C O N S U L T A N T S’

O WINTER 2018 Volume 20 Issue 2 R Editorial Staff: Indira Dillon, Susan Egging, Amy Scepaniak, CALENDAR OF EVENTS Aimee Ullrich, and Julie VanDover N January - National Braille Literacy Awareness Month Louis Braille’s Birthday - January 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS E Page 1 Black Hills Ski for Light Winter Event  Calendar of Events January 22-25, Lead, SD R  Family Event Page 2 South Dakota Special Education Conference “Farmer’s Market: Ready, Set, Grow!”  Incidental Learning...or “Learning Outside of the Box”: March 13-14, Sioux Falls, SD

 Exploring the Wild at Meeting the Need Dakotas AER Conference Campground Best Western Ramkota Hotel Page 3 April 18-20, Aberdeen, SD  Story Boxes — Our Five Senses  APH Insights Art Music in the Hills Page 4 Meeting the Need Campground  SD Braille & Talking Book Library May 18-19, Keystone, SD  APH Educational Products Page 5 20th Annual Youth Leadership Forum  Toilet Paper Roll Car Craft June 3-7, NSU, Aberdeen, SD  Expanded Core Curriculum: Parts of a Vehicle Family Weekend - Building Visions for Success Page 6 June 9-10, Aberdeen, SD  Braille & Talking Book Library Winter Reading Program Transition Week  Books Featuring Characters with Visual Rehab Center for the Blind Impairments June 10-14, Sioux Falls, SD

 STEM SDSBVI Summer Program Page 7 June 10-29 and July 8-27 Aberdeen, SD  Takin’ it to the Streets  Transition Corner Page 8  Snowy Toy Car Ramp Family Event  Have your very own car wash  Tech Tidbits A tradition is happening at SDSBVI. For the past several Page 9 years a group of parents and family members meet prior  Tech Tidbits (Continued) to the Christmas program and lunch. This year they met  Did You Know on December 22 and made a Christmas craft prior to the Page 10 program. The parents and family members also had a  Focus on the Eye: Traumatic Brain Injury chance to discuss the latest  Family Weekend 2108 American Page 11 Printing House  Race Car Snacks (APH) Page 12 products.  Everyday Activities Calendar PAGE 2

INCIDENTAL LEARNING…OR “LEARNING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX”: GESTURES

Incidental learning is learning that takes place without any structure, objective, or intent to learn, and is usually done by visually observing. This method of learning is very difficult for children who are blind or visually impaired and concepts need to be taught through hands-on learning experiences.

Having a conversation with people around us is an everyday occurrence. Part of that conversation includes gestures. Being visually impaired or blind, your child may not see those gestures that contribute important information as part of the conversation. A is typically a movement of the hands or head that signifies an idea or meaning. Typically gestures are done intentionally to convey a non-verbal message. You may need to get very close to the child so he/she can see the gestures. With a child that is blind, you will want to allow him/her to feel the placement of your hands or head in order to understand the gestures if needed. You can help by assisting in placing the hand in the correct position. The following are examples of common gestures. 1. A-Okay or okay: the thumb and forefinger are touched to make a circle and the other fingers are straight up 2. : flexing the index and middle fingers of both hands 3. Blah-blah: fingers and thumb are pointed straight out and they are snapped together repeatedly to suggest a mouth talking a lot 4. : for good luck, a wish, or to nullify a promise 5. Hand-rubbing: could either mean expecting or anticipating, or a gesture of feeling cold and wanting to warm up 6. Hitchhiking: sticking the thumb upward while the fingers are in a fist 7. Thumb up/down: gesture of approval or disapproval 8. : a greeting of hello or sign of departure For a more extensive go to: List of gestures---Wikipedia.

Once your child learns some of these common gestures, have a conversation using them, exaggerating them initially so he/she can practice finding the meaning of them in a conversation. After all, “an action is worth a thousand words”.

