MAR272020
Updated: June 23, 2020
We will continue to update this page with resources that can be used by both families and school personnel who are currently at home. Please note that all products, services, and tips mentioned are for informational purposes only.
LIVE With LIO Webinar Resources
The following resource documents correspond with MDE-LIO's weekly LIVE With LIO webinars. The same resources can be found below this section, organized by topic.
- March 19 Resources: LIVE With LIO: Virtual Learning Resources and Support [PDF]
- March 25 Resources: LIVE With LIO: Skill Development for BVI Educators [PDF]
- April 1 Resources: LIVE With LIO: Resources for Parents and Families [PDF]
- April 8 Resources: LIVE With LIO: Going Live With Students Who Are Blind/Visually Impaired [PDF]
- April 22 Resources: LIVE With LIO: Using Google Services to Meet With Students [PDF]
- April 29 Resources: LIVE With LIO: Taking Time for Daily Living Activities [PDF]
- May 13 and May 20 Resources: LIVE With LIO: Showcasing the Assistive Technology Guidelines [PDF]
- May 27 Resources: LIVE With LIO: How to Teach GPS [PDF]
- June 10 Resources: LIVE With LIO: Summer Resources and Open Q&A [PDF]
COVID-19 Resources
- The US Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) provides IDEAs That Work: Continuity of Learning During COVID-19, which includes information, tools, and resources to help educators, parents and families, and related service providers meet the educational, behavioral, and emotional needs of children and youth with disabilities through remote and virtual learning
- The American Foundation for the Blind has gathered Accessible Education Resources during COVID-19 for parents, college students, and teachers
Assistive Technology
MDE-LIO Resources
- The Assistive Technology Guidelines are intended to guide teachers of students who are Blind/Visually Impaired (BVI) in Pre-K through 8th grade; the following documents provide examples for using the Michigan Assistive Technology Guidelines with a student:
- MDE-LIO's Assistive App section provides hundreds of apps for families and students that can be filtered by accessibility feature, subject, age range, and more
Zoom Video Platform
- Using the Zoom Cloud Platform [PDF]
- Zoom Quick Start Guide for New Users
- Hot Keys and Keyboard Shortcuts for Zoom
- Virtual Training and Access Using Zoom Platform Using Keyboard Commands [Video]
- Meet Me Accessibly: A Guide to Zoom Cloud
- Connecting to a BrailleNote Touch Plus via Zoom Meeting
Zoom Security
- How to Keep Your Zoom Meetings Safe, from Perkins School for the Blind
- FBI Warns of Teleconferencing and Online Classroom Hijacking During COVID-19 Pandemic
Google Platforms
- Google Meet Keyboard Shortcut Keys [PDF]
- Screen Sharing With Google Meet [PDF]
- Google Hangout Keystrokes and Basic Gestures [PDF]
Keyboard Shortcuts
Speech Access for Computers
- JAWS screen reader is available for free download through August 2020 (includes ZoomText and Fusion)
- Download Nonvisual Desktop Access (NVDA) software
Apps and Services
- Aira is a service that connects blind and low-vision people to highly trained, remotely located agents using a phone or iPad; agents can assist the user with describing information in the environment, including reading menus, labels, signs, and more
- Ballyland Keyboarding for desktop and laptop computers
- Seeing AI for iOS [PDF]: Features include person, light, color, and money identification, as well as barcode scanning; can also read short text, documents, and handwriting
- Voice Dream Scanner for iOS [PDF]: Scans paper documents and recognizes text
Creating Mind Maps
- Popplet can be used to help students think and learn visually; students can capture facts, thoughts, and images and learn to create relationships between them
- The Kidspiration app allows users to visually display and organize thoughts and ideas across various disciplines (read the Kidspiration Overview)
- Whimsical Mind Maps
- iMindMap HD App
Other Technology Resources
- HumanWare offers tech webinars every Tuesday and Thursday at noon; check the HumanWare Facebook page for information (HumanWare Live Webinar Series recordings are also available)
- Bruce McClanahan from Washington State School for the Blind offers several Chromebook Guides:
- BrailleNote Touch Google Drive folder, featuring a Math in the Classroom guide, from California School for the Blind
- Teaching Students With Visual Impairments offers an Assistive Technology Assessment and forms
Compensatory Skills
Unified English Braille (UEB) and Nemeth Code
- Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics Tutorial and Courses, linked on the MDE-LIO Compensatory Skills page
- UEB Online: Accessible Braille Training
- Hadley Institute for Professional Studies offers braille courses
- Library of Congress Braille Certification from the National Foundation of the Blind
- Braille Authority of North America (BANA)
Literacy
- Bookshare is a free eBook library for students who qualify (must have verification from an approved professional)
- Project Gutenberg offers more than 60,000 free eBooks in a variety of formats
Independent Living Skills
- Preschool, elementary, and middle school independent living skills (ILS) calendars available on MDE-LIO ILS page
- American Printing House for the Blind (APH) Self-Management Functional Skill Assessment
- Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired EVALS
