Welcome to November! For most of us, the days are going fast and know that the Holidays will be here soon. There is so much to do to ensure students are getting the full advantage of all there is to offer. As educators, we can assist our students in adjusting to their visual impairment by showing them what others have done. See the story of how one man spreads hope for possibilities. Please let us know if you need anything from us. We are here to provide services and find solutions in your work with students.

Have some time during an extended lunch hour to learn? We have some cutting edge topics for you to consider. ACVREP credits are available for these sessions.

November 11, 2021 How to identify hearing loss in a student with a visual impairment? -This session will explore signs of possible hearing loss and implications of hearing loss for students with visual impairments. This session will be held from 12pm-1:30pm using a zoom format.

Hold these dates! Registration information will be out soon for the following sessions.

December 16, 2021 Conversation Boxes-This session will cover what a conversation box is and how it can be used to promote communication, concept development, increasing independence, shared attention and use within a structured routine.

January 5, 2022 The Hierarchy of Cueing and Prompting-This session will cover information on sharing how we can fade support to students in order to increase independence.

February 22, 2022 Sensory Boxes for VI Students-This session will cover different types of sensory boxes (calming, alerting and exposure to textures with hands) and how to use them with students with visual impairments.

Do you have a young child on your caseload that may likely to become a braille reader? Many young children with visual impairments may not have early literacy experiences similar to those of their sighted peers. This training addresses the unique needs of early braille/tactual learners and supports their teachers and families through the use of assessment tools, curricular materials and hands-on experiential activities that promote emergent literacy in the home and in transition to early childhood education.

After a “virtual” Introductory session slated for January 26, 2021, the training will consist of four half-day meeting times for teachers throughout the spring. After the training sessions, there will be a culminating event with the families and their children. For registration information, click the link.

TSBVI is offering a series of Coffee Hours on Mondays from 3-4pm. Here are the options for November.

November 1, 2021 Storytime. A Former Blind Child. How Technology saved my life. This session was recorded, so you can still view it as you wish.

November 8, 2021 From Eye Anatomy to Empowerment

November 15, 2021 Step-By-Step: An Interactive Guide to Mobility Techniques

November 29, 2021 Guidance for Planning Behavior Intervention for Children and Young Adults with DeafBlindness or Visual and Multiple Impairments

Low Vision International is hosting a webinar on the MagniLink Air scheduled for Friday, November 12 at 10am. This new technology transmits an image from an external source to a computer. Click on the link to register for the webinar.

AER Professional Development Opportunity- Save the date-January 12, 2022 at 7:00 pm Eastern for a Q&A discussion with Dr. Kim Nielsen. The author of The Radical Lives of Helen Keller and The Remarkable Life of Anne Sullivan Macy and Her Extraordinary Friendship with Helen Keller, Dr. Kim Nielsen teaches courses on disability history, eugenics, and disability rights at the University of Toledo. For more information, check out the www.aerbvi.org website.

Funding for Families in Texas-Supplemental Special Education Services (SSES) gives a $1,500 one-time online grant to parents of eligible students served by special education who are enrolled in a Texas public school. Families can use this money to purchase educational goods and services for their student. For more information in both English/Spanish and to apply, use this link- https://sses.tea.texas.gov.

Babies' Day Out-Save the Date! April 28, 2022 from 10am - 2pm. For parents or guardians of children ages birth to 3 who are visually impaired, blind, or deafblind, deaf or hard of hearing. The Babies' Day Out Committee is planning an in-person event to be held at Region 10. More information coming out soon.

New Scholarship Opportunity- KAREN WOLFFE & TERRY HIRSH SCHOLARSHIP for students attending the University of Texas

This scholarship is administered by the office of Services for Students with Disabilities. Funds provide scholarship support to undergraduate students who have a visual disability and who are pursuing a degree/career in a STEM field (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math). See the attachment below to learn more about this opportunity.

Virtual Transition Summit- UNT WISE will be hosting a transition summit in conjunction with Texas Workforce Solutions-Vocational Rehabilitation on Saturday, November 13th. Students

who participate will engage in 5 breakout sessions designed to explore careers, post-secondary options and the skills necessary to be successful as they transition. See Virtual Transition Summit Flyer below.

NFBTX Convention 70th Annual Convention "Celebrating the Past and Looking Toward the Future" Friday, November 5-7, 2021 NFBTX21 Registration Link

2021 SWOMA Conference-Zooming into the Future 2.1!

Scheduled for November 4-6, 2021, The Southwest Orientation & Mobility Conference is going virtual again this year.

Council for Exceptional Children 100 Years of Leading Special Education will be held in Orlando, Florida on January 16-19, 2022.

Assistive Technology Industry Association Conference is scheduled for January 26-29, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. The conference showcases the latest in Assistive Technology Development. The conference has both in-person and virtual options.

Texas Focus Virtual | Tentative - February 10-12, 2022 More information to come from TSBVI soon.

TAER 2022 Conference “A Whole New World: Renew, Recharge, Refocus!” The conference will be held March 31-April 2, 2022, at Kalahari Resorts and Conventions in Round Rock. Click this link for more information about the conference.

AERBVI Biennial International Conference July 20-24, 2022 will be in St. Louis, Missouri. For more information, go to AER – Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (aerbvi.org)

Looking for more information. Here are some links to other newsletters.

Texas Sensory Support Network Active Learning Approach for Students with Multiple Disabilities

Region 10 Active Learning Newsletter Fall 2021

SenseAbilities A publication about Visual Impairment and DeafBlindness for families and professionals. TX SenseAbilities

The Annual Registration of Students with Visual Impairment is an annual count of all students with a visual impairment, includes all ages, students are DeafBlind and students who are receiving accommodations under 504. The count generates State Supplement Visually Impaired funds and Federal funds to obtain educational materials from the Printing House for the Blind. The data collected assists in regional and statewide program planning.

Things that you will need to complete the registration process:

• Current eye report meaning that the report is either within 3 years or the ARD/504 committee has determined that it can be rolled over.

• Consent form signed by the parents. The consent form allows the registration information to be provided to other agencies. You still register students if you are not able to obtain the consent form.

Students are counted in your district if they are in attendance the first day in January when they return to school after the winter break.

For additional information, you can go to the TSBVI’s website.