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Dave MontrealCan - Good evening and welcome
WY/gal - need some ideas about a little gal I have with Stargard (sp ?) - she has lost all central vision
Dave MontrealCan - wygal do you enlarge all work sheets that are handed out so she can see the print effectively?
WY/gal - we are currently doubling size - everything on yellow instead of white (seems to help)
Dave MontrealCan - wygal do her texts get enlarged as well ?
WY/gal - yes- they are all doubled
Dave MontrealCan - wygal as far as active participation in the classroom how do you find she participates with the other children in group activities?
WY/gal - we are using a white board instead of chalk board - black on white seems to be better than other way around
Dave MontrealCan - wygal you are correct black print if it is bold black on an all white background is excellent
Kathleen - Is yellow background even better?
WY/gal - she does well since she has been in our school since K - but is becoming less of a participant as time goes by
Dave MontrealCan - wygal what about friends does she have many friends within the class she can be with who help her as well?
WY/gal - some close friends that want to help - problem is they want to be TOO helpful and treat her like an invalid -- am working on that
Dave MontrealCan - kathleen yellow can be good however if the student is sensitive to bright backgrounds i.e. a very bright green almost yellow could be a problem but it depends on the eye condition of the student
WY/gal - Kathleen - we have found that yellow worked better for this student
Garf/Sped/GA - Some of my students benefit from the black on white-- high contrast
Dave MontrealCan - Garf as a student I used to benefit a lot from the black on white it was very easy for me to work with
Garf/Sped/GA - I had a student last year who used that instead of Zoomtext
Garf/Sped/GA - I have one this year who loves it.
Dave MontrealCan - Garf do you have any students who use lp dos on the computer
Garf/Sped/GA - do you mean Visibility?
Dave MontrealCan - Garf the program is called Large Print Dos it allows the student to enlarge the print to whichever size they find most comforting to them perhaps i am dating myself as dos is becoming less used lol
Garf/Sped/GA - Is that on Mac or IBM
Garf/Sped/GA - one of my students I am trying all kinds of stuff on both Mac and IBM
Dave MontrealCan - Garf IBM
Garf/Sped/GA - well, her IBM always has trouble, so I have a set up for her on the Mac
Dave MontrealCan - Garf how old are your students do you have any of them using a minocular telescope to read the blackboard?
Garf/Sped/GA - My students are 2nd grade and 6th grade
Garf/Sped/GA - Last year I had all high schoolers, no none use monoculars but I think my 2nd grader will
Dave MontrealCan - wygal I wanted to ask you about bullying as this is also an important thing to try to avoid does your student ever feel she is being bullied or teased by the other students
Kathleen - Dave, what are your favorite tech aids for the sight impaired child, or does that depend entirely upon what sort of impairment the child has?
WY/gal - since she has come through our building she has a wonderful peer support system -BUT the older she gets the more some of the newcomers tease
Garf/Sped/GA - Can I chime in Kathleen? I have some opinions on technology
WY/gal - have been trying some sensitivity things that involve several types of handicaps
Dave MontrealCan - Kathleen it usually depends on the type of impairment the child has however the cc tv (closed Circuit television) is one of the more popular ways for students to read books and the newspaper have you ever seen a cc tv? It allows the student to focus the print to however large or small size they wish on the tv screen
dixietman - Dave...in my situation teaching high school students, I am occasionally presented with one sight impaired student in a class of say 30. Do you have any suggestions as to how to balance the attention between the sight impaired student and the rest of the class, other than just trying to explain to them that the student needs the extra accommodations?
Garf/Sped/GA - Dave one of my principals thought a CCTV was a REAL tv
WY/gal - dave my 3rd grader has trouble keeping her cc tv on track
Dave MontrealCan - wygal what sorts of sensitivity training do you try with them and what type of teasing do they do?
Kathleen - I have seen cc tv, but not in that context, sounds like a terrific application
Garf/Sped/GA - WY- does the CCTV have the tracking feature
Garf/Sped/GA - If you use that that helps with tracking.
WY/gal - we have a workshop each year run by one of child advocates - wheelchair, sight , motor, and hearing activities
Dave MontrealCan - dixie often if the student is given the appropriate adaptive aids they can usually follow along at a reasonable pace but do you have any teacher aids working with you assistants when you have a sight impaired child?
WY/gal - Garf- not that I know - will have to look into that
Garf/Sped/GA - WY-- there is a way on some CCTVs that has a feature that shows a line, that helps with tracking
WY/gal - I will definitely have to check into that Garf!! Thanks
dixietman - no Dave..we are on our own...we can provide technological aids, etc..but I must do a lot of "extra" things for the student such as making out special tests with large print etc..the other students resent this somewhat
Dave MontrealCan - wygal what sorts of teasing does this student have to deal with and how do you try to sensitize the others about these issues?
Kathleen - Dave, did you benefit from technology aids while you were in school?
Garf/Sped/GA - You are welcome.
Kathleen - dixie, sounds as though your students need to experience Dave's special glasses to develop some empathy
Garf/Sped/GA - Dixie-- there are ways to make the tests in LP just like everyone else's.
Dave MontrealCan - dixie what they used to do for me in high school was offer me a private room to do my high school exams and they would give me time and a half to finish so i never had to worry about the other students and pressure from them
dixietman - yes..have done that too Dave..bout the only recourse I suppose!
