College Life, Part Two

I have lots to blog about regarding college life/transition skills. Remember my post about my student Leah? Have you wondered how she is faring in her freshman year of college? Well, I've been checking in with her a couple of times  a month to see how she is doing. Actually, I can just read on Facebook all the excited and wacky posts about college life and I can see that things are good. Nevertheless, I still wanted to check in with her and pick her brain on freshman life. I loved her email! I used her insight to help with my own College Day (did an intensive day program just this past week...) 

Here's what she had to say:

Dear Robbin.
College had most definitely been a fabulous experience so far. All of my professors are understanding and willing to give assistance if I am having trouble seeing and there are plenty of tuttering centers on campus to help out as well.
As for living with a roommate it most certainly is an adjustment  it takes time to get used to yet its fun because you always have someone around, I was lucky enough to get a roommate that was a fun person to be around and we get along. Everyone in my dorm is supper nice and friendly just about everyones door is always open and we all just hang out .
For dining, They  have the menu for   breakfast lunch and dinner online so you can expect what to be eating  the flow of getting around  to all of the food is quite easy theres a salad bar in the center and then different sections on the sides. getting around the dining hall the  best way would be walking with a few friends its fun and you can plow through easier.
Now for getting around the campus I for one like walking with my friends just for the sake of not walking by yourself yet when your walking to class make sure to map out how to get there before the semester starts this way you are not in a rush. I believe one thing that helped me the most  for entering college would be getting involved  wether its a sport or a club it helps making friends allot easier. My college experience has been super so far I hope this helps .
Leah :)


I wanted to post this because I think it helps parents by reading about successful (and sometimes not so successful) transitions. Leah was on the ball with independent living skills. That was a huge factor in her success. I am proud of my girl! I can't wait to see what else college life brings her!!

Calendar Object System Board

Holy hannah blog family, I have a super awesome find from this week and I couldn't wait to share it!! This fantastic find was from the handy work of Matthew Tietjen with collaboration from Patty Leonard, TVI. Matthew is a TVI student doing his student teaching with us this semester.
I was doing my ususal rounds at the agency getting work to the TVIs and what not when I stumbled upon Matthew working in an empty cubicle.  He had made three fabulous calendar box/object symbol system for children who have multiple impairments that were visual learners (meaning they did not read Braille). These puppies are awesome and they are easy to make! I instantly knew that I had to blog about this so I immediately asked him if I could photograph and blog this. Then I had a few ideas of other ways you could use these boards. I am going to include all of the information on how to use, how to make and how this is awesome in this post. Get ready to read and then head out to round up supplies! I've made the pictures extra large size so you can really see all the details. 
Here's how to get started:
First, you must read my postings on calendar box systems. I've linked some fabulous articles and information about why and how they work. I love calendar box systems. I have used them over and over and I promise you, they are proven effective strategy.

Materials you need:

Thick, foam poster board. Matt used black and whiteCutting blade/box cutter, a good work space. I usually use a broken down cardboard box to cut things on so I don't cut my desk (I've done that before, ha ha...)Board maker softwareLaminatorBlack felt fabric (although any medium thick type fabric would do)Hot glue gun and a lot of glue sticksVelcro or hook & loopObject symbolsTwo hinges (can be purchased from Lowe's for about $3)Black permanent markerSmall plastic flexible bin/basketRed shiny fabricScissors

Matthew glued two hinges securely on the back of the board. The hinges allowed the material to be cut in half so the student is overwhelmed with information. 

 The thing that I loved about the hinges is that when it cut the material in half, it also gave it a new use. When folded, it provided two options: two objects followed immediately by the finished box and then three objects on the other side. This is awesome because you may have a student that is not ready for a full calendar box system. But they may be ready for now, next and finished system (remember the boards I made? Read about it in another post...) You could just use this side at the most basic level: now, next and finished with the student. Then, after they have got the hang of that, flip it over so you can use the three object side. You can do a three step sequence!! My favorite!! Three step sequences are awesome because you can do a "first, next, last" teaching sequence or a "beginning, middle, end". When the student has mastered this level, they are ready for the full board and the full line of objects. The other thing is that you can multi-use this board. You can still keep the full board for the object calendar box system but then fold it to the three object side when doing work and just put new Boardmaker pictures for the student to follow. 

 Each picture and symbol have velcro on it. This gives the option of the student using the picture or the symbol or both. I advised Matthew to put the velcro at the top of the picture (cut the velcro into a long rectangle) because when put at the top, it helps with the picture not flopping over at the corners and that helps eliminate glare (since they are laminated).

