Free Summer Training for Educators Serving Students Who are Blind or Deafblind
Start the year ready. It can feel daunting for educators to welcome a student who is blind, visually impaired or deafblind into their classroom for the first time. To help schools begin the year prepared, IESBVI and the Iowa Deafblind Project are offering free summer training designed to build knowledge, confidence and practical skills from day one.
The Deafblind Symposium on August 10 is focused on teams supporting students with combined hearing and vision loss. The year’s keynote speaker, Dr. Jasmine Simmons, a deafblind audiologist and author, will present on her personal experiences with Usher Syndrome. She will discuss creating supportive environments for students with deafblindness and navigating the intersection between employability and disability.
Susanne (Susie) Morgan Morrow, director of the New York Deafblind Collaborative, is a nationally certified sign language interpreter and interpreter educator. Susie will present on ProTactile, a socio-cultural philosophy that focuses on providing positive experiences to support individuals with deafblindness access in their environment through touch.
August 11 and 12 are designed for general education teachers, special education teachers and paraeducators serving students who are blind or visually impaired. Led primarily by IESBVI vision education professionals, Summer Institute offers more than 30 sessions focused on hands-on strategies that can be implemented right away.
Participants learn how to make instructional materials accessible, adapt physical education and classroom activities, provide appropriate assessment accommodations, utilize assistive technology tools and set high expectations for student success.
“I felt better going into the new year knowing what adaptations and assistive technologies were available,” said a past attendee. Another shared, “You may think you know how to adapt learning for visually impaired students, but there is so much more to discover.
Registration opens later in March. For more information, contact kristine.sinclair@iaedb.org.