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Highcharst Logo and text, "Accessible. Interactive. Dynamic. Charts and Graphs"

Highcharts: Accessible, Interactive Charts and Graphs

As an educator, I am always seeking information about how to make digital resources accessible for students who rely on a screen reader or who need low vision...
Teacher's Pet Online logo and text, "Teacher's Pet: APH online quiz tool"

Teacher's Pet Online: APH Online Quiz Tool

Teacher's Pet Online is a free, accessible tool to create and share practice materials, quizzes and tests. The tool works with your platform's screen reader...
Little girl leaning over and counting wrapped candies on the floor and text, "Math Apps Summary Post for K-3rd Grade"

Math Apps and Activities Summary Post for Students K-3rd Grade

Updated June 24, 2021 (Original post was published April 2021) One thing that has been obvious during the pandemic is that even young students need to be up...
Photo of 3 rows of toys and photo of iPad Home Screen with tactile row overlay. Text, "Spatial Tech Standards: Rows"

Spatial Tech Standards 2: Rows

In the first Spatial Tech Standards post, we learned various hands-on activities and apps that can be used to teach spatial terms. This post will focus on the...
7 year-old applying critical thinking strategies while dragging his finger across a row of animals in a Sequencing app.

Using Tech to Develop Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinking goes beyond memorization, encouraging students to connect the dots between concepts, solve problems, think creatively, and apply knowledge in...
Moore Square Map with sonified street highlighted and text, "Map Explore: Digital Maps with Sonified Streets!"

Map Explore: Sneak Peak at a New O&M Game

Going somewhere new? What is the first thing you do? Open your favorite map app and learn about the area and preplan your route. But, what do you do if you are...
Screenshot of Temple Explorer with character standing at a crossroad inside the temple. Text, "Temple Explorer: O&M Game"

Temple Explorer: A New Directionality O&M Game!

Tap, tap, tap - your footsteps are echoing as you walk quickly through the ancient temple searching for treasure. Warning! Carefully follow the genie's...
7 Year old making two-finger double tap gesture on Kids Listen podcast app. Text, "Listening, Comprehension & Tech Skills"

Kids Listen Podcast: Practicing Tech Skills

Want to spice up your tech lessons and incorporate educational skills at the same time? This creative Assitive Technology Specialist used the engaging Kids...
Photo of two iPads opened to VoiceOver Practice page and two hands making the 1-finger tap gesture. Text: Synchronized Swimming

Practicing Gestures: Synchronized Swimming Activity

Rote practice is boring! Synchronized swimming is a fun way to practice your VoiceOver gestures, learn what the gestures do, and to build muscle memory. This...
Second grade boy wearing a mask learning over a computer listening to audio graphs. Text, "Demos: Audio Graphs"

Desmos Audio Tracing: Introducing Sonified Graphs

Digital math. (sigh) If you are a teacher of the visually impaired, your first experiences trying to teach math concepts with digital resources was probably...
Image of a computer with "Tech with Tyler" and text, "Debugging Swift Playgrounds Code"

How to Find and Fix Issues in Swift Playgrounds When using VoiceOver

Hi! My name is Tyler Sheft. Today, I want to show you how to use VoiceOver to find and fix issues that may come up while coding in Swift Playgrounds. Watch the...
Photos of tactile overly and addition app with carrying and text, "Tactile to Digital: Addition and Subtraction"

Tactile to Digital Part 5: Addition and Subtraction

This is the fifth post in a series of how to successfully teach 21st Century classroom skills by pairing tactile graphics with digital resources. In this post...
Fiinger dragging across a tactile table overlay on the iOS game, Absolute Positions; text, "Tactile Overlay for a Digital Table"

Tactile to Digital Part 4: Positions in a Table

This is the fourth post in a series of how to successfully teach 21st Century classroom skills by pairing tactile graphics with digital resources. In this post...
Photo of iPad, painter's tape, pen, pencil, scissors, and sensational blackboard with text, "Creating a tactile overlay".

Tactile to Digital Part 3: Creating a Tactile Overlay On the Go!

What if you are in the middle of a tech lesson and your student would benefit from a tactile overlay of the iPad screen? This post shows two quick and easy...
Tactile graphic of Math Melodies Add and Delete screen with text, "Tactile to Digital: Math Melodies"

Tactile to Digital Part 2: Math Melodies

This is the second post in a series of how to successfully teach 21st Century classroom skills by pairing tactile graphics with digital resources. In the first...
Tactile graphic of Math Robot screen with braille beside the app with text, "Tactile to Digital: Math Robot"

Tactile to Digital Part 1: Math Robot

Math fact drills with a twist: APH's Math Robot app and it's humorous robot jokes! Students will laugh along with the "know-it-all" math robot and may even...
Screenshot of Macy's Keynote Presentation in Outline view and text, "Creating Keynote Presentation: Outline View"

Tech Standards: Creating Keynote Presentations Part 2

Macy, with Challenge Solutions, shares her tips and tricks on how she creates Keynote presentations on her iPad with VoiceOver. Challenge Solutions is a group...
4 year old tapping top of the iPad screen and text, "Spatial Tech Standards: Directional Terms"

Spatial Tech Standards 1: Directional Terms

This series is designed to show how a tablet (in this case an iPad, but the same is true with any tablet) can be used to systematically teach critical...
iPad showing an educational app with red circle slashed line through it and text, "How to Check for Accessibility"

How to Check for App Accessibility?

There are so many reasons why YOU (and your student!) should know how to check the accessibility of an app with a screen reader. Here are a few of the most...
Screenshot of All About Me keynote presentation and text, "Keynote Presentations for K-3rd: VoiceOver Tutorial and Activity."

