Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing a wonderful Mom of a blind child with additional disabilities who is currently a high school student at the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh, North Carolina. The purpose of our conversation was to gain insights about the challenges and rewards of parenting a child with… Read more Lessons from the Mom of a Blind Child: The Rewards Far Surpass the Challenges
The phrase Expanded Core Curriculum might sound like a huge and complicated undertaking. One may wonder why only visually impaired students must be burdened to master a whole other curriculum on top of the one their classmates have to learn. Thankfully this term is simply used by educators to refer to the set of skills… Read more A Simple Intro to the Expanded Core Curriculum
Originally published by the U.S Department of Education in 1995 and revised in 2004, the National Agenda for Students with Visual Impairments, including those with multiple disabilities, is a powerful declaration by both professionals and parents of what must be done to give these students an equal level of public education, resulting in the same… Read more What is The National Agenda for Students with Visual Impairments
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is commonly known by teachers as the law that introduced IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) as legal documents for ensuring a FAPE (Free and Appropriate Education) to students with disabilities. The IDEA enabled these students to remain in a general school setting while also receiving special education services. The advances… Read more A Quick Intro to the IDEA
Father Thomas J. Carroll is a legendary figure whose steadfast empowerment of the blind shines like a beacon for those who seek to follow his footsteps in the field of education and rehabilitation of the visually impaired. A fervent promoter of civil rights for African Americans, Carroll has compassion for all, actively supporting legislation and… Read more Father Thomas J. Carroll: Faithful Friend to the Blind
These instructions are designed specifically for those who use iOS via Apple’s built-in VoiceOver screen reader. 1. Open Podcasts Option 1: Locate the Podcasts app on your home screen by swiping right and left with one finger to navigate one app at a time. Swipe right with three fingers to move by page. When VO’s… Read more How to Remove a Show in Apple Podcasts
These instructions are given from the perspective of a user of the Job Access with Speech screen reader (version 2020 or higher), with Window 10 or 11. Option 1: Using the System Tray Note: Some may need to select the “notification chevron button” with space, then use the up or left arrows to find their… Read more Adjusting the Volume with JAWS
Complete Computer Proficiency Primarily and in very brief terms, a totally blind college student will need to be able to use a computer to the same degree as their peers and that means, they will need to be skilled with a fully featured screen reader such as JAWS or NVDA to access their curriculum and class materials. They will… Read more 4 Tech Tools for the Blind College Student
Braille Translation Software Braille translation software is necessary to create hardcopy braille. It is the program on your computer used to convert imported print text into braille, format it as desired, and send the data to a compatible embosser. It is the program used by large volume producing braillists to format textbooks and literature, by… Read more 3 Types of Must Know Braille Technologies
Headings When creating a document, it is important to consider the digital organization and how a screen reader will navigate the content in addition to just the visual attractiveness. It is vital to use headings properly. When writing a blog post on WordPress Block Editor or an article with multiple sections and subsections in Microsoft Word, rather than… Read more 4 Easy Ways to Optimize Your Documents for Screen Reader Users