[blindkid] technology journey for Traci

hpscheffer at aol.com hpscheffer at aol.com
Fri Aug 28 18:45:41 UTC 2015


Traci, the justification is she is not up to par with her peers, ask for a Technology Assessment, for example here is K-12 Standards and curriculum for technology on the NCDPI I copied a paragraph below, do you think she is getting this?   Is she achieving the success at the next level they state below? probably not, you know your kids potential, if she masters an iPad imagine what else she can do!


There is no reason you have to figure this out on your own. Does your child have a VI teacher, is there a EC Department in your School System? I would email and ask for an emergency IEP to review and demand an assessment.


Take a look at this link also, you can find who would cover your area and call them find out what steps you need to take to get what your child needs.                                        http://ec.ncpublicschools.gov/instructional-resources/assistive-technology/evaluations


They will not give you what you need if you don't ask for it, this unfortunately happens too often, it is up to us as parents to assure they get the same instruction to achieve to their full potential and success. 


Heidi







During 2009, Instructional Technology staff members worked with LEA representatives and other DPI staff to create Information and Technology Essential Standards for media and technology. These standards were developed using Bloom's Revised Technology and replace the Computer Skills and Information Literacy Standard Courses of Study. The Information and Technology Essential Standards are posted on the ACRE section of the NC Public Schools web site.
These standards are critical building blocks for the education of our students. ITES represent the "must have" information and technology skills and knowledge that each student must have in order to achieve success at the next level. The standards are designed to be delivered by classroom teachers in all curricular areas and grade levels. As the ITES are taught throughout all classrooms and across all curricular areas, it is essential that classroom teachers collaborate with media coordinators and technology facilitators in delivering this instruction. Media coordinators and technology facilitators should be active participants in grade level and/or curricular area planning groups as these teams analyze student data, identify learning goals, plan and deliver instruction, and assess student progress.














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Original Message-----
From: Traci Wilkerson via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
To: Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children) <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Traci Wilkerson <traci.mwd at gmail.com>
Sent: Fri, Aug 28, 2015 1:44 pm
Subject: Re: [blindkid] technology journey


That is what I am hitting now - one of my kids is in 5th and excellent on
her
iPad, but I can't get any Jaws training done, "because she can just use
her
iPad" - I even found out they weren't letting her go to technology
class with
her peers, where she could at least listen and learn with a
friend, no matter
how little, but one, let her be with her peers, and two,
send someone in with
her to at least attempt the same with laptop and
Jaws....

The iPad is becoming
the easy way out I am encountering!!  grrrrrr - we
we're all on board and pushed
for the iPad, but now I see there is a
downside.  Now I will have to pay someone
on my own to teach my daughter,
though we will attempt on our first.

I work in
the Middle school and I see them too easy to amend and exempt
kids from these
presentations etc b/c its just too hard, etc. etc.

I'm curious about doing Math
on the laptop, how is this done, I've only
just started poking as I know this
will be a battle to make this move.
How did you get the school to use Dr.
Robinson?  Prove that her TVI wasn't
skilled to do so?  How often did you do
lessons?

