TX SenseAbilities – Fall Winter 2015 Issue

I Want You to Know: My Reflections on Publishing a Book

Amita Srinivasan’s book, I want you to know... was published in May 2015. Amita, who is 16 years old and has CHARGE Syndrome, wrote the book with the aim of giving voice to what she teachers and parents should know and understand about a child with special needs.

NASA Camp Offers Visually Impaired Student Window into Spaceflight

The author shares one student’s experience participating in the NASA Space Camp for students with visual impairment.

Charlotte Brown Wins Podium Finish in Pole Vaulting

The author shares his observations and the insights of a high school student with vision impairment competing in the 2015 UIL Track and Field State Championship.

Sal Santos Receives Mayor’s Award by Salvador Villa

A high school blind student tells how he was awarded the keys to his city of McAllen.

NAPVI 2015 National Family Conference Reflections

A parent of three teens with Retinitis Pigmentosa shares her thoughts about the NAPVI 2015 National Family Conference.

Low Vision Services: Working with Your Child’s School

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Designing Educational Environments to Optimize Vision

The author discusses factors that challenge and strategies that support students with low vision in the school environment.

Teacher of Students with Deafblindness Pilot Part 1

Students with deafblindness (DB) are considered a low-incidence population nationally. These students require specialized support to access environmental information, to develop communication, and to develop concepts about the world around them due to the significant impact caused by the combined loss of vision and hearing.

Informal Functional Hearing Evaluation (IFHE)

This article provides information on the development and implementation of an evaluation tool for conducting informal functional hearing evaluations for students with deafblindness and/or multiple disabilities.

10 Tips to Introduce Reading to a Young Child Who Is Blind or Visually Impaired

Suggestions for introducing literacy awareness and love of stories to children with visual impairment or deafblindness who are not yet able to read

Children with Visual Impairments: Do Them a Favor and Give Them Chores!

The author discusses teaching daily living skills, responsibility and self determination to children with visual impairment at a variety of ages as their skills develop

Wearable Technology: A Motivator for Fitness?

In this article Superintendent Daugherty shares information about the agreement between TSBVI and the United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) to implement a National Fitness Challenge on the TSBVI campus.

84th Legislative Session Means Many Changes for DARS Programs

Mr. Bowman reviews the legislative changes for the programs in the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services and discusses plans underway to make a successful transition.

The Braille Challenge

The Braille Challenge is an academic competition designed to encourage students who are blind to emphasize their study of braille. This article provides information on the Braille Challenge and highlights Texas winners for the 2015 competition.

Conferences and Events

Active Learning Space, an Active Collaboration

NCLB Scholarships

The National Leadership Consortium in Sensory Disabilities (NLCSD) is offering scholarships to selected degree programs for doctoral degrees leading to leadership positions in sensory disabilities. Application deadline is March 1, 2016.