Resources for transition 2017 csun presntation

Editor's Notes

• #6: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Point 1 Expanded: Students with disabilities are entitled to a free and appropriate education that fits their needs. Point 2 Expanded: Students with disabilities are educated with peers without disabilities as much as possible. Point 3 Expanded: The formal documentation process used to determine the scope of the student’s special education needs. Point 4 Expanded: An IEP is a plan developed by members of an educational team based on the results of the comprehensive evaluation. Point 5 Expanded: This ensures that the parents and students are able to fully participate in the educational planning for the student. Point 6: Expanded: These are safeguards established by the student’s school district, or other similar entity, in order to enforce the student’s educational rights.
• #8: The Individualized Education Program (IEP) is mandated by law for all public schools who serve students with disabilities. They are plans, drafted by a team, which are customized to suit the unique needs of each student. IEPs are drafted by teachers, school administrators, and, in some cases, the students themselves. IEPs spell out the educational goals for the students, milestones for meeting those goals, the responsibilities of members of their IEP team, and any resources they may need, such as assistive technology. While the transition process can begin at any age, there must be a plan in place for the students by age 16.
• #9: The expanded core curriculum purpose is to complement the core curriculum with a focus on skills for students who are blind or low-vision. It is broken down into the skills listed above. Some of these are pretty self explanatory such as career education. In addition, I’ll be discussing assistive technology in the coming slides. In addition to the more common skills listed above, there are: Assistive technology Career Education: Opportunity to learn first hand the work done by professionals in their own carriers. Compensatory skills: These are skills to aid the student while in school but also in their life such as organizing and studying, knowledge of braille and the Nemeth code. Independent living skills: these are skills used throughout one’s life, including: hygiene, cooking, and financial management. Orientation and mobility: O & M instruction is the practice of teaching an individual with a visual disability ways to independently navigate their environment. Instructors teach their students to use a cane, find destinations, cross a street, and apply problem solving while navigating. Self determination: Problem solving, decision making, assertiveness etc. Sensory Efficiency: Teaches students how best to use all of their senses to interact with the environment around them. Social interaction: skills that student’s sighted peers learn through visual cues which VIP students are unable to learn visually.
• #10: EYE Retreat: A North Carolina program that pairs participants with a mentor to experience life outside of school and to learn about different career paths. The Hadley Institute for the Blind (formerly the Hadley School for the Blind) is a distance education institution. The institute provides programs on topics that pertain to transition such as braille literacy and independent living, orientation and mobility, socializing and dining, managing personal finances, and personal care. PEP program: The Perkins School for the Blind’s PEP program is to help students with visual impairments acquire job skills specific to their chosen career path. The program uses hiring professionals and disability specialists from around the greater Boston area to teach students job interview skills, and how to disclose their disability to potential employers. Ticket to Work: Ticket to work is a program from the Social Security Administration that matches participating employers with job seekers with disabilities. The program provides career counseling, vocational rehabilitation, and training.
• #11: The Carroll Center for the Blind, in MA, is a residential vocational rehabilitation center that offers independent living skills courses for people with visual impairments. Specific programs include assistive technology training, orientation and mobility instruction, employment training, and recreation. The Center for the Visually Impaired, in GA, teaches braille literacy, braille music, and Nemeth (braille math) code. The Center’s programs include employment opportunities, assistive technology instruction, travel and mobility training, early intervention programs for children. The Colorado Center for the Blind has a summer youth program where, while housed in apartments, students learn basic independent-living skills. Learning activities include: travel, personal finance, leadership, career exploration, and using assistive technology. The Envision Rehabilitation Center in Kansas offers an assistive technology training camp which also includes more than assistive technology instruction such as career readiness skills. Exit: A program from the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the EXIT program is for students, ages 18 to 22, who have just completed high school. The program incorporates the Expanded Core Curriculum and also focuses on the individual transition needs of the student. Star Transition program: A program of BLIND Inc., the Star Program is a summer program for adolescents with visual disabilities between the ages 14 and 21. The program teaches students independent living skills such as cooking, shopping, and managing finances. Participants also have the opportunity to learn what it is like to prepare for college by visiting local campuses and meeting with blind college students. In addition, students learn how to enter the workforce by drafting résumés, participating in mock interviews, and advocating for workplace accommodations. STEP Program: A program from the Louisiana Center for the Blind, the STEP program is an eight-week summer program where teenagers with visual disabilities work fifteen to twenty hours a week at a local business near the center. The goal is for participants to learn skills necessary to participate in the workforce while also giving them job experience they can place on their résumés.
