For a complete listing of our live webinars, please visit our Webinar Listings page. Most of our live webinars are recorded and are posted for delayed viewing on our Online Learning site. Instructions on how to apply for CEU credit for archived webinars are provided here. We also have a listing of E-Learning Courses provided via Bridge!
Also, don't forget about our wildly popular TSBVI Coffee Hours. This is a great opportunity to visit with colleagues and discuss topics related to supporting students and families of students with visual impairments or who are Deafblind.
Quick Links
Instructions: Click on a conference/workshop link and go immediately to the section concerning that training.
TO BE DETERMINED: Music Braille Workshop: Part 1
TO BE DETERMINED: Music Braille Workshop: Part 2
OCT 24-26, 2021: October Mentor Center
NOV 4-6,2021: 2021 Southwest Orientation & Mobility Conference
DEC 3-4, 2021: December Mentor Training
JAN 4-7, 2022: January Braille and Tactile Graphic Boot Camp
JAN 20-23, 2022: Game of Life! Middle School Transition
FEB 13-15, 2022: February Mentor Center
MAR 4-6, 2022: In the Driver's Seat: An Introduction to Safe Driving with Low Vision
APR 24-26, 2022: April Mentor Center
MONTHLY: Family-to-Family Communities (F2FC)
2021-2022 School Year: Music Braille Online Workshop: Part 1
Offered via Zoom
Prerequisites
Participants should be familiar with Unified English Braille. No musical background is required.
Scheduling your Workshop
This workshop is a live, 4-day course and is offered in the summer, fall, and spring semesters.
If you have any questions, comments, or are interested in registering for this workshop, please email Mindy Hudson at
Overview
This online workshop will be live and is intended for those who are teaching or plan to teach and/or transcribe music for K-12 students. Music Braille Online: Part One covers fundamental topics in order for participants to successfully transcribe a simple piece of music by the end of the workshop.
Some of these topics include:
• Print & Braille Music Notes
• Time Values: Quarter, Half, and Whole Notes & Rests
• Clef Symbols & Time Signatures
• Introduction to Braille Octave Indicators
Continuing Education Units
Continuing Education Credits will be issued to participants after the submission of the Final Project after the final scheduled training session. Number of sessions is dependent on the pace of each group but can generally be completed within one week.
Total CEUs for this workshop is 12 hours.
2021-2022 School Year: Music Braille Online Workshop - Part 2
Offered via Zoom
Prerequisites
Participants who have taken and passed Music Braille Online: Part One may register for Music Braille Online: Part Two of the workshop series.
Scheduling your Workshop
This workshop is a live, 4-day course and is offered in the summer, fall, and spring semesters.
If you have any questions, comments, or are interested in registering for this workshop, please email Mindy Hudson at
Overview
This online workshop will be live and is intended for those who are teaching or plan to teach and/or transcribe music for K-12 students. Music Braille Online: Part Two covers topics of music theory and the Music Braille Code (2015) so that participants may produce intermediate music transcriptions for braille users.
Some of these topics include:
• Notes & Rests of Smaller Time Values
• The Use of Word Signs
• Octave Indicator Rules
• Other commonly used symbols and expressions in print music
Continuing Education Units
Continuing Education Credits will be issued to participants after the submission of the Final Project after the final scheduled training session. Number of sessions is dependent on the pace of each group but can generally be completed within one week.
Total CEUs for this workshop is 12 hours.
Mentor Center - October 2021
October 24-26, 2021
Mentor Centers provide participants an opportunity to observe experienced TVIs and COMS as they use a variety of strategies and materials with their students on the TSBVI campus. Each participant will have the opportunity to observe between 4-6 individual VI professionals a day.
Learning Objectives:
• Observe visually impaired students in a variety of learning environments.
• Keep a record of materials and strategies observed.
• Apply strategies and materials to their own students.
• Connect theory learned in coursework to actual situations in the field.
Audience: Protégés matched with a TVI and/or COMS mentor through the TSBVI Mentor Program and Texas students currently enrolled in the Texas Tech University or Stephen F. Austin State University VI/O&M programs who do not have a mentor.
2021 Southwest Orientation & Mobility Conference: Zooming into the Future 2.1
November 4-6, 2021
The Southwest Orientation & Mobility Conference is going virtual again this year! This coming November, we will be Zooming into the Future adding all we’ve learned from months and months of delivering professional development online...and we can’t wait for you to join us online!!
Although we are moving our face-to-face conference to an entirely online format again this year, you can still expect timely and informative keynotes and breakout sessions as well as the opportunity to connect with exhibitors.
Over 13 hours of CEU’s (ACVREP and SBEC) are offered through SWOMA this year.
Conference Dates:
• November 4th: Pre-Conference (Optional)
• November 5th - 6th: Main Conference
Registration Fees:
• Professional and Family Member - $100
• University Students and Paraprofessionals - $40
Mentor Training - December 2021
December 3-4, 2021
Individuals who have completed the mentor application process will be required to attend an initial face-to-face training on the TSBVI campus in Austin. This training lasts for one and a half days, and covers such topics as common problems of novice teachers, mentor/protégé communication, record keeping for mentors, and promising practice standards for TVIs and COMS.
