Search Paths to Technology

Hands on the Mantis Q40 QWERTY keyboard and text, "Mantis Q40 Video tutorials"

Mantis Q40 Video Tutorials

The Mantis Q40 is a unique 40-cell braille display that has a QWERTY keyboard for input and a refreshable braille display for output. There is a 6-key entry...
"May Flowers: presentation & Potpourri" on a background of dried rose petals.

May Flowers: Presentation and Potpourri Activities

"Spring is in the Air" and "April showers bring May flowers" are phrases that we associate with spring and new beginnings. May is the month for chirping baby...
Colorful speech bubbles and thumbs up image with text, "Add and Pass Writing Activity"

Add and Pass Activity: Google Docs Collaboration

My family has many road trip traditions such as "I spy with my little eyes" or "I hear with my little ears", trying to get the trucker to honk his horn,...
Young Student using TypeAbility with MAGic magnification.

TypeAbility: Typing and Computer Tutor Program

Update April 2020: TypeAbility 4.4.1 supports JAWS 13 through JAWS 2022, and Fusion 2018 through 2022! TypeAbility is a typing and computer program for...
large brown egg in a nest. Text: "Egg Idioms" and speech bubble with "Nest Egg".

Egg Idioms: Tech Activities

An idiom is a word or phrase which means something different from its literal meaning. Do you know what these idioms mean? He's as cool as a cucumber...
Image of Snow Globe Family book cover and text, "Tech Skills: Navigate, Cut and Paste"

Snow Globe Shake-Up: Tech Skills (cut and paste)

Snow globe shake up! Just like the snow globe in the story, the Snow Globe Family, your story has been through a snowstorm - and the story plot has been blown...
Cartoon image of a document with magnifying glass and pencil. Text, "JAWS and Fusion: Grammatical Errors Announcement"

JAWS and Grammatical Errors: Turn ON/Off Announcements

When a student is editing (or writing!) a document, it is important that the student have the same editing tools available as his/her sighted peers. Both...
photo of a pumpkin and text, "Presentation Tech Lesson"

Pumpkin Life Cycle Lesson: Presentation (Powerpoint)

Young students are embedding technology skills into daily classroom activities. Use these pumpkin-themed activities to reinforce concepts, reading/writing...
Three cartoon monster characters with text, "Monster: Note Taking Activities"

Monster: Note Taking Skills

Note taking is an important digital skill for students to learn. Young students, including students who are blind or visually impaired, should be given age-...
stack of file folders with labeled tabs: "Home, Insert, Draw, Design, Layout". Text, "Understanding the Ribbon in Word with JAWS

Understanding the "Ribbon" in Microsoft Word: Screen Reader Activities

In order for your student to be a "Tech Power User", he/she must fully understand the different parts of the screen and how to navigate in and around these...
Google Docs logo with yellow "Update" pinned note and text, "Accessibility update"

Google Docs Accessibility Upgrade!

Classrooms often use inline suggestions when participating in group assignments that require sharing a Google Document. In addition, teachers frequently make...
How I Outline Research Papers with OneNote. www.veroniiiica.com

How I Outline Research Papers with OneNote

HOW I OUTLINE RESEARCH PAPERS WITH ONENOTE Over the years, I have had several awesome teachers and professors who have helped me learn how to write essays...
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...
Text, "Dictionary skills and Tech" with background of a page in a dictionary.

"Dictionary" Skills and Tech

Are you teaching dictionary skills to your students? In third grade, the Common Core dictates that students learn to use glossaries or beginning dictionaries,...
Cartoon person with hands on a braille book beside a Perkins Brailler with text, "Braille Learning Series 2, Perkins Brailler."

Braille Boom Cards: Braille Learning Series 2

This is the second post in a series about Braille Boom Cards. The first post, Braille Boom Cards, included three Braille Boom Decks – World Braille Day Boom...
Cartoon girl with clasped praying hands showing distress in front of a computer with text, "Homework hotline"

National Homework Hotline for Blind or Visually Impaired Students: Part 2

The National Homework Hotline for Blind and Visually Impaired students (NHH-BVI) was created in response to the school closures due to COVID. (See Homework...
Image of iPEVO document camera and text, "IPEVO Near and Distance"

IPEVO Camera: Near and Distance Viewing

Updated August 2020 Using IPEVO for Remote Instruction With many students starting the fall of 2020 with remote instruction, there is a critical need for...
Image of a computer monitor displaying Uabacus app and text, "Teaching a Blind Braille Learner Remotely"

Teaching a Totally Blind Braille Learner Virtually: What worked and what didn’t

We all have been thrown into the deep end with regard to virtual/distance learning! Some of us had prepared our students and some didn’t. Some of us are tech...
Orbit Reader beside tablet both showing "Hello", "Hi"; text, Orbit Teacher App"

Orbit Teacher App: Remote Learning

The Orbit Reader Teacher app is a free app available for Android devices and Windows computers. Here is what Igor Feinberg wrote about how the Orbit Reader...
Cartoon image of teacher in front of computer running JAWS and text, "Free Classes on YouTube: Abacus, Orion TI-84, JAWS, iOS".

