TSBVI Media Minute: Fall 2024 Features
Authors: Suzanne Becker, Digital Archivist, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI)
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When thinking about some highlights of the fall semester at TSBVI, a few that come to mind are the White Cane Day celebration, the Residential “Braille of Lights”, and a delicious meal from the Campus Bistro of vegetarian chili made with fresh beans grown in the TSBVI garden. These are just some of the latest topics covered in the Media Minute on the TSBVI website. The Media Minute is a campus resource that debuted during the 2023-2024 school year, as detailed in the Spring 2024 TXSA magazine. This article will summarize the latest posts which highlight White Cane Day, Career Education, Residential Hobby Hour, and the TSBVI partnership with the Girls’ School of Austin.
White Cane Day
Did you celebrate White Cane Day this past October? You may not have realized that it was the 60th anniversary of the occasion! The Media Minute post on White Cane Day documents how TSBVI has celebrated the event for over 20 years. The post features videos of TSBVI students giving impactful speeches about what White Cane Day means to them and how they use their white cane in the world. You can access links to A Sense of Texas podcasts on White Cane Day, highlighting many voices from our community. There is also an interview with two former students from our EXIT program who share their perspective on White Cane Day. When asked how the white cane has empowered her in life, Wealthy responded, “The white cane has helped me be independent, helps me walk around campus independently, and makes sure I don’t trip over stuff and basically guides me on different paths.”
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Students and the public march in the 2003 White Cane Day festivities from the old City Hall Municipal Building on 8th street in downtown Austin. -
Conversing at City Hall during the 2005 White Cane Day festivities -
Students and staff march across Lamar Boulevard towards the TSBVI campus during White Cane Day 2018. -
Celebrating White Cane Day 2022 in the TSBVI Quad
Career Education
TSBVI provides a continuum of experiences to prepare students for their unique adult schedule and life in their home community, as detailed in the Career Education Media Minute post. For students enrolled in Comprehensive Programs, TSBVI collaborates with a team composed of the student, their family and care providers, local district, state agencies, and other community members. Programming is provided for students in grades K-12, the 18+ Experience In Transition Program (EXIT), and the Post-Secondary Program (PSP) in coordination with Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center (CCRC) and the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). For students not enrolled in school-year Comprehensive Programs, Summer Programs offers Summer Work Experience in Austin, TX (SWEAT) and Working and Living in the Community (WALIC). Short Term Programs and the Outreach Department collaborate on two courses that target transition and Career Education, “Game of Life for Students and their Parents” and “High School Independence Weekend: College and Vocational Prep with Parents.”
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Selling treats to peers at the Farmer's Market on the TSBVI campus -
EXIT students sorting books at the Goodwill worksite -
The TSBVI Hospitality Team poses in the kitchen of the Ronald McDonald House with their instructors. -
Sorting military gear for refurbishment at the Travis Association for the Blind during the SWEAT program -
Students and caregivers in a STP/Outreach course visit the Austin Community College campus and receive a tour in the Manufacturing Engineering Technology Department.
Residential Hobby Hour
If you’re looking for fun, creative, sensory-rich recreation and leisure experiences for your child or student, look no further than “Hobby Hour” created by the TSBVI Residential Department! This Media Minute post showcases weekly activities adapted for students of all abilities to explore their sensory channels, build interests, and develop artistic, social, and play skills. Hobby Hour shows you there’s more to pumpkins than simply carving them—turn the gourd into a work of art when you roll it with paper and paint inside a plastic container! Did you go on a “Trail of Lights” over the holiday break? Why not create a “Braille of Lights” for your child by adding scented pine cones, switches recorded with holiday greetings, and textured ornaments? Get creative with ice by freezing holiday-themed objects in colored blocks of various shapes for your student to excavate using different tools. Hide fun toys in bins of pasta, jello, or edible playdough for safe exploration!
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Ice sensory exploration with frozen toys, flavored ice cubes, and serving utensils -
Painting by rolling a textured ball or small pumpkin on a canvas in paint in a closed plastic container -
Enjoying the 2023 Residential Braille of Lights -
Finding Halloween objects in Jello
Girls’ School of Austin and TSBVI Partnership
Are you looking for ideas to create inclusive fitness activities for your family or classroom? Since 2012, TSBVI has had a partnership with Girls’ School of Austin (GSA) that brings students in the fourth grade from GSA to TSBVI for weekly PE classes with TSBVI students in the Elementary grades. This Media Minute post documents our special relationship. Through movement and play, and repeated exposure and practice, students and educators from TSBVI and GSA are learning the benefits of being in an integrated environment where hundreds of students have learned to gain trust, awareness, and how to work with each one’s specific needs
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TSBVI and Girls’ School of Austin students and staff assemble on the risers for the 2015 Turkey Trot Duo Dash. -
TSBVI and GSA students at the Jingle Bell Run 2019 -
Community Service Care Packages during the Winter Games PE lesson with TSBVI and GSA students -
Students from GSA and TSBVI form a large circle on the gym floor and roll a ball with sound to each other. -
TSBVI and GSA students rotate through stations during their weekly joint PE class.
The Media Minute will continue to feature the amazing instruction that happens across every department at TSBVI to deepen learning and awareness of the community of students who are blind, deafblind, or have low vision, including those that are served around the state. Please continue to check the TSBVI website frequently for new Media Minute posts, which will also be announced on TSBVI Facebook, Instagram, and in future issues of TX SenseAbilities.