Getting in Touch with Distance Learning: Considerations for Braille Readers

Earn Credits

The transition to distance learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has uniquely impacted students who use braille as their primary learning medium. The adoption of a variety of digital platforms for the delivery of instruction and assignments has created barriers to access for braille readers.

In this webinar, Lindsay and Jonathan will provide an exploration of considerations for distance learning for braille students, focused on a set of case studies featuring students of with varied levels of braille knowledge, assistive technology experience and access, across grade levels. A key theme running through these case studies is that a student’s previous experience and instruction in the use of a range of assistive technology tools allows for higher levels of independent access to curriculum materials during remote learning.

Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions to apply these considerations to their own students and children.

Presenter(s) Bio(s):

Lindsay Orcutt is a TVI/COMS who has worked for the New York City Department of Education’s Educational Vision Services for 13 years. She also serves as an assistive technology evaluator and trainer for students with blindness and visual impairments for the New York City Department of Education’s Technology Solutions. Lindsay currently teaches both the introductory O&M and the math literacy/Nemeth Code courses in the TVI program at Hunter College.

Jonathan Hooper is a TVI who has worked with the New York City Department of Education's Educational Vision Services for seven years, having previously taught at the Tennessee School for the Blind. He holds a Master’s degree from Vanderbilt University, and his graduate research has been published in the Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness. Jonathan currently teaches the Braille course in the TVI program at Hunter College in New York, and he has presented on curriculum adaptations and literacy programs for students with visual impairments.

Learning Goals and Objectives

Learning Objectives:

Participants will...

Identify solutions to the unique challenges faced by braille readers/tactile learners when receiving remote instruction
Evaluate the accessibility of a variety of remote learning platforms commonly used in general education classrooms for braille readers
Analyze the impact of early instruction in and access to assistive technology tools on the educational experience of braille readers during remote learning
Describe relevant instructional strategies for maximizing the effectiveness of remote instruction for braille readers/tactile learners in key areas of the expanded core curriculum, including compensatory academic skills, assistive technology, and social skills