Florida Instructional Materials Center for the Visually Impaired Newsletter |
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FIMC-VI Past Events
We had a successful Brailling with the Experts: Literacy for All virtual workshop. If you missed any of the sessions or our other recent trainings (Brailler Cleaning, Florida Low Vision Initiative, Virtual Water Cooler sessions, Student & Family events, etc), visit the Past Events page on our website.
APH Products
Federal quota funding is available for APH products. Don't forget to check in with your teammates, the APH Swap-Meet on our Canvas site, or consider borrowing from our Loan Library before you submit a request.
Loan Library
The complete Loan Library inventory is on our website. Loan Library materials may be checked out for 30 days with a maximum 90 day extension based on data and COVID 19 circumstances. Many materials and items may be sent home to students. Technology that is not available on quota funds will be handled on a case by case basis. Email Colleen Mulcahey ( cmulcahey@fimcvi.org) or Andrea Wallace ( awallace@fimcvi.org) with any questions.
Canvas for Florida Teachers
FIMC-VI is using the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) to provide a secure statewide resource site for you! This site includes resources for virtual instruction, instruction in the areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum, access to information from the Florida Low Vision Initiative and more, all in one location! There are also discussion boards for swapping APH products, asking general questions, and sharing job postings in your district or agency. To receive an invitation, contact Liz Anderson at eanderson@fimcvi.org.
FIMC-VI Holiday Schedule
FIMC-VI offices will be closed the week of November 23 for Fall break and from December 21-January 1 for Winter break.
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Upcoming Webinars, Workshops & Conferences |
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FIMC-VI Info & Updates Part 2 Webinar
December 1, 2020 | Virtual
This session will address the Annual Census, including why it is conducted, how to authorize staff, how it is completed, and deadlines for completion. Every student with visual impairments in Florida must participate in the Annual Census every year.
Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) Update
January 7, 2021 | Virtual
Join Kathy Kremplewski for an in-depth discussion of changes, preparing your students and what materials you need when testing begins. If you are administering the FSA, especially the braille versions, attend this webinar (or watch the recording)!
Florida Standards Alternate Assessment (FSAA) Update
January 14, 2021 | Virtual
This webinar will cover the role of the teacher of students with visual impairments with regards to administering the FSAA. This will include information about accommodations, braille codes, object exchange materials and procedures specific to the braille versions of the FSAA.
Working with the Experts: Strategies for Students with Cerebral/Cortical Visual Impairment
April 20-21, 2021 | Virtual
Diane Sheline will present an introduction to cortical visual impairment (CVI), assessment strategies, and functional vision evaluation kit materials for this population of students. Stay tuned for more details and Zoom registration links.
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Dates, locations, and registration details for all FIMC-VI trainings are distributed via email and posted on our website. |
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Southeastern Orientation and Mobility Association (SOMA) Conference
Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) Conference
January 25-28, February 1-4, 2021 | Virtual
Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC)
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Florida Cane Quest Update |
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Florida Braille Challenge 2021 is Going Virtual |
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The Florida Braille Challenge will look different in 2021, but braille readers will still be able to put their braille reading and writing skills to the test! Four dates throughout January-February will be set aside for the virtual contest to take place at school or home. TVIs will be needed to proctor the contest for their students with the support of FIMC-VI. This includes the Pre-Braille group! After we score all contests, students, families, and teachers will come together virtually in March to celebrate braille with activities, fun, and an Award Ceremony to recognize all the contestants. There may even be drumming!! Details and permission forms will be posted on our website. |
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Enter to Win an IPEVO Mirror-Cam! |
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Florida TVIs, join us on November 30 at 12:30pm EST on Facebook for a live raffle of 6 IPEVO Mirror-Cams! To enter the raffle, you will need to complete a short form, the link is below. One Mirror-Cam per raffle winner. You do not have to be present to win, but it's more fun that way! Learn more about the IPEVO Mirror-Cam.
