OH, THE CHANGES I’VE SEEN!

(to the rhyme of Oh, the Places You’ll Go!-by Dr. Seuss) Rona Shaw, Ed.D., Dominican College, Rockland County, New York

In her 26th year at Dominican College, Rona Shaw has been musing over the changes she’s seen, and a long dormant poet is trying to resurface…..

I’ve seen some great changes And many more on the way I can buy a brailler on ebay, you say? Well, this certainly is quite a new day…

For so many years, you know I’ve been a TVI on the go Joan Chase gave me my start- she taught me the art And then those sweet kids just got to my heart

Joan talked about some Natalie lady That low vision stuff seemed pretty weighty! Let’s set it straight, it was ‘69 And I still think this field is mighty fine.

If you chose print back then- was it large or small? Or maybe you chose Braille and no print at all. Use both, you now say? My, my- a new day!

Controlled speed tape recorders seemed pretty neat And I thought talking books just couldn’t be beat Audible goal locators and sound balls Might be heard throughout all the halls. I loved all this stuff, and couldn’t get enough.

And then came Optacon -- pretty nifty But now the choices are well over fifty! Now JAWS and BrailleNote give us voice. More, more, you say- Well then, let’s take a look- Mountbatten, Daisey, Magic, Zoomtext and OpenBook And PIAF can a picture cook In an instant, a raised line book! There’s more I know, but I can’t keep them straight All I know is that this technology is great!

Books in braille came in to school the very last Let’s hope IMAA makes that a thing of the past. Equal access to the curriculum Is only right and not just a ho-hum.

TVI, COMS, RT- I wondered how one could know of it.. Now you can ask ACVREP for your how-to kit Or ask AER, which grew from AAWB and AEVH in ‘84 These two merged to become much more.

OD, OS, OU, Oh my! I studied all night with a sigh. Then we had ONH, RLF and ROP Now we’ve added CHARGE and CVI Why, why, why-we want to know We hope someday to make them go.

Braille and vision skills we must assess Or those students will be in a real big mess. LMA, AT, FVA and a clinical Years ago, this was all so radical! More alphabet soup is my plea OK-just add these to the IEP!

A Core Curriculum for all- reading, math, science, and more But for VI kids to succeed, they also need an Expanded Core. Specialized skills just for them Some are braille, low vision, and O&M.

With a National Agenda of goals to guide us The case for service becomes less arduous These goals are stated to preserve For all kids what they deserve They will succeed-oh yes, indeed. How can a teacher ever learn so much? It’s easy now- your computer you must touch. No need to get on the train or into your car You can learn most of what you need without going too far. Now, a training program can be at your fingertips Training and a certificate with few long distance trips!

And while such ruminations are usually from one about to retire It’s not happening yet; I’ve still got some fire.

So many changes during these years Many more ahead, not to be feared. Keep working together as a team To make our children become all that they seem. So do not stray-please stay, stay, stay We are off to great changes-off and away!