[NOBE-L] Question about online tutoring sites

[Heather Field]

Hello Amanda,

Over the last few years, I have seen a number of inquiries regarding accessible online tutoring sites on this list. 
If any blind teachers have gone to the trouble of working through all these online tutoring sites, trying to get the companies to make them accessible, it doesn’t seem like they have reported the outcome of their efforts.
I don’t recall anyone happily reporting an accessible online tutoring site.
I could be wrong, of course.
A search of this list archive may yield some results.
Please do let us all know if you find any accessible online tutoring sites.

As an alternative to online tutoring, I would like to offer the following information to the list.
Working as a personal tutor from your home may work for you.
This is what I do.
I have a full tutoring load and people bring their children to my home for tutoring.
I have special ed. Training and have been teaching for quite a few years, so that makes a bit of a difference in my confidence with tutoring. However, I believe that 1-on-one tutoring is very doable for a good teacher who just happens to be blind. Like anything else, one determines what needs doing and then works out what nonvisual methods will enable one to do it.

For example, I use controlled vocabulary reading schemes as part of my reading interventions with the children I tutor. This means that before they get a reading book, I teach them the vocabulary they will encounter in the upcoming book. I have put braille on the print flash-cards and use magnetic print letters when I want a student to make a word, to show that they have it memorised and have it fitted in to the spelling scaffolding we are developing. I have purchased activity sets for phonics and other reading activities and have put braille on tiles, copied the text of cards or small booklets into braille and so on. 
These simple adaptions mean that I can tutor sighted children.
I don’t need to do much more than mark the cards in the boxed card sets which I use with older children, since they can read and organise cards. Such card sets include levelled reading fluency cards, comprehension cards etc.

All I use to advertise my tutoring service is the free, online Next Door service. 
I ask all the parents of my tutor students, past and present, to leave recommendations on Next Door. Then, when other parents go looking for local tutoring services they find my service, right here in a nearby neighbourhood, enthusiastically recommended by other parents.

I don’t list my fees, I discuss that aspect with parents after I have spoken with them on the phone and shared my unique, individualised approach with working with each child.
It is human nature to search for the lowest cost if they think that all tutoring services are equal. However, when they realise the advantages in having a personal tutor for their child, they’re usually willing to do a trial month with me and pay my rates.
I require at least two 1-hour sessions per week with each child and won’t take a student on if parents aren’t willing to commit to that.

If anyone is interested in discussing personal tutoring with me, I’d be happy to chat by phone.
Just email me and we can set up a time.

Warmly,
Heather Field

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

From: Amanda Mills via NOBE-L
Sent: Friday, 1 May 2020 11:31 AM
To: nobe-l at nfbnet.org
Cc: Amanda Mills
Subject: [NOBE-L] Question about online tutoring sites

Hello,

I am trying to find remote work that is flexible and puts my Education
degree to good use. I've found tons and tons of online tutoring
websites, whether it's tutoring in various subjects or teaching
English to non-native speakers. I am wondering if any of you have used
them and what their accessibility is like. I'll list the ones I have.
I am not including an exhaustive list, but the ones that based on
information from various websites might be suitable. If you have any
experience with these, please feel free to let me know as it will make
finding one to work with much easier. Here's the list I have.

Course Hero
Qkids
Brainfuse
Nice Talk
Cambli
iTalki
Myngle
BuddySchool
Samespeak
Select My Tutor
VIPKidSayABC
Hawo

Note that I haven't been to all of these websites yet, but will
gradually visit and see them for myself. I just figured getting some
feedback might be helpful. I am a JAWS 2020 user. Thanks!

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