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Parents & Teachers: Get free braille books! |
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From Seedlings:
1. Order your four free 1-volume books online (no multi-volume books please)!
2. Use the code TVIP20 as your 'Purchase Order number' so you won't be asked to pay.
3. In the Check Out Information, please include your school name & address for our records. Enter your home address in the 'Send to' information so the books don't go to empty school buildings.
4. Your books may take several weeks to arrive. Our production department is short-staffed due to Covid-19. And your books will be shipped "Free Matter for the Blind," which may take awhile.
5. Please understand that by ordering these free books, you are agreeing to be on our email list for our quarterly newsletters & other updates.
If you have questions, call Seedlings at 800-777-8552 (M-F, 9-5 EST).
To download our catalog from our website, click here.
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The Lego® Braille Bricks are available to order from FIMC-VI. In order to request a kit, interested district and agency staff who are serving students registered with FIMC-VI must view the Lego® Braille Bricks session recording, which took place during Brailling With the Experts. A link to the session recording and handouts are embedded in the event agenda. After viewing the session, complete the Lego Braille Bricks request form on our website. |
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Braille and Large Print Textbook Feedback |
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Have you found errors or mistakes in braille or large print textbooks that were provided by FIMC-VI? Please take a few minutes and let us know, so we can make sure our vendors correct these issues before the materials are sent to the next student.
This textbook feedback form can always be found on the Forms page of our website. |
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InSights Art Contest 2021 |
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The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) announces APH InSights Art 2021, an art competition and exhibition for visually impaired and blind artists of all ages. The exhibition will be shown in Louisville, Kentucky. Works in the exhibition will be selected from entries submitted for jurying. Award winners will be selected from the juried exhibition.
Any person who meets the following definition of blindness may enter artwork: corrected visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye (determined by a Snellen Chart), or a visual field limited to 20 degrees or less. This includes those who function at the definition of blindness (FDB), listed above, due to brain injury or dysfunction.
Entries must reach APH by March 26, 2021. View the application for details.
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The American Council of the Blind's Audio Description Project (ACB-ADP) and the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) are continuing their co-sponsorship of an exciting opportunity for blind and visually impaired young people, in four categories from ages 7 to 21: the Benefits of Audio Description in Education (BADIE) contest.
Students choose an audio described film or video from the thousands of titles available through DCMP via streaming or on DVDs - visit www.dcmp.org.
DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: Friday, January 22, 2021
Contest winners in each category will be chosen by February 19, 2021, and the grand prize winner will receive an iPad Mini! Each first-place winner will receive a $100 iTunes gift card. Second-place winners will receive a $50 iTunes gift card, and third-place winners will receive a $25 iTunes gift card. Each supporting teacher who has a first-place winning student will be awarded a $100 Amazon gift card.
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2021 Braille Calendar for Sale |
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The Braille Association of Mid-Florida is offering their 2021 Braille Calendar, “Birds of America.” Each month’s calendar page has the holidays listed for that month along with information about a different bird and a tactile graphic depicting the bird.
- Cost is $15 (our cost of materials only).
- Personal notes can be added in Braille.
- Calendars can be mailed to any address in the USA.
To order, call (407) 831-1364 or write to them at:
BMFL
P.O. Box 140908
Orlando, FL 32814
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FSDB ECC Interactive Winter Series |
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The FSDB Virtual ECC Interactive Learning Series will have a winter session on Dec. 12 titled, "Creative Minds Creating Thoughtful Creations."
Space is limited and registration is required so pleased don't wait to sign up. Registration closes Dec. 4 to allow time for shipping materials.
Click the link to learn more about the session and how to register.
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Free Guide Dog Camp - and a Life Unleashed |
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From Southeastern Guide Dogs:
When you’ve got the love and special devotion of a guide dog in your life, the possibilities are endless! Teens with vision loss ages 14 – 17, along with parents, come check out our hands-on, overnight Guide Dog Camp at Southeastern Guide Dogs in Palmetto, Florida, and see if your next steps to greater confidence can include four paws and a big heart. This fun and informative experience can answer all of your questions about life with a guide dog. At Southeastern Guide Dogs, all of our dogs and services are free…and priceless. Including Camp! Our next available camp dates will be March 19 – 20, 2021, and we’re following CDC guidelines for safety. For more info, email Stacy.Pratt@guidedogs.org or call 941.479.6598.