EXPLORING THE WILD AT MEETING THE NEED CAMPGROUND

On September 8-9, 2017, Mary Dietrich, Proprietor of Meeting the Need Campground near Keystone, welcomed parents, children, and volunteers from West River to an overnight camping experience in the Black Hills. After settling in, everyone gathered to eat supper, visit, and just relax. The kids made S’mores and sang songs around the campfire. The next morning everyone woke to sunshine and the wonderful smell of breakfast. After a tour of the old Otho tin mine, Joe Harrison surprised the kids with an unveiling of several wildlife mounts. The kids were encouraged to touch, smell, and explore the deer, trout, pheasant, beaver, and snake. Volunteers made large print and braille books about each animal for the kids. This entire experience was organized by Joe Harrison and his team from the Rapid City Area School District. Funding was provided through a grant from the South Dakota Parks and Wildlife Foundation. Because of the overwhelming positive response from those who attended the camp in September, another overnight camp is being planned for 2018 by Susan Egging and a team of volunteers. Stay tuned for details in our Spring newsletter. PAGE 3

Story Boxes — Our Five Senses

A “Story Box” is a fun, interactive way for children with visual impairments to explore real objects that correspond with objects in a story. In this newsletter, the selected book series is written by Patrick George. The books are titled I Touch, I Hear, I Taste, I Smell, and I See. Each book is illustrated with simple and colorful pictures of objects that can be used to make a story box. The books can be loaned by an Outreach Consultant or purchased online.

Choose a book and read it to yourself. Decide how many objects to put in the box based on your child's interest, attention span, and concept development. One or two might be enough.

With your child, collect REAL objects that correspond to the story line. If you choose the book I Touch, collect a bar of slippery soap and a feather to put in the box. Cook spaghetti, put some in a container, and have your child put it in the box.

If using I Hear, collect materials like a small tree branch that can be snapped, a balloon that can be popped, or a small drum to bang on. Remember, use REAL objects.

I Taste by Patrick George might mean you bake cookies together and remember to put one in the box. Maybe scoop ice cream into a cone and later add an ice cream cone to the box.

An onion, a lemon, or a pair of smelly socks might be something you put in the I Smell story box. If you want, after drinking hot chocolate with your child, put the package with a little of the hot chocolate mix (smell) in the box.

The I See book can be a lot of fun because of the transparent acetate pages that when turned, change the image on the previous page. For example, a plane in the sky changes into a toy plane in a child’s hand. This can start the conversation about the concept of far and near and the difference between a real plane and a toy plane in the story box.

As with any story box, give your child time to explore each item collected before reading the story. Encourage thought about its size, shape, and texture. Name it and model how it is used. For example, with a spoon, pretend to eat. With a shoe, try it on. Compare the spoon or shoe with different spoons and shoes in the house. Then before you read the story, take the items out of the box. Place them close by, but out of your child’s reach. Read the title and then the story once, twice or even three times. Use sound effects and dramatic intonation to peak interest. Give your child the chance to retell the story.

Now place the objects near your child. Have your child touch or hold the object as you read about it in the story. When done, have your child put the items back in the box. Place a large print and/or braille “label” or velcro a small object that relates to the story on the box. Find space on a book shelf for your child to put the story box.

APH INSIGHTS ART APH InSights Art 2018 Visions from the Mind 27th Annual Juried Art Competition and Exhibition applications are due soon! The competition is open to all individuals who are blind or visually impaired around the globe. As this year progresses, please look closely at pieces of art created by your child/students and consider submitting them for this year’s competition. If you have any questions, contact your Outreach Vision Consultant for more information or go to http://www.aph.org/museum/ insights.html. The deadline for student entries is March 16, 2018. PAGE 4

South Dakota Braille and Talking Book Library Updates

Alternative Format Textbooks — Braille & Large Print Orders for alternative format textbooks, large print and Braille, needed for the 2018-19 school year must be received by January 15, 2018 to guarantee availability on the first day of fall classes. Books may be ordered anytime during the year, but will not have the guarantee. Students receiving books must be registered patrons with the Braille & Talking Book Library. Please complete the requested information for each book, as it is vital for locating the correct book. If you have any questions, please call or email Lynda Lowin at 1-800-423-6665, ext.12 or [email protected] http://bit.ly/BTBTextbookForm Book Discussion for Talking Book Patrons The Braille and Talking Book Library will be hosting 2 book discussions again in 2018, one in the spring and one in the fall. Final dates have not been set yet, but patrons should contact Lynda at 1-800-423-6665,ext.12 or [email protected] or their reader advisor to get on the list. The discussion book will be sent out about 6 weeks before the discussion and information on how to call in on the conference call is sent 1 week before. Unfortunately the book title is unavailable until approval from the South Dakota Humanities Council, who make the discussion possible.