Dave MontrealCan - kathleen it was amazing how i saw technology grow and increase over time i had a magnifier called a jupitor in the early grades which I used the device looked like the planet jupitor or round crystal ball shaped and i would place it on the text then as the years went on i got very strong reading glasses with double magnification and so on the adaptive aids improved over the years
WY/gal - teasing usually involves the size of her materials
WY/gal - dave, glad to have suggestions on sensitivity training - have exhausted my ideas
Dave MontrealCan - wygal how do you explain to the students that this is not a nice thing to do?
WY/gal - lots of talk about all being different as a group - no one singled out -- also talk privately with offenders as I would when any one is teased about anything
Kathleen - WY/gal, how old are the students?
Dave MontrealCan - wygal the best way is to blindfold the other students have them walk around the school and try to find their way and even have them try simulator glasses that simulate different types of eye problems and then ask them how it felt then ask them would they like it if someone made fun of them or teased them in that situation
Kathleen - Dave, you might develop (or have you already) a bibliography of books for children that deal with these topics
WY/gal - that is part of the workshop we do at the beginning of the year - probably should redo that again now
WY/gal - Kathleen - I teach 3 so have 9/10 years old
Dave MontrealCan - wygal i once had students when i was in Kindergarten burst recess bags behind my ear they thought it was funny to see me jump they would sneak up behind me and blow up the bags
WY/gal - Dave - haven't had anything like that - at least not yet
Dave MontrealCan - kathleen i have never done that before but it sounds like a great idea though
Dave MontrealCan - wygal in first grade the kids used to stick playdough in my ear until the teacher told them to stop
Dave MontrealCan - Wygal i have what is known as Retroentalfibroplazia that is my eye condition
WY/gal - Dave - that makes me want to scream, cry, something!!!
Kathleen - Dave it would be another resource to distribute during your workshops
Kathleen - oh, Dave, that's awful, little children can be mean
Dave MontrealCan - Wygal ((((((((((((()))))))))))))))I got through it
Dave MontrealCan - Kathleen have your kinders ever done things like that?
WY/gal - Dave - not familiar with that condition - what are the limitations
Kathleen - Dave. no, I've never witnessed that kind of meanness.
Dave MontrealCan - Wygal I was born premature in the 7th month and had to be placed in an incubator for 24 hours it was the combination of the bright lights in the incubator shining down on me along with excessive amounts of oxygen that damaged the nerve tissue in both eyes it left me with just under 10% vision in the left eye and totally blind in the right eye
WY/gal - It sounds like you have done really well in spite of -- I really appreciate all your help tonight
Dave MontrealCan - Wygal I would be pleased to email you and help if you need some assistance with this student
jojo - there is a young lady who uses a cane in college right now dave
jojo - people are very insensitive
Dave MontrealCan - My teachers net email address is melanson@teachers.net
jojo - last year there was a man who had a guide dog
Dave MontrealCan - jojo what do they do ?
WY/gal - Thanks dave - let me see what I can do with the info I got tonight -- I know where to find you when the next set of questions arise
jojo - i am not sure what class that the girl is in but people talk about her when she is sitting right there
jojo - in the court yard and in the halls
Dave MontrealCan - jojo what do they say about her?
WY/gal - Thanks Dave -- got that e-mail address
carrottop - Isn't it funny that people (some people) seem to think that sight impaired people can't hear
jojo - they talk about how wild she is with her cane and how funny it is to see her walk up to someone and not no they are there so they get smacked with it...i guess it is not so much what they say as the fact that they talk..and she can hear
Dave MontrealCan - jojo are these mostly student teachers?
jojo - the man who had the dog graduated with a degree in Political science...he had to take all of his high school classes and then the four years degree
jojo - no dave this is just out in the hall way i don't think the girl is in education
jojo - all different types of students dave
Dave MontrealCan - I have always been so pleased at how sensitive teachers are about sight impairment I want to share that with all of you I find most teachers special and wonderful
WY/gal - nice to hear dave
Dave MontrealCan - Wygal I have always been well treated at teachers conventions and even at the dances they are always getting me up to dance pulling me off the chair to go to the dance floor with them lol lol lol
jojo - dave....what would you think if i was to say to the students who are talking about her..."hey you know what she may be blind but she is not deaf!".. i mean would that be wrong?
Dave MontrealCan - jojo that would be a wonderful way to wake them up you would see their faces go red believe me
WY/gal - go for it jojo
Dave MontrealCan - jojo let me know what happens too
jojo - dave because she uses a cane..do you think that she might be completely blind?
jojo - lol ok dave i think i will
Dave MontrealCan - Jojo I use a cane sometimes in crowds and public places so not necessarily she could have some sight
jojo - ok.. see i have no idea about things like this
jojo - why in public places dave?
WY/gal - Dave - I have a whole new subject - macular degeneration - does it ALWAYS get worse and worse
Dave MontrealCan - it is just about 10 pm so I would like to thank teachers net for giving me the opportunity to have this session this evening it is always a pleasure to know I am making a difference to devoted teachers
WY/gal - sorry jojo didn't mean to interrupt
jojo - that is ok WY
Dave MontrealCan - Wygal yes it usually does because it is something where your sight deteroriates over time slowly
jojo - thank you dave
WY/gal - thanks for your help dave -- bye
jojo - bye dave thanks
Dave MontrealCan - jojo if it is crowded sometimes i need to use the cane to show people that they must slow down and not bump into me or show cars that i may not see them turning right away and to slow down as well
Dave MontrealCan - Your welcome and thank you all for coming this evening ;
jojo - OK so it is not so much for you
