Archive for August, 2015

Tom McFadden, National Executive Director of the Canadian Deafblind Association, requested permission to print my article in CDBA’s Intervention magazine that was originally published in the Fall 2014 National Federation of the Blind’s Future Reflections magazine. This will be the second article that I have had published in Intervention magazine; my first article was published in the Fall 2014 Intervention magazine,

Thanks Mr. McFadden for helping share my teaching strategies with your Canadian colleagues!

I was notified by Clinton Smith, President of the Tennessee Council for Exceptional Children, that my proposal to present was accepted! My session will be on October 23rd and 9:45.

Over the past two years, I have done sessions for the Illinois CEC, Kentucky CEC, Alabama CEC, and Georgia CEC. Thanks for your help CEC!

I emailed the link to my recent CEC article to Deafblind International in Australia. Deafblind International in Australia referred me to one of their colleagues, Stan Munroe, in Canada.

I sent him the CEC article as well as some other information about my low vision and braille manipulatives. Mr. Munroe offered to share my article in their upcoming 2016 Deafblind International Review; the article will be published in January 2016.

With Mr. Munroe’s help as well as from other administrators, teachers, and parents, the idea that came to me while I was walking down the same hallway I have done 1,000,000 times has turned into reality is on the verge of becoming a dream come true….. the opportunity of helping students all of the world from Rome, Georgia. It does not get much better than that!

I contacted Kathy Segers, the principal at Tennessee School for the Blind, in Nashville, Tennessee. After Ms. Segers reviewed the information that I emailed her and my website, she invited me to do a session at the upcoming statewide conference for teachers of the visually impaired and assistive technology specialists. One of her colleagues, Elaine Brown, called me, and we discuss my teaching strategies and various articles in greater detail.

At the end of our discussion and phone demonstration, Ms. Brown invited me to do two sessions (1:00-2:30, 2:30-4:00) on October 23rd. Tennessee is going to Slide-A-Round in October!

I have scheduled a demonstration with Justin Amber and his colleagues on October 22nd at 1:00 at Easter Seals in Indianapolis, Indiana. This will be my first demonstration in Indiana. I am looking forward to sharing my teaching strategies with them so that we can help students in Indiana with their rigorous math standards!

I sent my Council for Exceptional Children’s 2015 Summer issue of Visual Impairment and Deafblind Education Quarterly to Jane Gay, Director of Iowa Assistive Technology Program, and Sally Giittinger, President of the Nebraska School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Ms. Gay and Ms. Giittinger both offered to share my the article and teaching strategies with their colleagues state-wide.

I also contacted Cecilia Robinson, VI Specialist at the Texas Education Service Center Region 4 in Houston, Texas. Ms. Robinson offered to share my CEC article and additional information with her special education and regular education colleagues in her region.

Thanks for your help!

Lorrie Crockett, Assistive Technology Specialist at the East Tennessee Access Center in Knoxville, TN, and I have decided that a morning session and afternoon session would provide flexibility for districts to send their teachers and administrators to my demonstration. I plan on sharing my teaching strategies and encourage attended to search “Rounding Math Manipulatives” and then click on “Images” on the Internet to see what is currently available for students to use.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me or Ms. Crockett at ETTAC.