Learning Objectives:
• Describe stages of concern for the beginning professional.
• Describe techniques which facilitate open interaction between mentor and protégé.
• Use legal framework documents to support programming for students with visual impairments.
• Standardize assessment requirements for determining eligibility in Texas.
• Complete required documentation for mentoring in Texas.
Please contact Chrissy Cowan for more details.
January Braille and Tactile Graphic Boot Camp
January 4-7, 2022
Braille Boot Camp is four days of hands-on, experiential learning focused on the skills you need to produce braille documents and tactile graphics for your students. As an added bonus we now include a session on cleaning and minor repairs of braille writers.
All activities are conducted in small groups or individually. Everyone will have opportunities to create a number of worksheets and tactile graphics to take home as well as instruction manuals and other resources.
Our Activities include:
• A deep dive in the use of Microsoft Word for braille and tactile graphic production.
• Converting files to editable text and understanding file types and extensions.
• Braille Document Production for Literary, Foreign Language, Mathematics and Technical materials.
• Tactile Graphic Production of one-page and multiple-page tactile graphics.
• Creation of Templates for basic shapes and Cartesian coordinate planes.
• Opportunities to work with the hardware and software used for these tasks.
All sessions start at 8:30 am and end at 4:30 pm. This training has been designed for those who are new to braille production or anyone who needs a refresher. This is an in-person training and attendees are expected to attend all four days.
Game of Life! Middle School Transition
January 20-23, 2022
Is the game of life a game of chance or choice? Throughout life, we all make choices and navigate roadblocks daily. Students heading into high school are faced with a number of challenges as they transition to adult life. Students with visual impairments often benefit from additional instruction related to concepts such as self-determination and self-advocacy, career exploration, and socializing with peers. Together, we will develop skills in these areas while encouraging students to be leaders in their own lives.
In this weekend course, students and their parents must attend together. Students will be taught by teaching staff in Short-Term Programs while parents will attend a conference portion hosted by the Outreach department. Hotel lodging will be available for adults and paid for by TSBVI. Students will reside in the Short-Term Programs dorm. The goal is for students to understand ways that they can “step up” as they transition to adult life, while parents will learn ways to “step back,” as they support their child with this transition.
The program will include information about:
- Self-determination and self-advocacy as an individual with a visual impairment
- Transition planning and graduation plans
- Development and support of skills in the expanded core areas at home and in the community
- Exploration of post-secondary options, including opportunities at Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center and the Post-Secondary Programs on the TSBVI campus
- Experiences shared by other parents and students who have made this transition
Mentor Center - February 2022
February 13-15, 2022
Mentor Centers provide participants an opportunity to observe experienced TVIs and COMS as they use a variety of strategies and materials with their students on the TSBVI campus. Each participant will have the opportunity to observe between 4-6 individual VI professionals a day.
Learning Objectives:
• Observe visually impaired students in a variety of learning environments.
• Keep a record of materials and strategies observed.
• Apply strategies and materials to their own students.
• Connect theory learned in coursework to actual situations in the field.
Audience: Protégés matched with a TVI and/or COMS mentor through the TSBVI Mentor Program and Texas students currently enrolled in the Texas Tech University or Stephen F. Austin State University VI/O&M programs who do not have a mentor.
In the Driver's Seat: An Introduction to the Safe Driving with Low Vision
March 4-6, 2022
For most teenagers, driving is not only a dream, but a rite of passage. Students with low vision often wonder, “Will I be able to drive?” Determining the answer to this question is a process between the students and their families which involves gathering facts, facing emotions, and ultimately making important decisions. In this weekend workshop, students and families will explore the topic of driving with low vision.
Mentor Center - April 2022
April 24-26, 2022
Mentor Centers provide participants an opportunity to observe experienced TVIs and COMS as they use a variety of strategies and materials with their students on the TSBVI campus. Each participant will have the opportunity to observe between 4-6 individual VI professionals a day.
Learning Objectives:
• Observe visually impaired students in a variety of learning environments.
• Keep a record of materials and strategies observed.
• Apply strategies and materials to their own students.
• Connect theory learned in coursework to actual situations in the field.
Audience: Protégés matched with a TVI and/or COMS mentor through the TSBVI Mentor Program and Texas students currently enrolled in the Texas Tech University or Stephen F. Austin State University VI/O&M programs who do not have a mentor.
Family-to-Family Communities (F2FC): Connecting Families of Individuals with Deaf-Blindness via Distance Technology
Each F2FC is comprised of 8-10 family members; is guided by trained facilitators; meets once per month for 90 minutes via video-conference or phone; topics are chosen by the group and include structured conversation and open sharing. Your regular participation is vital to the group!
Facilitators will contact participants in August; monthly meetings will be Sept 2021 - May 2022