 I also advised Matthew to take a black marker and outline the velcro spot on the board. This makes it an easier target for placing the object in the right place. You may need to make a thicker black outline. It depends on the student. You could also use red. Then, I gave him some of my red shiny fabric to outline the all done (or can be labeled 'finished') at the top because without it, it was a lot of black and hard to tell with depth perception where to put the object in. Lastly (he was great to let me sit there and pop off all these ideas), I suggested he label the all done box so that they student sees the target. It's not exactly necessary but it can help. It also helps the teachers and support staff remember to label this when instructing. 

I took the individual object boards down so you can see how he put the velcro on it. Now, always remember this, use a lot of velcro! This gives a better target for students and it helps with durability. 

 

 Now, a word about the symbol choices here. You have to be careful with selecting object symbols as you want them to be meaningful not just a bunch of random plastic items. Matthew used symbols that I call 'purposeful plastic'. They are all plastic symbols but they are unique because of their meaning. For example, the soccer ball actually feels like a soccer ball as does the basket ball. They are both pretty darn good replicas of the real thing. Good choice. If he were to use some random plastic ball, there probably wouldn't be a lot of discrimination between the two and it would have been junk.  About the bread object for lunch. This too is plastic BUT I agree with this because it looks identical to the Boardmaker picture, it is thick, has texture and is a pretty good replica instead of using a piece of bread. You could use a fork and a for picture. That is a common object symbol for mealtimes. 

 My favorite of the object symbols is that for computer he used a Big Mac switch. When these students go to computer, this is what they use. A perfect choice for this picture. 

This is something you can do at home, school and for vocational training. I really loved these. They are easy to make, duplicate and aren't too expensive. I have a feeling I will be making these over and over for students to use. 

*Make sure you and your team (that includes parents) read up on calendar box systems. I can't stress it enough, they work!

College Life Part One

This post is the first of a few that I am going to blog on college life. Next week I am running my annual College Day. I recently sat down with my mobility superhero colleagues and we created some new handouts for the transition to college life. This first post is from my newest handout, College Living Strategy Plan. 

photo from wikipidia

A little background: Our transition age students need to have good generalization with their skills. Too often, they learn just their high schools, cafeteria lines, familiar restaurants, etc. but lack how to take their skills and generalize them to similar situations, conversations and places.  Some other common issues is that they won't use their canes (if they are visual travelers...) and struggle with independent living skills when they leave to college life. Now not every student struggles with this but a majority of them do in one way or another. So here's what I decided to do: take my students to an actual college campus and get down to intensive lessons for both parents and students. I teamed up with mobility to give our students and parents a checklist of skills for college life. 

photo from flickr

How to understand this: I decided that if we just lectured the students it would just blow right pass them. I wanted to give my students something that they could use easily. That's where my three category plan come into play: mobility plan, independent living skills plan and vision plan.

This isn't rocket science. The category names are exactly as they sound. The vision plan is for how they can modify their vision impairment to a situation. I feel that if students can take these three plans when going into a new situation or place, they have a good first foot forward.

Here's part one...

College Living Strategy Plan

by Robbin Keating, Vision Rehabilitation Therapist

and Dave Ferland, COMS
(with consult from the BESB mobility instructors)

The place: Student Center

Mobility Plan:

§  What entrance would you use?

§  Where is the information desk?

§  Accessible ATM? News & Campus events? Bookstore

§  Where are the bathrooms?

§  What are important landmarks?

o  Designate a meeting landmark

o  What kind of landmarks do you like? Big logos, above ground items, etc.

§  Seating situation/study rooms/chill spots

§  Designate a home base in every building

Independent living skills plan:

§ Can the student use the following independently: Food card, Student ID, money organization, cell phone, using an ATM

§  Low vision devices skills

Vision plan:

§  Lighting situation

§  Systematic search patterns to locate important people, places

§  Find your vantage point for finding seats, people, places, information

Do it at home: Start thinking about your child's chore list. I hope your child has chores because if they don't, plan on heading off to the dorms so you can clean up after them! :)

Fire Safety

Have you ever done a lesson on fire safety with your child? I have recently thought about this since I have been taking a cooking class (ha ha...). I did not have a grease fire extinguisher in my apartment. I was thinking how important it would be to review fire safety with our students. Not only is it important to learn about how to use an extinguisher but it is also important to review mobility routes in case of a fire in your home. Think about it: does your child know what to do if a fire was in your home---crawl on knees to get out? Not touch the door handle? Those are just basic tips that everyone should know. 


I picked up a new extinguisher that does fire and grease fires for $25 at Target. It's small and easy to use (no pin required) and sits right underneath my kitchen sink. I also have become much more on top of making sure I always have a safety prepped kitchen for stove top cooking. For example, I always have a lid out just in case to cover a possible grease fire. 


