Learning to stay organized is a crucial skill for visually impaired students to learn, and that doesn’t change just because students may be using more digital technology these days! Students need to be able to organize handouts, readings, research, and assignments, and be able to quickly find information during classes and group work. The topic of efficiently organizing and fin ...
Welcome to the #Outreaching Blog!
#Outreaching is a blog about all things outreach from the Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments at PRCVI.
We use this space to keep our community updated on what we've been doing around the province and to post interesting news and features. Please feel free to post in the comments - we would love to hear from you.
For more information on PRCVI outreach services, please see our main outreach page or contact an Outreach Coordinator.
CVI Literacy Collection at PRCVI
Students with cerebral/cortical visual impairment (CVI) may have some unique sensory access requirements to literacy experiences. For the past several years, PRCVI has been maintaining a collection of literacy materials that meet the access needs of students with CVI. Books within the CVI literacy collection feature simple, high-contrast illustrations and text. The books have ...
Using PowerPoint Books for Inclusive Literacy
When designing literacy activities, it is so important that they be inclusive to all students. Many of you know that ARC-BC provides an online repository of accessible digital materials to students with print disabilities in British Columbia. But did you know about ARC-BC materials available in PowerPoint format? PowerPoint books are available on ARC-BC as either .pps or .ppsx ...
A Guide to Braille ASCII (or "Computer Braille")
Are you and your students baffled by what to do when a braille device asks for computer braille input? (Or maybe you've wondered what the gibberish displayed when a braille device is not connected to anything means!) The PRCVI outreach team has created a guide for teachers on how to enter braille ASCII, otherwise known as "computer braille", into a braille device. We hope you ...
Using Jeopardy to Teach JAWS Skills
A frequent request the outreach team receives here at PRCVI focuses on strategies for teaching students to use screen reading software such as JAWS, NVDA, or VoiceOver. We are always looking for games or activities to teach skills, rather than just memorizing a list of keyboard commands. At the recent closing ceremonies of the 2021 BC Regional Braille Challenge, which was held ...
Braille Alphabet for the Classroom
Awareness of braille literacy is so important for students with visual impairments and their peers. It can not only help to demystify some of the tools students use, but can be a source of self-determination for our students as they teach their peers. We wanted to share a set of braille letters (one braille and print letter per page) that can be displayed in the classroom to s ...
Essential Assessments Rubric from MDE-LIO
EA Rubric - Essential Assessments for Students who are Visually Impaired This post highlights innovative and timely work done by our colleague by the Michigan Department of Education - Low Incidence Outreach (MDE-LIO) team. The MDE-LIO team has created a series of rubrics to assess the quality of essential assessments (e.g., Functional Vision Assessment, Learning Media Assessm ...
Reading Foreign Languages with NVDA
The PRCVI Outreach team sometimes gets questions about how to read foreign languages, such as French, with screen reading software. By default, most screen readers should read foreign languages as long as they are marked up correctly within the document. But sometimes, settings may have been adjusted or a different speech synthesizer needs to be used. We have created a guide o ...
Using Track Changes and Comments in Microsoft Word with Screen Readers
Microsoft Word has several features that are useful for commenting on documents. These features include Track Changes, which allow groups to collaborate on editing documents, as well as comments, which allow individuals to make suggestions or provide feedback. These features are often used within post-secondary and workplace environments. The PRCVI outreach team has provided s ...
Post Secondary Q&A with AT-BC
On Friday, June 19, 2020, Vince Tomassetti, Program Manager at Assistive Technology - British Columbia (AT-BC), joined PRCVI for a discussion on what students should know about getting assistive technology in place in post-secondary education. This informative one-hour session was attended remotely by students and TSVIs from across the province. The conversation was not recorde ...