• #12: Screen readers take the information that is on a computer screen or mobile device and convert it to speech for the user. Screen readers also allow the users to interact with the links, buttons, and other controls on the screen. Common screen readers include: Job Access With Speech (JAWS), Non-Visual Desktop Access (NVDA), Voiceover, and Window Eyes.
• #13: Audio players allow users to record material to take notes, download audiobooks or podcasts, and convert text to speech. There are currently several types of audio players on the market which are designed for use by people with disabilities. The NLS Reference publication Digital Audiobook Players lists the available devices at www.loc.gov/nls/reference/guides/audiobkplayers.html.
• #14: Braille notetakers are portable devices that allow users to interface with information via a refreshable braille display. Many of the braille displays and notetakers on the market allow users to navigate the Internet, draft word processing documents, and download documents and books written in braille. This NLS Reference guide lists available braille notetakers: www.loc.gov/nls/reference/guides/brailledisplays.html
• #15: Magnifying devices are used to enlarge text. These devices can be used to magnify the text on textbook, class handouts, or other coursework. In many cases, these devices are portable and come with an adjustable arm that may be used to magnify the image of text on display from across a room (such as during a presentation). This NLS Reference guide lists available magnifying devices: www.loc.gov/nls/reference/guides/magnifying.html
• #16: Text-to-speech devices will convert printed materials into audible speech. These devices may be used by people with a visual or reading disability. These devices may be provided as hardware solutions like stand-alone scanners or as software solutions. Some of them allow for users to follow along with text as it is read to them by highlighting the words on a computer screen.
• #17: The Assistive Technology Act awards federal grant money to the states to provide assistive technology to their residents throughout the course of their lifetimes. This is usually done in the form of loans of assistive technology products to the individuals. In addition, these programs may also provide financial assistance to individuals seeking to purchase assistive technology. A listing of Assistive Technology Act Programs is available from the following link: http://www.atconnects.com/at-act-programs/state-at-act-programs.
• #18: “ATSTAR is an online curriculum designed for teachers, administrators and parents to easily access learning modules and content about Assistive Technology (AT) and learn how to implement it in the classroom to help students with disabilities. ATSTAR is available all across the globe and is not focused on one type of disability but covers all kinds of disabilities whether there are mental, learning or physical based.”
• #19: AccessText Network Bookshare HathiTrust International Association of Audio Information Services (IAAIS) Learning Ally National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) NFB-NEWSLINE
• #20: The American Foundation for the Blind is an advocacy organization for people with visual impairments. In addition, they are also an information hub with publications relating to blindness and assistive technology. In addition, they also make available on their website information pertaining to the education of students with visual disabilities, including these two resources on transition.
• #21: The American Printing House for the Blind embosses braille materials and records talking books. In addition, they produce many educational aids for students, parents and teachers.
• #22: The Center for Parent Information and Resources is a central repository for people who offer resources for people with disabilities and their families and educators. Their mission is to be a resource for the network of Parent Technical Assistance Centers, a network of advocacy and training centers who serve parents of children with disabilities in each state. Their website includes archived webinars, guides, a curated listing of websites, and other topical information.
• #23: In addition to the school, Perkins’ mission is to improve the lives of people with visual impairments through international outreach, distributing assistive technologies and other products, and offers other resources for students, parents, and teachers. Their Paths series is a set of resources pertinent to a specific topic related to blindness and visual impairment. They comprise relevant articles, webinars and other resources for education on the topic. The three Paths segments listed above are relevant to transition.
• #24: The U.S. Department of Education offers resources for students and parents with information to help guide a successful transition. The first website listed above lists basics of the Individual Education Program (IEP). The second link is for the Department’s office of civil rights where parents and students can find information, file complaints, and seek recourse. OSERS works to support educational programs in the U.S. for students with disabilities to help them achieve their educational goals and become productive members of society. The second link offers users resources for students and parents and also grants in aid local school districts to meet the needs for their students with disabilities. The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice enforces the nation’s civil rights laws. The Disability Rights Section works to implement the provisions of the ADA. Through enforcement, certification, as well as mediation, the Section works to ensure that entities remain compliant with the ADA. Interested parties can call the Section with ADA questions.
• #25: NLS is a free library service from the Library of Congress for people unable to read standard print or use printed materials because of a physical disability. Service is provided to eligible U.S. residents and American citizens living abroad by their local cooperating library. Free braille and talking books and magazines are available. Hundreds of thousands of popular books are offered: including best sellers, classics, historical fiction, mysteries, romances, westerns, and many others. NLS uses human voice actors to record some talking books. Books are delivered by mail, download, and mobile app for iOS and Android devices. Digital talking-book players—with high-quality sound and easy navigation—are loaned free. In addition, to the talking books program, NLS’ reference section produces many publications relevant to the needs of students, parents, and teachers wanting to learn about more resources for students with disabilities.