Deaf-Blind Model Classroom Resources

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Structured, Shared Reading

Shared Reading is an instructional activity during which teachers 1) encourage student communication, 2) demonstrate how books work, and 3) discuss important conceptual knowledge. This handout describes how to engage students with disabilities who have little experience with books and limited world knowledge in shared reading. Examples of communication messages for augmentative communication devices are provided in a format for sighted students and in a tactual format for students with deaf-blindness or other vision impairments.

Predictable Chart Writing

Predictable Chart Writing is a shared, group writing activity that results in a classroom book. Engaging in writing is typically a challenging and often abandoned activity for students with significant disabilities. This writing activity has been adapted for students who are unable to speak and unable to hold a pencil. It has been modified from the activities described in Predictable Chart Writing, by Williams, Carson & Dellosa.

Activities to Support Teaching the Alphabet

Provides specific, simple activities that foster student interactions around the alphabet. Such activities increase students' background knowledge needed to make learning letters and letter names more effective.

Creating & Using Remnant Books for Face-to-Face Communication & Self-Selected Writing

Describes how to make remnant books-an ideal way for students with significant disabilities, including deaf-blindness, to record their experiences. Made out of little brag books, remnant books can contain most anything that is important to the student, such as tactuals, (i.e. locks of hair from haircut, balloon scrap from parade, or a shell from the beach), pictures/print items (movie ticket stubs, part of menu, napkins with logos), textures, and scents. Students can use these to choose topics for communication or writing.

Promoting Communication on the Fly for Students with Significant Disabilities, Including Deaf-Blindness: Top 10 Tips for Partner Assisted Scanning

Partner assisted scanning is a way for communication "partners" to "assist" students by listing or "scanning" through possible choices. This is a quick strategy to use when a communication device is not available or does not have the needed vocabulary. This short handout offers simple tips for implementing partner assisted scanning.

It's a Switch Mount! It's a Device Mount! It's Loc-Line!

Successful switch use starts with having the switch consistently in the proper position throughout the day. Commercially available mounting equipment is often used to position switches, however, this equipment may not always be available. Loc-Line can be a great alternative to these commercially available mounts. Loc-Line is a type of re-positionable plastic tubing. It's cheap, easy to get and easy to use!!

Switch Accessible PowerPoint Book Templates for Students with Significant Disabilities, Including Deaf-Blindness

When making your own PowerPoint book, a template can be a helpful time saver. The templates below are for creating ABC books and personal books for students with significant disabilities, including deaf-blindness. The templates have high contrast backgrounds and some have finger spellings. (The finger spelling photos come from Pics4Learning.com. They are free!). The templates have also been setup so that there is an auditory click and some movement when students turn the pages in the book. In all of the downloadable templates, the pages and the text boxes have already been made. Teachers, therapists and/or parents can spend time adding pictures and text, rather then the technical aspects of starting from scratch.

PVC Pipe Flip Chart Easel

The flip chart easel is used along with the alphabet flip chart for self-selected writing activities. The easel allows for the partner in partner-assisted scanning to have their hands free to point to the letters as well as write the letters the student chooses on their page. It also allows the student to have the alphabet flip chart at eye level as they focus on the letters being scanned. The easel can also be used with the communication flip chart for other partner assisted scanning activities. The easel has been designed by Julie Brickhouse, a teacher on the Deaf-Blind Model Classroom Project in North Carolina.

Tactual Book Kit Directions