TBSVI Short-Term Programs Class Videos

Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired is a leader in our field. For many years, the TSBVI Short-Term Programs (STP) has excelled in teaching...
Screenshot of Connecting a computer to join conferencing call and text, "Remote Learning"

Preparing Middle School and High School Students with VIB for Remote Learning

Since our state has moved to remote learning while all public schools are closed for a minimum of three weeks because of the Coronavirus, students have had to...
photo with 15 Accessibyte game icons and text, "Virtual Instruction: Accessibyte"

Virtual Instruction: Accessibyte Apps

Accessibyte Online is a series of accessible educational games designed specifically for students who are visually impaired or blind. Accessibyte is compatible...
Screenshot of Where Do Commas belong? worksheet with fun sentences with missing commas like, "Let's eat Grandma!"

Where Do Commas Belong? Grammar Activity

All students need to learn to use commas and have opportunities to practice using commas. Quite often braille students who are pulled out for language arts,...
Active Braille, a concave 40-cell refreshable braille display with cursor router keys, a Perkin’s style keyboard with a bar keys

Active Braille

The Active Braille is a forty-cell refreshable braille display with cursor router keys, a Perkin’s style keyboard, two triple action keys, and two spacebar...
Glad I am not a turkey poem.

Screen Reader Tech Activities: Thanksgiving Lesson Plan

How do you start teaching digital literacy skills to young students who are learning technology?  Memorizing a list of commands is B-O-R-I-N-G! How about...
Screenshot of Google Docs with focus on dictation button and text, "Today is Sunday. I am writing using dictation."

Educational Example of Using Speech to Text and Dictation

When a student becomes frustrated expressing their ideas in writing in their primary learning medium and it has negative implications on learning and their...
Graphic of title text: JAWS Topics: FINDing Your Way Around a Word Document

JAWS Topics: FINDing your way around a Word document

Hey y'all, it's been a while since I last posted but I am excited to get back at it today! I wanted to share a tip or strategy for navigating long Word...
Ipad displaying Chapter 3 of A Very Wimpy Kid with two-fingers making the Read All VoiceOver gesture.

Screen Reader for Low Vision Students?

For a variety of reasons, students who have functional vision are often resistant to using a screen reader. Should these students be introduced to a screen...
Images of Focus 14, 40 and 80 with text, "So Many Braille Displays, which one is right for my student? Focus Blue Series."

So Many Braille Displays: Which One is Right for My Student? Part Six

In the previous posts (see above) we’ve looked at a variety of braille displays.  In this installment, we are going to take a look at the fifth generation of...
Graphic of title text: One-Handed Braille Entry to Windows Computers

One-Handed Braille Entry to Windows Computers

I’ve got a neat new tip to share with y’all today, and it’s all because my student was confident enough to speak up and correct me after I made an incorrect...
Image of Google Docs text and logo

Google Docs Redux

Google docs In a previous post, I wrote about open source alternatives to Microsoft Office applications, Microsoft Office Alternatives.  However, with the...
Image of hands on a keyboard and text, "TypeAbility, More than just an accessible Touch Typing Tutor"

TypeAbility: More than Just an Accessible Touch Typing Tutor

NOTE: Please see other posts in this series including: All About that Base(Line): Strategies on Getting your Student's Baseline Typing Speed Starting...
Photo of Braille Beetle and text, "So Many Braille Displays, Which One is Right for My Student? Smart Beetle.

So Many Braille Displays, Which One is Right for My Student? Part Four

Editor's Note: The Smart Beetle is no longer available. NOTE: Please see other posts in this series including So Many Braille Displays Part One (focusing on...
MS Office and ALternatives with logos

Microsoft Office Alternatives

A student who is graduating received a laptop for a Christmas present and he asked me about obtaining Microsoft Office or an equivalent for the laptop, the...
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Soundbible

Soundbible.com In the eternal quest to provide accessible, interesting educational content to students and, of course, educational content need not necessarily...
Photo of Braille Edge 40 and text, "So many braille displays. Which one is right for my student? Braille Edge 40"

So Many Braille Displays, Which One is Right for My Student: Part Three

Editor's Note: The Braille Edge is no longer available. NOTE: Please see other posts in this series including So Many Braille Displays Part One (focusing on...
Graphic of Title Text: JAWS Topics Series Announcement & First Post: Typing Feedback

JAWS Topics Series Announcement & First Post: Typing Feedback

JAWS Topics Series Announcement Hi there y'all! Allen here from Nashville.  I wanted to put it out there that I have decided that there's no better time than...
Graphic of title text: Improved View in MS Word!

Improved View in MS Word!

Microsoft Word is one of the most used programs in the world, a productivity juggernaut of a program within the Microsoft Office suite.  Inevitably, we are all...
2 braille displays & text, "So many braille displays: which one is right for my Student? Brailliant BI 14 & Braille Trail Reader

So Many Braille Displays, Which One is Right for My Student? Part Two

NOTE: Please see other posts in this series including So Many Braille Displays Part One (focusing on the Brailliant BI 40 and BI 80 models) So Many Braille...
Photo of Easter basket and colorful eggs and text, "Easter Wrting/Tech Activities"

Easter Writing/Tech Activities for Students Who Use Screen Readers

Are you looking for some fun Easter-themed activities? Use these activities to practice tech skills! This is a great way to review tech skills in preparation...

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