about this law, contact the Michigan Department of Education, Civil Rights Coordinator, P.O. Box 30712, Lansing, MI 48909.
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