- Livonia Public Schools
- Visual Impairment / Orientation and Mobility Services
- Enrichment Activities
VI / O&M Resources
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Assistive Technology
Assistive technology is an umbrella term that includes assistive and adaptive tools as well as instructional services that can enhance communication, access, and learning. It can include electronic equipment such as switches, mobile devices, and portable notetakers; computer access such as magnification software, screen readers, and keyboarding; and low-tech devices such as an abacus, a brailler, Active Learning materials (e.g., Little Room®), and optical devices.
iOS Magnifier Accessibility FeaturesiOS VoiceOver Accessibility Features
iOS Zoom Accessibility Features
Meet Me Accessibly: A Guide to Zoom Cloud
Gamified Learning: ObjectiveEd
HumanWare Devices tutorials and information
Touch Typing/Keyboarding Skills
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Braille and Compensatory Skills
Compensatory skills include skills necessary for accessing the core curriculum including concept development; communication modes; organization and study skills; access to print materials; and the use of braille/Nemeth, tactile graphics, object and/or tactile symbols, sign language, and audio materials.
Braille Code Tools
Nemeth Code (Math/Science Braille)
Preposition Play
The Shape of It
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Career Education
Career education will provide students with visual impairments of all ages the opportunity to learn through hands-on experiences about jobs that they may not otherwise be aware of without the ability to observe people working. They also learn work-related skills such as assuming responsibility, punctuality, and staying on task. Career education provides opportunities for students to explore and discover strengths and interests and plan for transition to adult life.
Career Education for Children Who are Blind or Visually Impaired
Explore Work- Start planning your future
Punctuality
Professional Image
How to shave
Career Exploration
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Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI)
Presently, Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) is the most common cause of permanent visual impairment in children (1-3). Cortical visual impairment (CVI) is a decreased visual response due to a neurological problem affecting the visual part of the brain.
Free Training Lessons from CVI Scotland
Animal Book for Children with CVI
Weather Book for Children with CVI
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Eye Condition Information
Below are informational links to the various eye conditions that most commonly affect the students we provide VI/O&M services to
Amblyopia
Astigmatism
Cataract
Diplopia (Double Vision)
Esotropia
Exotropia
Floaters & Flashers
Glaucoma
Hyperopia (Farsightedness)
Iritis
Myopia (Nearsightedness)
Nystagmus
Optic Atrophy
Optic Nerve Hypoplasia
Ptosis
Retinitis Pigmentosa
Retinoblastoma
Retinopathy of Prematurity
Strabismus
Ushers Syndrome
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Independent Living Skills
Independent living skills include the tasks and functions people perform in daily life to increase their independence and contribute to the family structure. These skills include personal hygiene, eating skills, food preparation, time and money management, clothing care, and household tasks. People with vision typically learn such daily routines through observation, whereas individuals with visual impairments often need systematic instruction and frequent practice in these daily tasks.
Money Song
Spend time sorting coins and identify amounts
Home & School Chores
Folding Clothes
Using Time At Home to Practice Independent Living Skills
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Local and State Agencies
Below are links to various local and state agencies that offer services to the blind and/or visually impaired
Bureau of Services for Blind Persons (BSBP)
Greater Detroit Agency for the Blind and Visually Impaired (GDABVI)
Michigan Department of Education - Low Incidence Outreach (MDE-LIO)
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Orientation and Mobility
Orientation and Mobility training (O&M) helps a child who is blind or visually impaired know where they are in space and where they want to go (orientation). It also helps them be able to carry out a plan to get there (mobility). Orientation and Mobility skills should begin to be developed in infancy starting with basic body awareness and movement, and continuing on into adulthood as the individual learns skills that allow them to navigate their world efficiently, effectively, and safely.
*The links below include various O&M videos, activities, resources, webinars, books, etc. that will provide O&M enrichment opportunities to our students*
Body Parts/Parts of the Body
Body Concepts/Parts of the Body Activities
Yoga for the Visually Impaired
Dog Guides
Kids Meet Dog Guides
The Seeing Eye: Dog Guide Video for Kids
Games
Comprehensive List of O&M Games
Human Guide
Long Cane & Cane Tips
Bundu Basher: Cane Tip for Hiking
Long Cane Techniques Explained
Motivating Young Children with Special Activities
Stages of Learning to Use the Cane
Sensory Training
Social/Emotional
What I Want My Parents to Know
Street Crossings
Comprehensive Guide to Street Crossing Skills
Technology Skills
Aira Visual Interpreter Tutorial
Positional/Directional/Spatial
Positional/Directional/Spatial Activities
Room Familiarization & Tactile Maps
Room Familiarization/Tactile Maps Activities
Websites
Paths to Literacy - O&M Section
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Recreation and Leisure
Being unable to observe others reduces awareness of recreation and leisure options. Instruction in recreation and leisure skills will ensure that students with visual impairments will have opportunities to explore, experience, and choose physical and leisure-time activities, both organized and individual, that they enjoy. This instruction should focus on the development of life-long skills.
Goalball
Meditation
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Self Determination
Self-determination includes choice-making, decision-making, problem solving, personal advocacy, assertiveness, and goal setting. Students with visual impairments often have fewer opportunities to develop and practice the specific skills that lead to self-determination. Students who know and value who they are and who have self-determination skills become effective advocates for themselves and therefore have more control over their lives.
Self- Advocacy- a State of Mind
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Social Interactions
Social interaction skills include awareness of body language, gestures, facial expressions, and personal space. Instruction also includes learning about interpersonal relationships, self-control, and human sexuality. Almost all social skills are learned by visually observing other people. Instruction in social interaction skills in school, work, and recreational settings is crucial. Having appropriate social skills can often mean the difference between social isolation and a fulfilling life as an adult.
Activities:
Have your child call a local business to talk with a person. Ask for location and store hours.
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The Inside Look - Visual Impairment Newsletter
The Inside Look is an educational eNewsletter created by Teachers of the Visually Impaired and Orientation and Mobility Specialists that provides resources, activities, technology, etc. on the field of blindness and low vision
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Using Your Senses (Sensory Efficiency)
Sensory efficiency includes instruction in the use of vision, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. It also addresses the development of the proprioceptive, kinesthetic, and vestibular systems. Learning to use their senses efficiently, including the use of optical devices, will enable students with visual impairments to access and participate in activities in school, home, and community environments.
Activity: What’s Missing?
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Webinars
VI/O&M Group Zoom Meetings
Guest speaker discussing airport travel, assistive technology, and transportation options
Virtual Expanded Core Education Learning (ExCEL) Academy for Students with Visual Impairments
Paths to Literacy with APH and CalState are providing FREE programming with daily lessons for students with visual impairments in the EC.
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FREE!!!
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2pm EST
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Schedule is updated regularly to see if the topic is one you are interested in!
https://www.pathstoliteracy.
org/resources/virtual- learning-academy -
