Resources and Website Links
The following is a list of Internet resources where you will find a wealth of information about blindness and teaching blind students. Inclusion on this list does not imply endorsement.
American Council for the Blind
www.acb.org/resources/index.html
American Foundation for the Blind
www.afb.org
American Printing House for the Blind (APH)
www.aph.org/
Blind Inc.
www.blindinc.org/
BookShare
www.bookshare.org
Bookshare® is an online library of digital books for people with print disabilities. It operates under an exception to U.S. copyright law which allows copyrighted digital books to be made available to people with qualifying disabilities. In addition, many publishers and authors have volunteered to provide Bookshare with access to their works. By requiring individuals to register as Members and provide a Proof of Disability, Bookshare ensures that only qualified individuals use the service.
Through an award from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), Bookshare offers free memberships to U.S. schools and qualifying U.S. students. Over 68,000 titles can be requested by individuals and organizations who serve learners with disabilities.
Bridging the Gap: Best Practices for Instructing Adults Who Are Visually Impaired and Have Low Literacy Skills
There is the possibility to obtain Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for this on-line course.
www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=44&TopicID=108&DocumentID=2504
Dancing Dots
A site for musicians who are blind and their instructors.
www.dancingdots.com
ESL Blog for the Blind
Developed for teachers by PANDA Vision Consultant Jessica Grace Jones. Highlights specific teaching strategies and assistive technologies. It will also be useful for teachers who want to make their English classes more multi-sensory.
www.eslfortheblind.blogspot.com
GED Testing Service
www.acenet.edu/
Hadley School for the Blind
www.hadley.edu/
Job Accommodation Network
www.jan.wvu.edu
Macintosh Tutorials
For those with limited vision and other special needs.
www.apple.com/education/special-education/
Minneapolis ABE/Lehmann Center
Mary Lou Wilm, (612) 668-3808, PANDA (Physical and Neurological Disabilities Assistance) Vision Consultant
Mary.Wilm@mpls.k12.mn.us
Minnesota State Services for the Blind
www.mnssb.org/
Minnesota Low-Vision Store
www.mnlowvision.com/
National Braille Press
www.nbp.org
National Clearinghouse for ELL Literacy Education
www.cal.org/search.html
National Federation of Blind
www.nfb.org
National Institute for Literacy
www.nifl.gov/nifl/ld/bridges/bridges.html
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS)
Free library program of Braille and audio materials.
www.loc.gov/nls/
Project Gutenberg
Electronic texts to be used with JAWS or other voiced computer program. www.promo.net/pg/
Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFBD)
Producer of accessible educational materials for students with disabilities such as visual impairment or dyslexia.
www.rfbd.org
Ronald M. Hubbs Center for Lifelong Learners
Special Needs (651) 290-4822
Access to Print
Teaching ELL to Adult Students
www.nwlincs.org/kaizen/
The Low-Vision Store
www.thelowvisioncenter.com/
Vision Loss Resources
www.visionlossresources.com/
Math and Science and Technology Resources
Accessible Webpage Design
www.library.uwsp.edu/aschmetz/Accessible/pub_resources.htm
Barrier-Free Education
www.barrier-free.arch.gatech.edu/
Freedom Scientific
www.freedomscientific.com
John Gardner's Science Education & Visual Impairments
www.springerlink.com/content
Math Education and Nemeth Code
www.tsbvi.edu/Outreach/seehear/fall97/math.htm
National Science Foundation
www.nsf.gov/
Project EASI Science and Math Page
www.people.rit.edu/easi/easisem.htm
RFBD Symposium on Access to Math and Science
www.cs.cornell.edu/Info/People/raman/rfb-math-workshop/summary.html
Strategies for Teaching Blind Students
www.as.wvu.edu/~scidis/text/vision_impair.html
Teaching Math to Visually-Impaired Students
www.tsbvi.edu/math/
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
Develops interoperable technologies (specifications, guidelines, software, and tools) to lead the Web to its full potential. W3C is a forum for information, commerce, communication, and collective understanding.
www.w3.org
Readings About Braille/Louise Braille and Other Disabilities, For Students
The Contemporary Reader: Volume 2, Number 3 (Louis Braille’s Magic Dots), Jamestown Publishers, ISBN: 0-89061-828-3E
Weaving It Together - 2 (Chapter 7 Louis Braille), Thompson Heinle,
ISBN: 0-8384-4808-9
Issues for Today – 3 (Chapter 4, Language: Is It Always Spoken?),
ISBN: 1-4130-0815-1