Overbrook School for the Blind - Virtual and At-Home Learning

PATTAN Family Resources for Complex Learners in Virtual Learning

It is recognized that everyone is doing their best to manage work, self-care, children’s online education, and more during the COVID-19 pandemic. Families and professionals supporting children with disabilities face additional challenges. You are not in this alone. The PA Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN), in collaboration with the Bureau of Special Education, has created this website for families and general educators supporting complex learners in virtual learning. For the purpose of this website, a complex learner is a child, youth, or young adult with an intellectual or significant cognitive disability, multiple disabilities, and/or sensory impairment.

"Paths to literacy" for students who are blind or visually impaired

This website may give you some new ideas for virtulal and at-home learning. Take a look, and be sure to click around to check out the different topics that are covered. For example, if you click on multiple disabilites under "browse by topic", you will find a wealth of information for learning at home.

National Homework Hotline for Blind/Visually Impaired Students

Vistas Education Partners offers free homework help for K-12 and college students in the United States who are experiencing school closures due to COVID-19. Areas of hotline help include, but are not limited to:

JAWS
Voice Over for macOS and iOS devices
Nemeth and literary braille
Cranmer abacus
Refreshable braille displays
Core Curriculum Subjects (Math, ELA, Science, Social Studies)”

Bookshare

This website provides free access to thousands of books to students with visual impairment and blindness, among other disabilities. Parents can sign their children up for an account, but it is recommended to check with their teacher to see if they have an account already.

Adapted CVI Shape Sorter Instructions

Mr. Frank and Ms. Melissa Collaborate to Create a CVI Adapted Shape Sorter!

With the help of Mr. Frank L., one of our incredible maintenance staff here at Overbrook School for the Blind, Melissa Brown, OTR/L was able to bring an adaptation she was dreaming up to life. Together they were able to create an adapted shape sorter for our students with CVI. Ms. Melissa had the vision of something more stationary than was readily available and that did not have to be manipulated along with the shapes, but also decreased the visual working distance, while drawing the visual attention to the openings. That's A LOT of things!

Melissa sketched out her ideas and Frank brought it to life! Here you will find a PDF with materials and instructions to create it for your students! Of course, you may need your own everyday hero, like Frank, to build it!

Audible

While schools are closed, kids can instantly stream a wide collection of stories, in eight languages, from a desktop, laptop, phone or tablet.

Bard Mobile (App)

Free Braille and Talking Book Library

Anyone with a print disability can register on the website above or call 1-800-NLS-READ for a braille and talking book library you can access on a desktop, laptop, phone or tablet.

Pre-Braille Skills At Home

Create a pre-braille texture board
Ms. Victoria's Middle School student is using a Texture Board to practice tactual discrimination and hone her pre-braille skills. Watch a video of the student using the texture board during a shared activity. You can make these at home to extend learning after school hours. Access intructions here.

YouDescribe App

This site provides a selection of youtube videos that have been described by volunteers.

1/11/2021 4:30 PM Parent Update

Virtual and At-Home Learning