Florida Instructional Materials Center for the Visually Impaired Newsletter |
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Ordering Textbooks for 2021-2022 School Year
Getting your braille and large print textbook orders in as soon as possible helps ensure your students have their materials at the same time as their peers. The Accessible Instructional Materials page of our website has information regarding textbook orders, special order requests, obtaining textbook lists, and more.
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District Vision Contacts
September 21, 2021 | Virtual
FIMC-VI will collaborate with the Florida Department of Education to provide this session for individuals who serve as the contact for their district. Participants will receive an overview of data related to students with visual impairments statewide, and district representatives will receive data regarding their own teachers and students.
Eligibility and Reevaluation Flowcharts
September 23, 2021 | 2:00pm-3:30pm EST
This session will provide an in-depth overview of the eligibility and reevaluation flowcharts which were created by FIMC-VI and approved by the Florida Department of Education. This session will also address dismissal for students with visual impairments.
FIMC-VI Info and Updates Part 2 of 3
November 12, 2021 | 2:00pm-3:30pm EST
This webinar will focus on the required Annual Census / Student Registration process. Whether you are new or a veteran teacher of the visually impaired or Vision Contact, this is your chance to learn about: using FIMC-VI's Online System for Annual Census; why Annual Census is conducted, how to authorize staff, how Annual Census is completed, and deadlines for completion; upcoming FIMC-VI events; Braille Challenge; and more!
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Student and Family Events
Florida Festival of Families
September 17-18, 2021 | Virtual
Keep your "Future in Focus" at this free event for parents, family members and caregivers of children with visual impairments. Activities for students and families to do together are offered Friday evening and Saturday morning. Two guest speaker session tracks are offered Saturday that focus on CVI and children with multiple disabilities or assistive technology for print/braille readers of all ages. Encourage families to register by August 31 to receive an activity box in the mail!
Florida Cane Quest
Competition Dates: November 1 & 2, 2021
Closing Ceremony: November 6, 2021
Virtual
"Not all who wander are lost" at Florida Cane Quest! Cane Quest® is an orientation and mobility (O&M) challenge for cane travelers in grades 3-12. It was created by Braille Institute to challenge and motivate students to learn and improve O&M skills. Scouts and Pioneers will be tested on basic O&M skills and earn coins to go shopping in our online store. Explorers and Trailblazers will compete for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes by earning points for correctly performing more advanced O&M skills. At the end of the week, a family event for ALL children with visual impairments will be held with guest speakers, activities, and goodies culminating with an awards ceremony to recognize the Florida Cane Quest participants. Registration for students and other attendees will be posted on our website when available.
Florida Braille Challenge
West Florida Braille Challenge
January 21, 2022 | Tampa
East Florida Braille Challenge
February 4, 2022 | Orlando
North Florida Braille Challenge
February 18, 2022 | Jacksonville
South Florida Braille Challenge
March 4, 2022 | TBD
"The Sound of Braille Music" can be heard in 2022 at the Florida Regional Braille Challenge events! Braille Challenge is the only academic competition of its kind held in January through March each year for students who are blind or visually impaired. Braille Institute developed Braille Challenge to motivate students to practice and hone their braille literacy skills, which are essential to academic and employment success. FIMC-VI has created multiple regional events around the state so that more students can participate. Hands-on, educational activities are offered in the morning for students and their families, a parent/guardian workshop is offered while students compete, a lively drum circle is offered for all after the competition and an awards ceremony concludes the day. Mark your calendars for the city closest to you and check our website for updates and registration information.