Tech Standards: Keynote Presentations with VoiceOver Activity Part 1

National Technology Standards state that students are introduced to creating simple presentations (PowerPoint, Keynote or Google Slides) in first grade and...
Photo of preschooler sitting in the grass with his dog between 2 small American Flags and text, "Label Photos"

Tech Standards: Adding Image Descriptions to iOS Photos

Mainstream National Technology standards require students to add photos and images to documents and slide presentations, which is typically introduced in First...
Screenshot of All About Me keynote presentation and text, "Accessing Keynote Presentations/books with VoiceOver"

Tech Standards: Accessing Keynote Presentations with VoiceOver

Young students are being introduced to technology way before kindergarten. Students who are blind and low vision often access teacher-created books and...
Photo of four different bags of chips and dips and text, "National Chip and Dip Day!"

National Chip and Dip Day: O&M Activity

National Chip and Dip Day is next Tuesday! (March 23rd) I’m not gonna lie, it’s one of my favorite holidays. And it makes for some fun lessons with students. I...
Photo of silicone suction cup toys: bright red with 3 suction cups and orange with one suction cup and bulb.

Squigz: Toy to Promote Improvement of Developmental Skills and Independence

Squigz by Fat BrainToys are a fun multi-sensory toy that can help support many developmental skills. As a TVI, part of the job is to be creative in our...
Graphic with text, "iOS 14.4 Braille Display Issue"

Braille Display and iOS 14.4 bug

If you or your student uses a braille display with an iOS device, do NOT update to iOS 14.4!  Currently, there is a bug with iOS 14.4 that is causing users to...
Photo of 7-year old tapping an animal in the Very Hungry Caterpillar: First Words app and text, "Teaching Strategies"

VoiceOver Teaching Strategies: Spatial Concepts Activity

In a previous VoiceOver teaching strategies post, we learned how to observe and analyze a preschool student who was being introduced to basic VoiceOver...
Image with dogs and cats and a Table showing colors of dogs and cats. Text, "Accessible Tables"

Tech Standards: Navigating a Table Using JAWS

All students are introduced to simple tables in general education kindergarten classrooms in paper/pencil (or tactile) formats which quickly transition to...
Cartoon character of a boy rolling his eyes and pulling out his hair. Text, "Technology: Problem-solving"

Learning VoiceOver: Problem-Solving Activity

Before you can teach your student to use an iPad running VoiceOver, YOU - the teacher - need to learn the basics. For many TVIs, just thinking about using a...
Speech Central app logo and text, "Speech Central"

Speech Central App

I am the developer of Speech Central, one of the leading text to speech apps on the App Store. The aim of the app is to provide a very wide set of features at...
Image of hands holding a tablet with floating app icons. Text, "Tech Standards. Why Teach Digital Concepts Early?"

Tech Standards: Why Teach Digital Concepts Early?

Teachers of students with visual impairments or blindness are responsible for teaching so many things. How do you prioritize what to teach when? It used to be...
Photo of 4 year old Angel tapping an iPad screen with TVI Becky beside him; text, " VoiceOver Teaching Strategies: Preschool".

VoiceOver Teaching Strategies for Preschool TVIs

iPads are now an accepted tool in your TVI toolbox. You – the TVI – personally use tech daily for work and in your personal life. Your smart phone is your...
smart phone with red "x" through it and text, "iOS 14.4"

Connection Issues with Mantis Q40 and Chameleon 20

APH shared the following information: We have identified connection issues for the Mantis Q40 and Chameleon 20 after upgrading to iOS 14.4. We recommend that...
Desmos logo with text, "Exploring Math with Desmos: Getting Started"

Exploring Math with Demos: Getting Started

TVIs - our mission is to help our students learn math and to love learning math! What mainstream, approved digital math tools are you teaching your students?...
Cartoon image of COMS showing ObjectiveEd in an IEP meeting with text, "ObjectiveEd: IEP Meetings"

ObjectiveEd: IEP Meetings

Since the company was founded, it has strived to earn the support of the TVIs and O&Ms. By attending regional and nationwide conferences, holding scores of...
Scribe logo and text, "Accessible 'real time' PowerPoints during Zoom Meetings!"

Scribe for Meetings

Zoom meetings have become the "new normal" for businesses and for classes. Scribe for Meetings is a new tool that enables the meeting host to upload PowerPoint...
Screenshot of Math Melodies counting game and text, "Math Games for Preschool/kindergarten"

Math Melodies App: Young Students

The Math Melodies app is a FREE fully accessible math app created specifically for students who are blind or low vision. The app covers a wide range of math...
AnimalWatch Vi Graphics logo (swimming turtle) and text, "AnimalWatch VI Graphics"

AnimalWatch Vi: Building Graphics Literacy

Endangered animals and invasive species and MATH? This recently released iOS app incorporates motivating content used to build graphics literacy. Tasmanian...
Sound Search game: Matching an item in the first column with it's sound in the second column. "ObjectiveEd: Identifying Sounds"

ObjectiveEd: Identifying Sounds

Auditory Awareness is defined as a person's ability to perceive and make sense of what is going on around them through sound. Students who are visually...
Image of an iPhone with "iOS 14" annotated on the white screen.

iOS 14: Screen Recognition

What if . . . everything on the screen was labeled correctly for VoiceOver? What if every button, icon, image and element is accessible? iOS 14 incorporates on...
image of waves and sun with text, Seas the day. "Puns: Comprehension Activity"

Winter Puns: Comprehension Activity

When reading, some students breeze over the words without truly understanding the meaning - missing many of the humorous lines that are weaved into the story....

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