- Perkins School for the Blind Independent Living Skills for Visually Impaired Students Pinterest page
- Vision Aware
- Task Analysis: Making a Sandwich [PDF]
Tips for Uploading Daily Living Videos
- Uploading Videos to Google Drive and YouTube [PDF]
- Updating a Blog [PDF] provides steps for adding a new post with video to a Weebly blog
- Genesee Intermediate School District Visual Impairment Blog
- Washington State School for the Blind Video Clips on Blindness Tips
- North Dakota State School for the Blind YouTube Channel
Orientation and Mobility (O&M)
- Remote O&M Ideas (Collaborative Google Doc)
- Chris Tabb: LiveBinder Resources for O&M Specialists, linked on MDE-LIO O&M page
- O&M Books for Younger Students During Distance Instruction
Teaching GPS Navigation
The resources below are provided by Leader Dogs for the Blind for teaching global positioning system (GPS) navigation to students:
- GPS Scavenger Hunt: Sample Lesson Plan [PDF]
- Inputting Addresses and Traveling to an Address: Sample Lesson Plan [PDF]
- Introduction to Victor Reader Trek: Sample Lesson Plan [PDF]
- Victor Reader Trek Cheat Sheet [PDF]
- Victor Reader Trek Cheat Sheet - Large Print [PDF]
Cortical Visual Impairment
- West Virginia Department of Education CVI Assessment
- Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired CVI Web Exercise
- Perkins School for the Blind Courses and Endorsement: Perkins CVI Hub
- UMass Boston Sponsored Trainings: UMass and Perkins Trainings
- Cortical/Cerebral (CVI) Certification
Transition
Preparing for Work
- Preparing for Work resource from Perkins School for the Blind
- The Michigan Bureau of Services for Blind Persons (BSBP) provides Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) and Transition Information
- APHCareerConnect provides free access to a variety of fully accessible employment and portfolio-building tools and exercises that support job seekers
- Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center (WINTAC)
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Technology (STEM) Career Resources
- STEM Careers: Just for Students from the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE)
- STEM Career Kids from McGraw Hill
- Career Kids
- CareerConnect from the American Printing House for the Blind (APH)
Preparing for College
- College Bound: Prepare Ahead resource from Smart Kids With Learning Disabilities
- College Success at Perkins
- BSBP College Prep Program [Video] from BSBP
- Learning Ally's College Success Program
Family Resources
- Parent-Created Schedule for Home-Based School Activities from Paths to Literacy for Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
- Stay-at-Home Activities for Children With Visual Impairments from Paths to Literacy for Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired
- School at Home Activities for Students with Visual Impairments and Others [PDF] compiled from teacher consultants for visually impaired, special education teachers, and elementary teachers
- Teaching Students With Visual Impairments offers a list of Summer Outdoor Activities
- How Journaling Benefits Your Child outlines how journal writing can help children process feelings, build writing skills, and communicate their ideas
- Lighthouse Guild Tele-Support Groups offers support and resources for parents and teens
Fun and Games
- Play games using the Zoom video conferencing platform with family and friends on the video conferencing platform; games could include Categories, Story Starter, 21 Questions, Catch Phrase, Yahtzee, Bingo, Trivia, Apples to Apples, Two Truths and a Lie, etc.
- The Audio Description Project provides audio descriptions for TV show episodes and movies
Exercise and Movement
- Eyes Free Fitness YouTube channel
- The United States Association of Blind Athletes Facebook page offers "Staying Fit While Staying Put" resources
- Medically Informed Yoga provides audio-described yoga sessions
- Tandem Bicycling
- Core Training [Video]
Camps in Michigan
- Opportunities Unlimited for the Blind (OUB) 2020 Camp Schedule
- Lions Bear Lake Camp
Connecting With Nature
- 25 Nature Webcams for Science Learning at a Distance
- Naturespace holographic audio app
- Pure Michigan SoundCloud Channel
- Gardening After Vision Loss: Tips from an Experienced Blind Gardener
- Ideas for Getting Your Kids Into Nature
Bird Sounds
- Bird Song Hero game for identifying bird songs from The Cornell Lab Bird Academy
- The Distinctive Calls of Owls: A Sampler [Video] features owl calls from The Cornell Lab Bird Academy
- Bird-sounds.net provides bird sounds of North America
Online Educational Resources
- Virtual Expanded Core Curriculum Education Learning (ExCEL) Academy for Students With Visual Impairments provides recordings of daily lessons for students with visual impairments (collaboration between Paths to Literacy, American Printing House for the Blind, and California State University); a Virtual ExCEL Summer Camp is also available mid-June through mid-August
- Accessibyte online platform is free while schools are closed (includes Typio, an accessible typing program, Quick Cards for accessible studying, and more)
- ObjectiveEd provides educational games and is free for rest of the 2019–2020 school year
- Described and Captioned Media Program offers accessible educational videos for students who are Blind or Visually Impaired and/or Deaf or Hard of Hearing