Thanks,
Traci


On Fri, Aug 28, 2015 at 1:27 PM, Marianne Denning via
blindkid <
blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> You are exactly right!  These are not
only skills that will help her
> in school but in her profession.  Technology
and the appropriate
> skills help level the playing field for those of us who
are blind.  I
> grew up before computers and assistive technology were available
and
> had to rely heavily on sighted people help me with many tasks.  There
>
are times when a reader is still ver helpful but I can do so much for
> myself. 
Dr. Denise Robinson is awesome and we need about 1000 more of
> her.
>
> A TVI
is asked to wear way too many hats.  It really takes an
> assistive technology
specialist to teach the skills our students need.
> There is also no
certification for technology specialists and I am not
> sure certification is
necessary but it may be a discussion worth
> having too.
>
> The advantage of
Dr. Denise and others is that instruction takes place
> through virtual
instruction.  It doesn't matter if you live in New
> York City or as far north
in Alaska as you can go, virtual instruction
> is available.
>
>
>
> On 8/28/15,
hpscheffer--- via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> > I've been for a
while pondering on a big issue I see seems way too common
> > with kids on this
list. I like to share with those who are willing to
> > listen/read our story.
>
>
> >
> > My daughter now in 10th grade, had as lots of your kids, a Braille
Note
> with
> > which she did most her work on and the Perkins to do math with.
She did a
> > little computer work with Jaws, but just the very basic from
elementary
> to
> > middle school. I got excited when the iPad came out which
such great
> access
> > as is Voice Over and iOS computers, which she quickly
learned on her
> own. We
> > thought this would be good and sufficient. She was
keeping up and moving
> > forward, her teachers and school were happy with what
she was doing and
> knew
> > she was smart, and doing extremely great. However,
at the middle of 7th
> > grade, I asked my daughter what the rest of the class
was working on, and
> > she said "oh they are all doing a power point
presentation, but I can do
> > something else instead. This was a big red light
for me. I started
> > questioning "why at this technology age would she not be
able to do the
> > same", I got onto a quest, I found our schools curriculum on
the schools
> > website and started comparing what others were doing and what
she was no,
> > this is a great resource for parents.
> >
> >
> > Her VI
teacher, as great as she was, did not know enough about Jaws to
> teach
> > her,
I started to research what a blind student could do on a computer
> and
> > got
lots of great information. I thought I should be able to find someone
> >
somewhere that would know enough to train the VI teacher and then she
> could
>
> train my daughter. Well, as I learned more, I realized this would be
> >
impossible since it would take too long, how about bypassing the VI and
> just
>
> get someone to train my daughter 1 on 1?. I found Dr. Denise Robinson,
> and
>
> we started exchanging emails and got the real picture of really how much
>
can
> > be done with Jaws on a laptop. No more carrying around the Perkins,
>
sheets
> > of paper, Braille Note, iPad. All she would need was just a laptop
and a
> > braille display? yes, all she would need from now on was "access" and
not
> > modifications! Of course there are books in braille she would still
need,
> > just like her peers, (she has all 36 volumes of Math ll, as well as
other
> > hard copies.
> >
> >
> > After a technology assessment, which I
requested, it was clear she was
> not
> > up to par with her peers. The EC
department finally approved lessons with
> > Dr. Robinson, this was not an easy
journey, it was long and arduous but I
> > knew it was either that or below
standard education and a limited future
> and
> > dependency. I was not going to
settle just because it was easier.
> Thankfully
> > her VI was on board since
she had her best interest at heart, she has
> > learned a lot as well and is an
amazing team player!
> >
> >
> > Fast forward to 10th grade now, she does "ALL"
her work on her laptop,
> math
> > (plots, lines…etc), english, biology, does
beautiful power point
> > presentations, inserts pictures, music, gets her
homework from the school
> > learning platform "Canvas", sends in her work to
teachers, teachers send
> her
> > work by emails, and she does all the same work
as her peers, and I mean
> all
> > the same! She uses Jaws and sometimes NVDA
paired with APH braille
> display,
> > also her iPhone and sometimes her iPad
for other specific work. She has
> > books on her computer and her Braille Note,
but the BN stays at home to
> do
> > homework with.
> >
> >
> > The world opened
up for her in ways we never imagined, she loves knowing
> > what she knows now,
yes it was a lot of extra work, but considering the
> > alternative we and her
were happy to put in the time and fight to get to
> > where she is now.  She
will go to college and use all the skills she has
> > learned and is still
learning, to be completely independent. She sends
> > requests to web designers
to make them accessible to screen readers, as
> many
> > are not, I hope
sometime soon everyone will make the changes needed. I
> wish
> > this could be
enforced.
> >
> >
> > A Braille Note and an iPad will not make it for their
future and their
> > independence. Surely there is much technology on the way to
make life
> easier
> > for everyone, but this will not happen without proficient
computer
> skills.
> >
> >
> > Don't want to make this too long, so this is in a
nutshell what I wanted
> to
> > share, I hope it starts the conversation of the
need of more training in
> the
> > technology age for VI's and our kids.
> >
>
>
> > Heidi
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
_______________________________________________
> > blindkid mailing list
> >
blindkid at nfbnet.org
> > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindkid_nfbnet.org
>
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> >
blindkid:
> >
>
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>
>
>
>
> --
> Marianne Denning, TVI, MA
> Teacher of students who are blind or
visually impaired
> (513) 607-6053
>
>
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