Do this at home: Make a fire plan! Review what everyone should do and hold drills randomly. You should also do a fire extinguisher lesson and have your child learn how to use one. I do recommend the non pin kind because of their ease. Teach them how and where to point it. Then start thinking about other areas of your house where you can do a little safety teaching. I've got a few more ideas and I will blog about them later....

Recipe Renovation

I saw this in an old issue of FamilyFun and have been using this as spreading handout idea sheet for the last two years. I also thought it would be a great addition to the new Recipe Renovation posts. Every student needs to perfect their spreading skills. PB & J is the usual but with nut restrictions and stuff, it can be tricky. In addition, PB &J isn't always the easiest to spread.  I love this handout because it expands the spreading repertoire to some really yummy sandwiches and some easy cooking skills. For example, many of these combos require cutting skills (cucumbers and peppers). It also broadens the experience of healthy eating, food textures and sandwich ideas. I love this handout!!

A few other thoughts on spreading....

• Think about using a standard size spoon for spreading instead of a knife. You can use the back end of the spoon for spreading. It's also easier to scoop with a spoon. I even use a spoon at home. 
• Encourage students to hold their utensil properly. 
• Put bread in the freezer for a bit before the lesson. It will be more durable when spreading. 
• Always remember, to ask open ended questions when doing this kind of instruction. For example, don't just tell students that they haven't spread to all parts of the bread. Ask them if every area is covered. If they don't know how, ask them to use their spoon/knife to detect which area does and does not have food on it. 

This is a recipe that all students, early childhood through school age, can do. You can also work on food placement (patterns), have fun with contrasting colors and textures. There's some serious potential in just a sandwich lesson!!

Do it at home: Pick one sandwich at a time to do. Allow the student (no matter what the age) to prep this by figuring out where the ingredients are located. If you don't have them, take them to the grocery store to select them. If your child struggles, write down what they are struggling with and contact your TVI. Every student needs this skill!

Preschool ECC Resource

Our preschool unit created this list recently and I loved it! They all got together and thought about how the ECC relates to preschool. They went section by section of the ECC and brainstormed. Save this list as it is a handy, easy to read resource of ECC topics. Teams can easily get an idea of how to incorporate ECC topics from this handout. Thanks preschool TVIs for letting me share!!

photo from joyfulheartspreschool.com

ECC Considerations as they Pertain to Preschool Children:

A Collaboration of Ideas by CT BESB Preschool Unit TVIs
Orientation & Mobility
Body parts
Spatial relations
Learning to crawl and walk
Navigating around different environments: home, preschool settings, playscapes
Learn to orient themselves in space
Begin to learn about where they are
Parents and teachers need to describe and explain things to the kids about the environments that they are in and moving about in
Gain knowledge of time, distance, positional concepts
Independent Living Skills
Learn self-help skills: eating, dressing, toileting, tooth brushing, bathing, wash hands, etc.
Learn routines of the preschool classroom and at home for taking care of own belongings
Clean up routines of the classroom
Chores at home and school
Teachers and Parents develop Task Analysis of each of these activities to be taught to the child
Develop backward chains for teaching these skills
Recreation and Leisure
Music-listen to and/or play an instrument
Learn to sing, whistle
IPads & Apps, Computers
TV, Movies-listen to and watch; pick out favorite shows or titles
Read and Listen to Books, Story boxes
Learn co-active Games; Play with favorite Toys
Switch Activated Toys; Cause and Effect Toys
Outdoor fun: swings, ball play, running, jumping
Learning to be fit: exercise, yoga, and dance class
Being a part of an organized sports team
Participate in an individual sport like swimming, gymnastics, etc.
Learn turn taking
Interacting with peers and siblings
Go on field trips and real life experience trips with family and friends and classmates-going to the zoo, a baseball game, etc.
Horseback Riding Therapy
Swimming Lessons
Preschool “Nature Day” Activities
Career Education
Learning about how to do Chores at home and at school
Learning about how to work/play on your own
Learning about self responsibility of your own possessions
Cleaning up routines around home or school for toys, clothes, food, dishes, etc.
Learning about the world that they live in
Learning about their community and neighborhoods
Taking family outings out in the community to area parks, the grocery store, the Post Office, the pet store, etc.
Learn about the types of jobs that people do for a living
Be a part of “take your child to work day”
Learn about money and how you get it and what it is used for
Self Determination
Figuring out about themselves and how they relate to their environment
Learning about their likes and dislikes
Develop a method of communication with others: spoken language, pictures, signs, etc.
Interpretation of their means of communication by parents and teachers and peers
Use of Schedule Boxes and Calendar Systems
Use of Hand under Hand Technique
Learn how to speak up for yourself and be your own self advocate