AMERICAN PRINTING HOUSE (APH) EDUCATIONAL PRODUCTS

REACH AND MATCH LEARNING KIT Each piece of this giant puzzle is a different color and has a different textured tactile pattern on one side. On the other side is the same color and texture but there are also cut-out shapes placed along a recessed white path. Children reach for the tile stored in the middle of the puzzle that matches the cut-out shape. This innovative learning tool is great for teaching manual dexterity and tactile patterns, developing motor skills, direction, and spatial awareness.

MATT CONNECT A lightweight and extremely portable device with a 12 inch touchscreen tablet that can be removed from the stand and used to write a report, do research, email assignments, take a test, use Dropbox, or read an e-book. The MATT Connect can serve as a magnifier for reading print documents or as a distance viewer for seeing what is on the Smart Board. Although there are several preinstalled apps, the MATT Connect has an open Android platform that provides access to thousands of additional apps.

Slapstack Math (for iOS Devices) Start the game on the iPad or iPhone by dealing flash cards with single numbers to each player. When the number 11 comes up on the screen, the first player to slap the table wins the cards on the table. The one with the most cards at the end of the game wins. By adding rules or choosing a different variation of the game, math and memory skills will be challenged at many levels.

These products are available from APH for purchase and can also be borrowed from a SDSBVI Outreach Vision Consultant. For more information check out the APH website at http:// www.aph.org or contact your Outreach Vision Consultant. PAGE 5

Toilet Paper Roll Car Craft

Supplies: Toilet paper tube White paint Paintbrush Scissors Hot glue gun 4 water/pop bottle lids, all the same size Markers, stickers, or paint

Directions: 1. Cut a U shape in the cardboard tube to make the opening for toys to sit in the car. Fold the U up and cut it again to make the backrest smaller. 2. Paint the toilet paper tube white and set it out to dry. 3. Let kids decorate their cars with markers, stickers or paint. 4. Hot glue the wheels on and it’s ready to play with. Vroom Vroom!

EXPANDED CORE CURRICULUM: PARTS OF A VEHICLE

Does your child tend to get in and out of the vehicle but not really know much about the vehicle? There are many parts to a vehicle that a visually impaired or blind child may not even realize exist. Yes, they know there is a door and a seat and seat belt, but your child may not be able to see many of the other parts of the vehicle past where he/she typically sits. There are many basic components of a car. Steering wheel, shifter handle Seats, seatbelts, and headrests and Key/key fob adjustment control buttons Dashboard Floor mats Windshield Back window shelf Wipers and control handle/button as well as Hood and the latch to unlock it windshield fluid Trunk and the latch to unlock it Hazard switch Engine Speedometer, odometer, fuel gauge Battery Accelerator and brake pedals Muffler and tailpipes Glove compartment/cubby hole, other storage Tires, hub caps, spare tire compartments Mirrors (inside and outside) Radio, speakers, control switches Lights (front and rear) and control button/ Heater and AC systems and control switches handle Vents License plates Dome light/interior lights Gas tank Sun roof/moon roof Fenders (in front) Door, door handle, lock Quarter panels (in back) Arm rest Bumpers Window and window control button/hand crank

As you ride in your car from one destination to the next, play a game to familiarize your child with all these various car parts. This list lends itself well to a game of “21 Questions” or “I Spy”. Have fun and enjoy the ride!

Resource: you tube EricTheCarGuy.com PAGE 6

Braille & Talking Book Library Winter Reading Program

Colorific February is the theme for the Braille & Talking Book Library Winter Reading Program. The program is open to all patrons Birth to 19 years. Participants are asked to read at least 20 minutes every day during the month of February. A reading chart and stickers will be provided to each participant. To be eligible for the grand prize, just put a sticker on the chart each day you read at least 20 minutes and return the completed chart no later than March 7, 2018. There will not be any age divisions for the prizes — just 1 grand prize! If you have any questions, or are ready to sign up, contact Josh Easter at 800-423-6665 or 605-773-3131, extension 14 or [email protected].