Past Events
The Past Events page of the FIMC-VI website has a new look! Over fifty archived FIMC-VI webinars and videos on all topics related to the education of students with visual impairments have been grouped into six categories: Assessment and Eligibility Resources, Statewide Meetings and Information, Students and Families, Braille and Tactile Graphics Production, Expanded Core Curriculum, and Inclusion Resources. We hope this new format makes it easier for you to find the training you need. Browse through these sections at your leisure, and remember that inservice and ACVREP points are available for recorded trainings! |
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Dates, locations, and registration details for all FIMC-VI trainings and events are distributed via email and posted on our website. |
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Come Learn UEB Math/Science With FIMC-VI! |
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Do you need a refresher on UEB Math/Science (formerly called UEB Technical)? Or are you ready to learn UEB Math/Science but would like some help along the way? Then you're in luck! Join Hayley Locker, FIMC-VI's Braille Specialist, on a journey through UEBOnline's Mathematics Program. If you follow this schedule, you will complete all 30 lessons by early May 2022!
This program is open to anyone who is involved in the education of students with visual impairments in Florida; district and agency staff, family members and caregivers, volunteers, etc. If you are interested in participating, fill out this form to be added to the Canvas module dedicated to this group. Participants will have access to both a group discussion board and two group meetings a month with Hayley to tackle the most challenging questions, and will receive 30 inservice credits upon completing all 30 lessons.
Individuals are welcome to join this group at any time throughout the school year.
For those who haven't used braille in awhile, we recommend completing the UEBOnline Literacy Program before starting the Mathematics program. We hope to see you online, and happy brailling!
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Florida Diagnostic & Learning Resources System (FDLRS) Parent Webinar Series |
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The FDLRS Administration Project, in collaboration with BESE, is excited to share the 2021-2022 calendar for Fridays with FDLRS Parent Webinars. Beginning on August 20, 2021, and continuing through May 13, 2021, these monthly webinars are designed for parents or individuals working with parents and families of students with disabilities. Topics include ESE and quality individual educational plans (IEPs), least restrictive environment, homework completion, writing at home, sensory processing for parents, and a family guide for at-home learning. These webinars are available at no cost and are presented in a family-friendly way and recorded with closed captioning available. For additional information and to register, see the attached document or go to https://www.fdlrs.org/free-parent-webinars-fridays-fdlrs. For questions, contact the FDLRS Administration Project at 386-312-2265.
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Resource for Teaching Students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing |
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The Twelfth Annual South Carolina Summit of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, their families and the professionals who serve them
Presenter: Dr. K. Todd Houston
Click on the dates below to register for that day
Listening and Spoken Language Outcome for Children with Hearing Loss
Assessing listening & Spoken language Acquisition in Children with Hearing Loss
Auditory-Verbal Therapy: Creating Opportunities for Listening & Spoken Language for Children with Hearing Loss
Certificates of attendance will be awarded for each session attended.
For more information or questions please contact
Robert E. Hill, Statewide Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consultant at 803-896-4462 or [email protected]
or Trent Tedder @
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Braille Challenge Finals 2021 |
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Five Florida braille readers qualified for Braille Institute's highly competitive Braille Challenge Finals in 2021! Two students from Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind and three students from the 2021 Florida Regional Braille Challenge in Hillsborough, Miami-Dade and Volusia counties started their summer break preparing for the international competition of braille readers that took place virtually in June and July. |
FIMC-VI hosted the virtual Finals for a local Hillsborough contestant with her teacher of students with visual impairments (TVI), para-professional, and family. Others took the contest with their local school district and TVI or at the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind. |
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Braille Institute hosted family webinars in July and held the Remote Braille Challenge Finals Awards Ceremony July 30 on YouTube. |
Congratulations to all the Finalists, winners and Florida's braille readers who stepped up to take the challenge in 2021. We hope to see you in 2022 when we return to in-person Florida Braille Challenge events! |
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ParentConnect: Family Support Group Opportunity |
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ParentConnect is a family support group offered in partnership with the Virtual Parent Support Group Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind
APH FamilyConnect and the Chicago Lighthouse are pleased to offer this virtual support group for parents and families of children who are blind or visually impaired. These monthly Zoom sessions are for families to connect with and learn from each other about the joys, challenges, and adventures of raising children with visual impairments and blindness. These sessions are open to families. ACVREP or professional development credits will not be available.
This Family Support Group will meet on the first Wednesday of each month. The next meeting date is September 1, 2021 at 7:30pm EST.
