Course description
5th Annual Kansas Vision Symposium
Theme: Specialized Instruction for Students with a Visual Impairment
Date: Friday, November 11, 2022
Location: Drury Plaza Hotel Broadview Wichita
Cost: FREE with lunch provided the day of the event
Who: Vision professionals (TSVIs, COMS, Braillists and Instructional Assistants) along with general and special education professionals who work with students with a visual impairment are encouraged to attend.
2022 Keynote Speaker: Robbin Clark, MA Ed. (USDB)
Robbin Clark, MA Ed. is an Expanded Core enthusiast! She currently serves as the Assistant Director/Principal at the Utah School for the Deaf and Blind over the Expanded Core Curriculum and the Bridges Programs. She is the camp director for Camp Abilities Utah, a one-week developmental sport camp for children with visual impairments. Prior to her current work, she worked seven years as the vision rehabilitation therapist in the Children’s Services division at BESB in Connecticut. Other past professional roles include: teacher for deafblind children, an early intervention therapist for children with vision impairments and director for various programs of students with vision impairments. Robbin offers professional expertise, tips, and resources to parents and educators on her blog The Independent Little Bee, adifferentkindofvision.blogspot.com, and on her 9MoreThanCore social media accounts (IG, Facebook). She collaborates with a number of schools for the blind to effectively train staff in Expanded Core instruction and is often invited to be a keynote speaker in workshops and symposiums. Personally, Robbin has been active in the vision impairment community since her youth: living and working with her mother who has total vision loss provided the foundation for her life’s passion. Her credentials include a vision rehabilitation therapist graduate degree from the University of Arkansas, Little Rock and a graduate endorsement in curriculum & instruction from Walden University.
This one day FREE training will focus on the research and practice in effective Specialized Instruction for students with a Visual Impairment.
Breakout session topics will include: implementation of the Expanded Core such as Transition supports, Assistive Technology and Orientation and Mobility.
Agenda:
8:00 Registration
8:45 Welcome and Kick-Off
9:30 Keynote Speaker: Robbin Clark
10:45 Breakout Session 1
- Designing Expanded Core Content & Assessment (Robbin Clark)
- Student Driven IEP’s for Transition Success (Jeri Hile)
- Functional Eye Gaze Assessment (Anna Cyr)
11:45 Lunch (Provided: Mexican Buffett) and Vendor Fair
12:45 Breakout Session 2
- Transition Planning with the Expanded Core (Robbin Clark)
- What's New with Access Tech? (Vince Cianfrone)
- Introduction to Bioptic Driving (Dr. Kendall Krug)
2:00 Breakout Session 3
- Build Your Collaborative Consultation Toolbox (Robbin Clark)
- Eureka! Discovering Something New in KIRC (Toni Harrell)
- Making PE and Sports Accessible (Leah Enright & Nicole Drake)
3:00 Closing and Door prizes
NOTE: "The content and presentations of the Vision Symposium are intended to address the specific needs/interests of TSVIs/COMS in Kansas. Other district employees are welcome to register/attend with the understanding that the focus of the event will be geared toward certified professionals in the field of vision."
Sponsored by: KSSB, KIRC & the KS Deaf-Blind Project in partnership with TASN & MNU. ACVREP RPPLE CE Credits available.
Learning Objectives
Session Descriptions & Objectives:
Keynote Address: Choose to be Exceptional (Robbin Clark)
In this session, participants will start the symposium with an inspiring call to arms to make choices to deliver high-quality instruction. Objectives:
- Reevaluate our purpose as educators
- Consider small but powerful choices we can make in our everyday practice
Designing Expanded Core content & Assessment (Robbin Clark)
It can be overwhelming to know your starting point with designing Expanded Core instruction for a diverse population of students. This session will provide teachers a guide on designing Expanded Core instruction for students of various needs and vision impairments and assessments to inform teachers of student achievement. Objectives:
- Design rigorous Expanded Core content
- Curate formative assessment ideas to measure student achievement
- Examine guiding principles of designing Expanded Core content
Transition Planning with the Expanded Core (Robbin Clark)
Students with visual impairments experience transition planning throughout their academic life. This session will cover major milestones and how to plan for what comes next for the student. Participants will also get a brief overview of using person-centered planning with the Expanded Core curriculum. Objectives:
- Identify major transition planning milestones for students
- Examine assessments that can guide transition planning
- Compile resources for engaging the school-based team and community organizations in transition planning.