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The following information comes from APH's newsletter. To stay up to date, consider subscribing.
Annual Meeting
If you missed this year's virtual Annual Meeting or just want to look back on this influential event, visit APH's Annual Meeting website, where you can watch recordings of all of the Annual Meeting sessions or download the session presentations and product brochures to share with others.
The Access and Engagement Study: How COVID-19 is Impacting Education of Students with Visual Impairments
The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is proud to announce the release of the Access and Engagement Research Report. The report, based on responses from 455 families and over 1,000 TVIs and O&M Specialists, highlights the challenges experienced in education as the shift was made from education in school buildings to remote education, or in some cases no education. The survey was made possible thanks to the collaboration among 20 organizations, including APH, concerned about how COVID-19 is impacting education.
Families, TVIs, and O&M Specialists who did not have the opportunity to respond to the survey may still do so through November 22, 2020.
Please click here to take approximately 30-40 minutes to complete the accessible survey.
2020-2021 APH Virtual ExCEL Academy
Take advantage of these FREE, engaging lessons for students with a variety of abilities. The ExCEL Academy includes a live hour at 2:00 ET, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, organized by age. Register and join in any day from the same link.
- Tuesday: Focus from Birth to 6th grade
- Wednesday: Focus from 7th to 12th grade
- Thursday: Focus on students with multiple impairments
Some of our upcoming sessions include:
- Problem Solving in O&M (grades 4-6)
- Response Over Reaction in Social Media (middle and high school)
- Farm Animals and Sounds (VIMI)
- Cooking Tips & Tricks with Young Adults who are Blind (middle and high school)
Educational professionals as well as college students preparing to enter the field can participate in the webinars to watch teachers at work. They are also able to observe in the background, just as if they were in a physical classroom.
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Technology and Learning Connections and ATIA Partnership - FREE ATIA WEBINARS! |
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Exciting Announcement from Florida's TLC!
Florida's Technology and Learning Connections has partnered with ATIA to offer exclusive professional development opportunities to Florida's educators. You must register with your Florida school district email address to get unlimited access to their library of online courses and webinars! Use this link for more information and to register. Check out this video for information on how to register! It is highly recommend that you sign up for CEUs if you want to use these webinars to get inservice points.
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Free Technology and Training from CATT |
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Yes, you read that correctly. Not only is the technology free, but it is for the student to keep!
The Center for Assistive Technology Training (CATT) in Alabama has a federal grant to provide APH technology, training and continued support for students in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
If you are interested in requesting APH Technology for a student through CATT, complete the form (link below) and email to Dr. Susie Thomas, thomas.susie@aidb.org. Link to form.
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More Free Assistive Technology! |
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Did you know that any active DBS client in the state of Florida is eligible to receive free JAWS®, OpenBook®, ZoomText, or Fusion software? All they have to do is ask. There are no age limits or restrictions. Once approved, 3 licenses are provided: one for home, office and laptop. Have your students contact their local DBS counselor to apply for services or for additional information.
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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 Master of Science program to prepare teachers who can provide effective instruction to students who are visually impaired.
This online program is specifically tailored for teachers who are working.
The deadline to apply each year is July 1. The graduate application is available online at https://admissions.fsu.edu/gradapp/. For those who cannot wait until next school year to to get started, Literary Braille can be taken online as a non-degree seeking student.
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.
Scholarships available through other agencies:
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We at FIMC-VI hope that the upcoming holidays bring you a well deserved rest and time with your loved ones.
If you have any questions about any of the events or webinars, please contact us at 813-837-7826 or email us at information@fimcvi.org.
Florida Instructional Materials Center
for the Visually Impaired
4210 W. Bay Villa Ave.
Tampa, FL 33611
813-837-7826
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