The Braille and Talking Book Library is part of the South Dakota State Library which facilitates the National Library Service (NLS) Program. NLS is a free braille and talking book library service for those who qualify. Readers may have temporary or permanent low vision, blindness, or physical disability that prevents them from holding a book such as arthritis, MS, stroke, Parkinson, or carpel tunnel. For more information on the program call 1-800-423-6665.

Books Featuring Characters With Visual Impairments

Oh, Yes I Can! By Robinette Apelgren A true story about Carmen Apelgren who has been visually impaired since the age of 7. She is determined to do everything that a sighted child can do. There are life lessons for everyone in this charming story. Grades K-2

As Brave as You by Jason Reynolds For the first time ever, two brothers leave the city to spend time in the country with their grandparents. When they ask Grandpop why he always wears dark glasses, he tells them he is blind. The boys pepper him with questions. How does he match his clothes? How does he pour a glass of sweet tea without spilling it? They think he is the bravest man in the world, but they NEVER see him leave the house. He sneaks off to a secret room and the boys are determined to find out what he is doing in there. Grades 4-8

Adventures in Darkness: The Summer of an Eleven-Year-Old Blind Boy by Tom Sullivan Since birth, Tommy lived in a world of isolation and special treatment. His mother insisted he go to the Perkins School for the Blind, but Tommy had other ideas. He literally escaped from the school and was suspended. He spent that summer wanting nothing more than to be treated like a normal kid. This is a true story written with humor and without pretense by a man who just happened to be blind. Grades 7-12 and Adult

STEM The Gizmos Building Set is a Learning Resources product made for kids 5 years and older. This set promotes STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) learning concepts and is available from Amazon.com for $36. This fun building set comes with 83 pieces including gears, bases, springs, and a propeller. Appropriate for kids with visual impairments and typical vision – try it and have STEM fun! PAGE 7

Takin’ it to the Streets

Have you heard the story of the six blind men describing an elephant? The first one feels the trunk and says the elephant is like a thick tree branch. The second feels the leg and says no it is like a pillar. The third feels the ears and says it is like a big hand fan. The fourth, feeling the side, says it is like a wall. The fifth claims it is like a rope after feeling the tail, and the sixth insists it is like a solid pipe after feeling the tusks. For our visually impaired children, much of their world is like this. Whether it is information from a slide under a microscope in science, images of artwork, or maps in social studies, developing a solid foundation in understanding tactile graphics will make these concepts easier to understand. It is important to recognize that tactile graphics are not automatically meaningful to a child who is visually impaired or blind. Understanding the tactile “picture” requires that the reader develop an abstract concept about the “real” thing. When tactile graphics are introduced to a student who is visually impaired or blind, it is important to recognize the level of development of the reader. The student’s ability to comprehend symbolic representation is the best indicator of his or her ability to understand tactile graphics.

Parents can begin this process by incorporating story boxes during story time (see Storybox article). Give your child models of real objects and discuss various key features. Using the Setting the Stage kit, available from your Outreach Vision Consultant, you can teach children how to transfer concepts of 3-dimensional objects to raised line images. This skill will make understanding the world around your child easier and less confusing.

Transition Corner by Steve Kelsey, SDSBVI Transition Specialist

As a reminder to parents and school administrators, I would like to review some of the services that I provide as the Transition Specialist. My primary responsibility is to assist in the development of the transition plan for students with visual impairments statewide. I assist with arranging vocational assessments using resources at SDSBVI, SBVI, and local school districts. I assist students in identifying post-secondary training and education options. I provide work readiness training to develop social skills and independent living skills. I provide job exploration counseling, implementing the Project Skills work experience program. I provide self-advocacy training opportunities. I provide guidance to address transition needs of students in coordination with educational and vocational programs through the adult program called Service to the Blind and Visually Impaired (SBVI). I am available to answer any questions you might have, so please feel free to contact. Steve Kelsey: Work 605-626-2333 or Cell 605-216-4251.