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Free Guide Dog Camp—and a Life Unleashed |
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From Southeastern Guide Dogs:
It’s way more than puppy love! At Guide Dog Camp, 14 to 17-year-old teens with vision loss and their parents learn how our awesome guide dogs can change a life. And there’s never any charge. To learn more and apply, please visit https://www.guidedogs.org/guide-dog-camp/. |
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Florida Statewide Assessment Survey |
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If you administered the braille version of a statewide assessment in Spring 2021, FIMC-VI wants to hear from you! This is your chance to share feedback on any quality issues you found related to these tests. Your input will help ensure the high quality of future braille versions of statewide assessments. Hurry, this survey will close Friday, September 17.
Please contact us if you have any questions, and thank you for your time!
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Assistive Technology Survey |
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Do you train or support people who are blind, have low vision, or are deaf-blind with their access technology?
If you are a teacher of students with visual impairments (TVI), orientation and mobility specialist, access technology instructor, teacher/special education teacher, occupational therapist, or other professional working with students or adults who are visually impaired, then we want to hear from you! Please complete our survey by September 1 to help us better understand your learning and continuing education needs.
This survey was developed by a partnership of organizations trying to improve outcomes for children, youth, and adults who are blind, have low vision, or are deaf-blind. That partnership includes: ATIA, ACVREP, VSA, APH, AER, and AOTA.
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Vispero Seeking Product Testers |
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Make assistive technology (AT) technology better for yourself and others! We want to you participate in our research whether you are a user, trainer, a caregiver, retailer or have a loved one that uses AT. You will be compensated for your participation and you will directly impact the lives of others by improving AT! Please take this survey to enter yourself in our pool of participants for future paid research.
Joel Persinger, PhD
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Florida Teacher Mentor Program |
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FIMC-VI, in collaboration with Florida State University (FSU), is working on a mentor program to connect new teachers in the field and pre-service teachers in FSU’s undergraduate and graduate programs with experienced TVIs and O&M instructors in the state. Being a mentor to a new teacher or FSU student can be as simple as answering a few questions each semester, providing feedback, or allowing observations of your lessons. It can also include guiding a new or future teacher through the eligibility or reevaluation assessment process, monitoring a practicum experience, or supervising a student teaching internship. As part of the mentor program, FIMC-VI can provide additional support, materials and resources to participating educators.
If you are an experienced teacher of students with visual impairments or orientation and mobility instructor and are interested in participating in any capacity, please complete the Mentor Program form. You are not locking yourself into a commitment at this point! We will contact you to find out your availability before making a mentee connection.
If you have any interest in supervising an FSU intern, please also complete the form! FSU made 32 internship placements for the fall semester between TVI and O&M candidates and there are more to come! Supervising an intern is a semester-long commitment and requires more intensive mentoring and guiding, but provides such a tremendous benefit to our field. It also gives you a sneak-peek into potential co-workers!
If you are a new teacher in the field or new to Florida and would like to be connected to a mentor, please complete the Mentor Request form. |
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Florida State University Program |
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Is There a TVI Service Shortage in your District?
Are there teachers in your district who are alternatively certified or teaching out of field and need to learn the specialized skills to work with students who have visual impairments? Do you have general or special educators who want to become TVIs? Is there a promising paraprofessional who would make a fabulous TVI?
Florida State University now offers an online program to prepare teachers who can provide effective instruction to students who are visually impaired.
This program is offered online and specifically tailored for teachers who are working.
A new cohort begins in August. You still have time to apply.
Funding from TEACH grants is available to those who agree to teach full time for at least 4 years at a school or educational service agency that serves students from low-income families.
Other scholarships are available:
Scholarships available through other agencies:
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We at FIMC-VI are here to support you! If you have questions about any of the FIMC-VI information, events, or webinars, please contact us at 813-837-7826 or email Liz Anderson at [email protected].
Florida Instructional Materials Center
for the Visually Impaired
4210 W. Bay Villa Ave.
Tampa, FL 33611
813-837-7826
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