Archive for February, 2015

I had a great conversation with Elisa Wilkinson, Family Specialist for the Project for New Mexico Children and Youth Who are Deafblind.  I mentioned to Ms. Wilkinson about  the recent articles I had published in National Federation of the Blind’s Future Reflections magazine and the Canadian Deafblind Association’s Intervention magazine.  She offered to forward my contact and articles to parents in New Mexico who have deafblind children. I sincerely appreciate her help!

I had three successful demonstrations in Tampa on February 9th. I shared my teaching strategies with Emily Wilson, Specialist at Florida Alliance of Assistive Services and Technology (FAAST). Then, I had the opportunity to see the amazing low and high tech assistive technology devices at her center.

My second demonstration was with Sheryl Brown, Executive Director of the Tampa Lighthouse for the Blind, and her colleagues. Then, I met with Laura Brown, Coordinator of Visually Impaired Program and her TVIs at Hillsborough County Schools and Kay Ratzlaff, Coordinator of Instructional Resource Services, and her colleagues from the Florida Instructional Materials Center for the Visually Impaired (FIMR-VI) at the Manhattan Center. Both demonstrations were full of enthusiastic teachers. I believe that everyone left with additional knowledge and were ready to work with their students.

I really appreciate everyone fighting the rain to attend my demonstrations. I hope that I can visit Florida in the near future!

Kathleen Farrand, Editor for the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Visual Impairments and Deafblind Education Journal, Visual Impairments and Deafblind Education Quarterly, informed me that she is interested in publishing an article in the Summer issue about a deafblind high school life skills resource teacher who uses my braille manipulatives during her lessons while students use my student versions. The teacher in the article is an amazing person and very inspirational because of the dedication to her students. Stay tuned!

I am pleased to stated that I am meeting with Emily Wilson, FAAST Program Specialist, at Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology in Tampa at 9:00 on February 9th. Sharing ideas is the main goal of this demonstration. Every time I visit assistive technology centers and school districts, I always gain additional information to provide strategies to use with my students at Elm Street Elementary in Rome, Georgia.

I had an article about my math manipulatives and teaching strategies published on FAAST’s website in October 2014. It is going to be exciting to demonstrate my ideas in person!