Transition Week has become an annual event that you don’t want to miss. The Rehabilitation Center for the Blind in Sioux Falls will once again host the weeklong activity. Students must be 14-21 years old and be a client of Services to the Blind and Visually Impaired. There is no cost to the school district or the families. During Transition Week, students will stay in the Augustana University Dorms (supervised 24/7), explore a variety of work experiences at local businesses, gain knowledge with assistive technology and low vision devices, and have fun and enjoy new adventures with friends. The dates for Transition Week are June 10-14, 2018. Apply by April 30th. Hope to see you there!

Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children. -Charles R. Swindoll PAGE 8

Snowy Toy Car Ramp Inside activities for kids become very common and necessary during the long cold winter months. Why not turn a car ramp into a winter play area indoors! Hot Wheels and other toy vehicles are a favorite toy of many children. Supplies: 20 inch x 30 inch white foam Sharpie markers Directions: Draw two roads going down the board and prop it up against the kid-sized table and tape it in place. Grab some toy cars and get ready to play! Add snow for our cars indoors! I had a small bag of iridescent snowflake sprinkles and a few glittery foam balls that I put at the top and bottom of our car ramp. (You will most likely get pretend snow over more area of your house than you think, so be sure to choose a play space that’s easy to clean. We used an area of our house with wood floors so it was easy to sweep and vacuum up.) First race cars down the ramp and watch them land in the snow! Then cover the ramp with snow for the cars! It was fun making the giant school bus go up the ramp! Make piles of snow at the bottom of the ramp for the cars to go through. And sometimes they created snowstorms for them to race through down the ramp! They had such a blast playing with their snowy toy car ramp! Clean up actually wasn’t that hard. Save as much snow as possible by putting it into a plastic bag. You can also collect all the foam balls into a different plastic bag. Then I swept up as much I could, and a few passes with the vacuum and we were back to normal.

Have your very own car wash! Indoor or outdoor fun, either way, kids can make as big of a mess as they like. Supplies: Sensory bin (any plastic bin will do) Toy cars for washing Car wash essentials - scrubbing brush, a sponge, a spray bottle, bubbles or extra foamy car wash soap (like shaving cream). You could even go outside and get your cars extra muddy before washing!

Tech Tidbits Hadley's iFocus Instructional Videos teach how to use the vision accessibility features on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch and are now current with iOS. With the recent iOS release, there are many changes specific to accessibility. The following are just a few of the changes. General accessibility features Type it – don’t speak it Not only has Apple's virtual assistant, Siri, earned a spot under Accessibility Settings, but you can now type to it instead of speaking. This makes it possible to perform queries silently. To turn on this feature, go to: Settings> General> Accessibility> Siri and turn on “Type to Siri”. Then each time you bring up Siri, a keyboard will appear onscreen. Although if you do this, you won’t be able to speak to Siri unless you have “Hey Siri” enabled. For braille users, you can simply begin typing. Once you have completed what you wish to have Siri do, press dot 8 with space (or enter on a Bluetooth keyboard). There is also a new Siri female voice. More control over accessibility In your Control Center, you will find 17 features that you can insert or remove including Accessibility Shortcut, Flashlight, Guided Access, Magnifier and Text Size. To add and remove items, go to: Settings> Control Center> Customize. (Continued on page 9) PAGE 9

Tech Tidbits (Continued from page 8) General clean-up A lot of smaller changes have been made to the appearance of iOS 11. For example, a number of default icons have been visually cleaned up to create a crisper, clearer presentation and make them more visually distinct. Bigger is cleaner At a 15x greater magnification level, the Zoom window renders a much cleaner and smoother image than in iOS 10. Invert colors is “smarter” in places This feature doesn’t invert things like media, images and some apps that have darker color styles. To enable “Smart Invert”, go to: Settings> General> Accessibility> Display> Accommodations> Invert Colors and enable “Smart Invert”. There are still a few issues with app buttons that begin dark against a dark background, and light against a light background. This makes it markedly worse for those who are color blind. An upgraded magnifier The magnifier is now better at handling glare and adjusting to rapidly changing light. The upgrade is especially noticeable when using the magnifier to examine text, either in print or on a computer screen. VoiceOver If you are a VoiceOver user, there are several changes in this area as well. Is iOS 11 worth the upgrade? Apple’s work continues to stay ahead of many other platforms in terms of built-in accessibility options. Whether you should upgrade or not depends on whether the bugs in the new release will impact you and whether the new features are useful for you.

