When the time comes for us to live on our own, we begin to appreciate the times when food was prepared for us by our parents, our school cafeteria staff, etc. We are faced with the reality that food is not free, and that it doesn’t prepare itself. Suddenly, the school lunches we complained about as kids seem a little more appealing.
For students transitioning from school to adult life, the skill of meal planning and budgeting becomes essential. For students with vision impairments, these skills may be particularly challenging. Many students who are blind or visually impaired are unaware of how food is prepared and may not be accustomed to participating in the meal planning in their family. Furthermore, students may have no idea how much various grocery items cost, simply because they do not see signs and price tags at the grocery store. This activity is designed to help students consider how to plan a meal, the ingredients needed for this meal, and the cost of these ingredients. This activity also addresses compensatory skills and assistive technology skills. Please note that this activity is fairly complex and contains several steps. The activity in full is most suited to students with strong conceptual and assistive technology skills, but instructors are encouraged to use pieces of the activity or to adapt it for students based on their abilities and needs.
