Fall 2006 Table of Contents
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Expanded Opportunities for Secondary Academic Students in Texas School for Blind and Visually Impaired's Summer 2006 Programs

by Kay Pruett, TSBVI Special Programs Instructor

Abstract: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired offers an array of unique and innovative summer programs for students with visual impairments from around Texas.

Key Words: News & Views, TSBVI, Special Programs, summer.

Secondary academic students with visual impairments often spend their school year focused on the core curriculum at the expense of the expanded core curriculum, and rarely get opportunities to interact with other visually impaired students. TSBVI offers programs designed specifically for this group of students as part of a wide array of exciting summer programs for various groups of students with visual impairments.

During the summer 2006 session, TSBVI greatly expanded their offerings for secondary academic students with visual impairments. All of these programs provided students opportunities to build a meaningful social network, to practice the unique skills necessary for successful living as adults with visual impairments, and to learn and practice skills related to a specific teen interest.

Several successful classes from the past were offered as summer programs along with eight completely new programs. To meet expressed needs of local districts two Short-Term Programs usually offered only during the school year were held in June. Here is a sample of the 2006 offerings:

Braille Music: Nine students worked with Jane Rundquist (TSBVI's music teacher), Bill McCann (Professional Musician, Programmer and President and Founder of Dancing Dots Music Technology Company), and Sharon Nichols, (TSBVI Outreach Department technology consultant). Students improved braille music reading and writing while learning Dancing Dots braille music and recording programs and creating music together. They worked hard, but were always smiling and ended their work with an outstanding performance of their music on the TSBVI stage.
Restaurant Management: Under the capable guidance of Mark Paredes (Certified Chef and TSBVI instructional staff member), eight students studied restaurant management and materials, searched the Internet for recipes, planned the menu and ran a well-received restaurant on the TSBVI campus. They also skillfully catered the reception and cast party concluding the always-inspirational Camp Fine Arts performance.
Camp Fine Arts: This quick and intense program of creative expression served more students than ever before. TSBVI drama teacher, Robert Pierson, and creative teaching assistants were responsive to student interests and supported the original student production of the film: "Pirate: The Adventures of Pierre Sorrel". Meanwhile, Jane Rundquist and others supported students in developing vocal and instrumental music, writing and performing original songs, and choreographing and performing several dance pieces. Several students capably performed art forms or on instruments they had never played before.
Rock Band Camp: This new program was lead by a team of skilled Austin musicians who are also long term TSBVI instructional staff members. Seven students traveled by public transportation into the community to learn about equipping and recording rock bands. Back on campus, they selected their instruments and songs and worked hard to master them for both live and recorded performance. Several of the students learned to play new instruments, including guitar and bass guitar. They exercised growth in personal and social skills, as they became a mutually supportive performing band. They created a recording of their pieces and concluded their camp by playing live in the Camp Fine Arts performance.
Radio Station Management: As in past secondary academic summer projects, students created their own radio station with the support of TSBVI staff and a volunteer radio professional. Trips to local radio stations and interviews with a DJ who is blind provided good models for students. Eight students had fun with their friends in this and other programs as they practiced technology, communication, social and other skills of successful adult working and living.
Getting There: As in the past, these students were on the go. They traveled by foot, bus, boat, train and taxi. With the guidance of a certified O&M instructor, they practiced planning their trips, staying safe in interactions with the public, and requesting the information and help they needed . They toured the airport and documented their experiences in individual scrapbooks.
Writers Workshop: Badgerdog Literary Publishing, Inc. and TSBVI jointly offered this opportunity for students to write, publish and perform their own work. Under the capable leadership of Katie Williams of Badgerdog, and Robert Pierson, TSBVI language arts teacher, students created a supportive environment where they shared and critiqued one another's written work. The student authors completed all the steps of the publishing process to have their work included in the Youth Voices in Ink and Youth Voices Embossed summer anthologies. The class concluded with an impressive reading of original essays, poetry, and short stories, as well as the dramatization of an original play.
Recreational Technology: Students improved and practiced their computer skills as they explored recreational uses of computers. They created a culminating PowerPoint document including student research and writing about individual student interests.
PE: Recreational Sports Camp and PE: Athletic Sports Camp: These sports camps offered middle school students the opportunity to experience and explore specific sports they may not have been invited to try in their home communities. Recreational sports included noncompetitive and community activities such as ice skating, bowling, swimming, scuba diving, billiards and hiking. They also explored camping equipment and other recreational equipment. Athletic sports addressed team and individual competitive sports such as football, basketball, baseball, goal ball, track and field, and swimming. This group joined the Cheerleading Camp to enjoy a tour of athletic facilities on the UT campus. Both groups got a jump on learning adult living skills by doing most of their own shopping and cooking, and traveled daily by public transportation to their outings in the community.
Cheerleading Camp: The group in this one-week camp did concentrated work on the skills needed to participate in a cheerleading squad. The group worked out daily, learned routines, cooked for themselves, took public transportation to meet up with the sports camp for a tour of the UT athletic facilities, and documented their work in individual scrapbooks of their original creations. They developed from a group of individuals into a supportive working team. Their week concluded with a sharply executed and fully synchronized performance of sideline cheer routines.

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Last Revision: December 11, 2006