Did you know… The University of Southern California (USC) Trojans has a blind long snapper on their team? For Jake Olson it was a dream come true. A dream that once seemed to be a near impossibility. Olson was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare form of cancer of the eyes. By the time he was one year old, his left eye had been removed. Over the next 9 years, Jake battled and beat the disease nine times. The tenth time it returned he was told that his right eye would need to be removed and he would become totally blind. Five days after the surgery that claimed his sight, Olson was on the football field playing center in a flag football game for his middle school. “Once I was able to grasp the craft of long snapping, I fought and earned a position on my high school team, and I was proud and grateful to be back on the field playing the sport I love.” While the future was unknown, Olson figured that high school ball would be the last level of competitive football that he would ever play. “I wanted to continue to play sports after my surgery, but I never thought playing on my favorite college team was possible. It had been my dream school ever since I was a little boy.” Having learned of his story, the Trojans had adopted Jake, making him an honorary member of the team, allowing him to run with them through the stadium tunnel, walk the sidelines during games and give locker room pep talks. “The day I was accepted into USC was one of the happiest days of my life.” He said. After accepting, Olson sat down with the USC athletic director and they invited him to join the team. “Once I joined the USC football team, I set my mind to working my hardest until I earned that spot on the Coliseum field.” said Olson. “Coming into 2017 season, I knew there was a good possibility of snapping in a game. I was finally big enough, had practiced hard, and was confident enough in my ability to go out and deliver a successful snap. The coaches wanted to make it happen. “I told them bluntly that I only wanted them to put me in if they felt I had earned the opportunity.” He executed a perfect snap in the last three minutes of the USC/Western Michigan game for the extra point. “There are many things left I aim to accomplish, most importantly continuing to inspire others by overcoming the impossible. This is not the end of my journey.” To learn more about Jake Olson and his accomplishments you can read his books, or check out the links http:// www.openyoureyes.org/jake-olson and www.espn.com/college-football/story/id/20623098. PAGE 10

FOCUS ON THE EYE: TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY (TBI)

There are a number of children we serve that are currently experiencing the effects of a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Those children are affected in a number of ways. There are various methods to address the needs of these children. These children require spatial organization. Reducing clutter is helpful. Also, give them cues as to where to look, such as highlighting important information, marking a line of text with a ruler or line of paper, or cutting a window out of a piece of paper to draw attention to a specific picture or word in a book (called a typoscope). When communicating with these children, keep instructions short and concrete. Ask the student to repeat, or have him/her request repetition, to assess comprehension. Minimize the use of idioms or figurative speech; but it is wise to teach them a few that they are likely to encounter. New information may be difficult to retain. Relate new information to previously learned concepts and interests. Explaining the new information to someone else may help with retention. Also, make sure to correct errors right away. A student’s spatial orientation may also be skewed. Assign certain areas in the classroom for specific activities, using cues and materials to mark those areas. Special attention to lighting may also be helpful. Attention and concentration are also likely to be affected. Minimize environmental distractions, both visual and auditory. Build in breaks and physical movement into a student’s schedule. Focus on positive attending rather than punishing for distractibility. Breaking tasks into smaller segments is also helpful. For those with a TBI, task completion may feel nearly impossible. Help children develop systems, such as notebooks or calendar systems, which will allow them to self-monitor their work. Use non-verbal cues to help redirect off-task behavior. Also, provide a way for the student to ask for help. Providing a place, such as a box, for completed tasks, would be advantageous. Impulse control may also be an issue. Providing structure within the child’s setting is beneficial. Help teach the child to recognize when incidents are likely to occur and then develop coping strategies. Addressing how to deal with anger is also important. Be sensitive to situations that may lead to frustration and outbursts. Whenever possible, redirect to a less difficult task. The child may need to engage in some type of physical activity to diffuse the anger; try a walk, sit-ups, balling up paper, etc... Most importantly, do not ridicule the child for his/her actions and reactions. Recovery following a traumatic brain injury may be very long, and some changes may even be permanent. Move forward with a positive attitude and an open mind. Resource: Keys to Educational Success: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments and Multiple Disabilities, Editors: Sharon Z. Sacks and Mary C. Zatta (2016). Article reprinted from Teaching Students with Visual and Multiple Disabilities: A Resource Guide with permission from M. Loftin (1999).