Build Your Collaborative Consultation Toolbox (Robbin Clark)
How do we successfully collaborate with the school-based team on Expanded Core instruction? This session will cover strategies for collaborating with the team and parents. Objectives:
- Define what collaborative consultation is
- Curate resources and strategies for collaborating with the school-based team
- Examine ideas for deeper learning on the IEP related to the ECC
Title: Assistive Technology for VI: New Product Review (Vince Cianfrone)
Demonstration and discussion of new assistive technology products on the market and the application of these products. Specifically, products for early Braille learning, Braille Math solutions for students, portable video magnification for deskwork and distance, and portable scan-and-read solutions. Objectives:
- Learn about new assistive technology products for students with low vision or blindness
- Understand the application of these products including specific examples of successful implementation
Title: Introduction to Bioptic Driving (Dr. Kendall Krug)
This session will be a guide to approaching a Drivers License in the State of Kansas for individuals with visual impairment. The session will focus on the current legal requirements and steps to obtain an Instructional Permit and Restricted Driver’s License. Objectives:
- Understand the current driver's license legislation and requirements in Kansas
- Understand the needed skills for safe driving
- Use of adaptive aids such as bioptic telescopes and when to introduce to students
Title: Functional Eye Gaze Assessment (Anna Cyr)
Functional Eye Gaze Assessment is a growing project being developed within the KanLovKids Low Vision Collaboration + Clinics with Dr. Linda Lawrence. Additional clues about the visual function of students with brain based visual impairments and complex communication needs are being discovered through the use of eye gaze software. A history of the current project, demonstration of the system and discussion of the types and benefits of results will be presented. Objectives:
- Describe the benefits of Eye Gaze Assessment for a student with a potential visual impairment
- Increase knowledge of the equipment and software used to complete Eye Gaze Assessment
- Participate in demonstration of an assessment and discuss potential uses of results in educational assessment and planning
Making PE & Sports Accessible (Leah Enright & Nicole Drake)
This session is about adapting sports & recreation activities for students with visual impairment. It doesn’t have to be a scary thought for these students to play with their peers. They will talk about running tethered with a sighted guide, playing blind soccer with friends, and how to adapt archery activities with beepers behind targets. Objectives:
- How to adapt sports for individuals with visual impairment & blindness.
- How to give individuals opportunities they deserve to play sports and to participate in extracurricular activities.
- Review statistics regarding students who are blind / VI who lead a sedentary lifestyle
Title: Student Driven IEP’s for Transition Success (Jeri Hile)
We all know that IEPs are developed for students with disabilities at least once a year. However, how often do students attend their own IEPs or assist with developing the IEP and leading the IEP meeting?This presentation will give TSVIs and special education teachers ideas on how to include their students in the IEP process. Transitions can be particularly stressful for students with visual impairments as they move from a familiar to an unfamiliar school environment. It is also difficult for the general education staff who may never have taught a student with a visual impairment. Preparation, planning, and communication can help smooth the problems and difficulties that can occur. This presentation will provide TSVIs a timeline as well as documents to aid in the transition to a new school environment. Objectives:
- Teachers will learn how to help students become more involved in the planning and presentation of their IEPs.
- Teachers will learn techniques for planning and implementation of transitions for their students
Eureka! Discovering something new in KIRC (Toni Harrell)
A brief, but deep dive into a variety of current and upcoming APH products and a review of the quota program. Objectives:
- Identify one new use of an existing APH product
- Independently navigate menus within an electronic low vision device
- Identify timeline and critical components of APH quota funding.
Optional: University Credit
Course: EDCI 7641, 2022
Vision Symposium, Half (0.5) Continuing Education Graduate Credit
MNU REGISTRATION LINK The registration is open now and ends on 11/18/2022
- KS State School for the Blind has partnered with MidAmerica Nazarene University (MNU) to provide you with continuing education graduate college hours for trainings you attend. MNU is an affordable way for you to earn credits. Registration is open now and it will remain open until November 18, 2022.
- Once you attend the 2022 Vision Symposium, you have seven (7) days to register and complete the STAR assignment, part 1 only, and email to MNU at med@mnu.edu.
- A half credit costs $45. Registration and payment is completed online through MNU by using the registration link above.The STAR, part one, assignment is due seven days after the workshop date (11/18/2022), and you will send it directly to MNU at med@mnu.edu.
- Once you attend the 2022 Vision Symposium and submit STAR part one, you have the opportunity to earn additional credit (with additional cost per credit) through MNU’s STAR program, parts 2-5, and have up to one year to complete these requirements.
Refund Policy
Registration may be cancelled up to 14 days prior to the event for a full refund. Cancellations received within 14 days of the event will not be refunded. No-show registrations will also not be refunded.