Family Weekend 2018

Outreach staff is at it again! Amy, Indi, Julie, and Susan are busy planning yet another great family weekend scheduled for June 9 & 10, 2018 in Aberdeen, SD. This is the weekend right before the start of the SDSBVI Summer Program. The theme this year is “Building A Vision of Success”. We will have staff from our school and other adults who are blind or visually impaired sharing their knowledge in several areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC), such as Orientation and Mobility, Independent Living, and Recreation. We will also be talking about how our students can and are accessing their curriculum. Many hands-on activities are being planned. Look for registrations to come in the mail for Summer School in March and Family Weekend in April. Put it on your calendar NOW! PAGE 11

Race Car Snacks

With all the talk about CAR PARTS what better way to follow up with a car you can eat! Catch one quick before they ZOOM away!

Ingredients: Apples (red or green) Grapes (red or green), cut in half String cheese, cut into wheels Toothpicks

Directions: Gather all ingredients Cut apple into wedges

Place two toothpicks into each apple wedge to become the car axles. Place grape halves or string cheese on each side of the toothpick for the wheels. Vroom vroom! Yum yum!

If you are not planning on eating them right away, and want to stop the apples from going brown, drop your cars into a bowl of water with a squeeze of lemon in it to help prevent discoloring.

Consultants’ Contact Information

North Central South Central AMY SCEPANIAK INDIRA DILLON

SDSBVI Outreach Vision Consultant SDSBVI Outreach Vision Consultant 423 17th Avenue SE, PO Box 1046, Aberdeen, SD 57401 Mitchell, SD 57301 605-626-2580 or 1-888-275-3814 605-995-8191 605-228-8742 (cell) 605-770-7466 (cell) [email protected] [email protected]

Eastern Western JULIE VANDOVER SUSAN EGGING

SDSBVI Outreach Vision Consultant SDSBVI Outreach Vision Consultant 423 17th Avenue SE, 211 Main St, Suite 101, Aberdeen, SD 57401 Spearfish SD 57783 605-626-2580 or 1-888-275-3814 605-717-0301 605-380-8926 (cell) 605-269-1405 (cell) [email protected] [email protected] NON PROFIT Pass it ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE on PAID after you are done PERMIT NO. 17

423 17TH AVENUE SE reading it! ABERDEEN SD 57401-7699 Change Service Requested

To access previous issues of the Consultants’ Corner Newsletter go to our website: http://sdsbvi.northern.edu→Click on Programs→Outreach→Consultants’ Corner Newsletter

CONSULTANTS’ CORNER, WINTER 2018 Volume 20 Issue 2. Published three times during the school year by the SD School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 423 17th Ave SE, Aberdeen, SD 57401. Printed by Western Printing at a cost of $0.47 per issue.

EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES CALENDAR

Children who are visually impaired need to have more hands-on experiences to help them learn. Below are some suggested activities taken from everyday events in our lives that are easy to access. FEBRUARY Invite a friend over to play. Act as host by giving a treat. Make an omelet. Go to a carpet store. See the big rolls, vinyl , and roll ends. MARCH Inspect some apples for bruises and trim these off. Make something with the apples. Find baby trees while on a walk in the neighborhood. Watch for the newspaper carrier. Get the paper. APRIL Start the card game of “Go Fish.” Help make a special deck of cards. Make bumps on the cards with glue. Walk in the rain. Walk under a tree. What is different? What is a puddle? Where does it go? MAY Look at the steering wheel and tires of the car. Can you see how to steer the car? Get tissues from the box and paper towels from the roll. Use them. Use salt and pepper shakers. See how quickly they come out. For more ideas or to borrow the complete set of Everyday Activities Calendar, contact your Outreach Vision Consultant. Everyday Activities Calendar is produced by APH (American Printing House).