C O N S U L T A N T S’ O WINTER 2021 Volume 23 Issue 2 R Editorial Staff: Indira Dillon, Susan Egging, Suzy Giovannettone, CALENDAR OF EVENTS N Barb Rohrbach, Aimee Ullrich, and Black Hills Ski for Light Julie VanDover Postponed until 2022 E http://www.bhsfl.org TABLE OF CONTENTS SD SPED Virtual Conference R Page 1 March 17 – 18, 2021 Calendar of Events Sioux Falls, SD New Outreach Consultant Page 2 SDSBVI Spring Break New Outreach Vision Consultant Territories March 31 – April 2, 2021 What Is It? Aberdeen, SD Page 3 Kids Crafts - Textured Easter Eggs SDSBVI Summer Program Grandpa’s White Cane June 6 – 25 / July 11 – 30, 2021 Page 4 Aberdeen, SD Did You Know... Page 5 Tech Tidbits: “Alexa” Popular Commands New Outreach Consultant Page 6 Transition Corner Hi! My name is Barb Rohrbach. I am the new Learning Outside Of The Box: Meat: Poultry Outreach Vision Consultant serving the Central and Fowl region. My office is located in Pierre and my Page 7 contact information is included later in this 2021 Winter Reading Program newsletter. As the newest member of SDSBVI, I Educational Materials - American Printing am excited to be given the opportunity to work House For The Blind (APH) with such a great group, with such expertise. Page 8 Focus on the Eye My husband, Al, son Hudson, and I have lived in Alternate Format Pierre since 1996. I have worked in the Page 9 education field for many years and undertaken Focus on the Eye (Continued from page 8) roles including: Special Education teacher, Job Sweet Dreams Mini Treats Development Specialist, Alternative High School Page 10 Coordinator, and Transition Coordinator. My Takin’ It to the Streets Page 11 well-rounded background and experience have Books With Characters Who Are Blind Or allowed me the opportunity to work with many Visually Impaired students, parents, teachers and resources Page 12 across the state. I look forward to getting to know you and sharing information and assistance with students, parents, and school districts. See you in 2021! PAGE 2 NEW OUTREACH VISION CONSULTANT TERRITORIES As most of you know by this point in time, our Outreach Department has added one more person: Barb Rohrbach out of Pierre. That gives us five Outreach Vision Consultants throughout the state. As a result, our Outreach territories have changed. We attempted to get in touch with all of our caseload students before Christmas. Needless to say, it has been a busy year, so this may not have happened for all students ---sorry if we have not been in touch following the territory changes. But please feel free to contact us if we have not yet reached out to you. Even if you are unsure who your consultant is, please contact one of us and we will put you in contact with the correct consultant. Our contact information is as follows: Indira Dillon (Southeast) (605)995-8191 [email protected] Susan Egging (West) (605)377-3911 [email protected] Suzy Giovannettone (East) (605)228-5460 [email protected] Barb Rohrbach (Central) (605)773-2431 [email protected] Julie VanDover (North) (605)626-7659 [email protected] Thank you for your patience and we are excited to continue meeting new students, parents, teachers, and therapists! WHAT IS IT? This is a kit of 100 cards made by American Printing House for the Blind (APH). It is a communication game as well as a guessing game. It encourages students to think about and learn descriptive terminology related to common items and then be able to categorize them. Included below are a few examples. See if you know what it is! This kit can be loaned out from your Outreach Vision Consultant, just ask if you would Transition Week 2016 by Steve Kelsey like to borrow it. In collaboration with SDSBVI and Services to the Blind and Visually Impaired, Transition week has1. beenIt makes an annual a noise event when for overI shake the pastit. 15 years. The Rehabilitation Center for the Blind host- th th ed TransitionMy door Weekhas one “Step that into rings the toFuture let me” June know 26 someone-June 30 . is The here. Goal of Transition Week is to provideIt rings experiences to begin for and students end school. so they are better informed of postsecondary education and em- ployment options. The schedule included career exploration, postsecondary training, first-time jobs,2. These independent are potatoes. living, community involvement, appropriate social skills, as well as how to ad- vocateThey for areyourself. long andStudents have toured salt on several them. local businesses where people with visual impairments are employed.I dip mine Studentsin ketchup. were very impressed to see that one can be successfully employed with vision3. It is loss. a yellow An afternoon fruit. at the Science Center at the Washington Pavilion allowed the students to explore areas of their interest in science, technology, engineering and math. Transition Week also It is too sour to eat alone. provides an opportunity for students to develop friendships and peer support. During the week I can make lemonade with lots of these. there are many social events held in the evening for students to participate in. Wild Water West was4. Thisthe student is a walkway’s favorite that activity, is not along for cars. with an evening hosted by the local Boy Scout Troop whereIt is students often made prepared of harda hobo cement. meal, competed in tomahawk throwing, created a first aid kit, and workedI can on walk a leather along project. it and Thefeel weekthe edge concluded with my with cane a resource as I go. day, where students and parents listened to a variety of adult programs available once the transition from school Answers to work on pageis made. 4 PAGE 3 Kids Crafts - Textured Easter Eggs You will need: Glass Seed Beads One disposable Bowl for each color of bead used Plastic Easter Eggs Wood Skewer Mod Podge Crafting Paint Brush Directions 1. Pour beads into the bowls 2. Insert skewer into the hole in the bottom of the egg 3. Using the paint brush, coat egg with the Mod Podge 4. Roll eggs into beads, mix or match egg color with bead color or sprinkle your egg with a variety of colors. Be creative!! 5. Remove skewer and bead the bottom of the egg 6. Let dry over night then give it one final coat of Mod Podge to seal beads and let it dry. Variations: use glitter, tissue paper, and little pom poms on eggs to give them a different texture by Jim Hoxie and Joanna Jones with illustrator Alex Portal With great pleasure, I introduce you to a dynamic new book about learning to use a white cane. Visual impairment education became a driving focus for Spearfish, SD resident Jim Hoxie, when for the last seven years, his eyesight greatly declined and he now uses a white cane to see the world in which he travels. In 2017, he received white cane training at the Central Blind Rehabilitation Center, Edward Hines Jr VA Hospital, Chicago, IL. As Hoxie shared his story in his local community, he was inspired to write a children’s book entitled Grandpa’s White Cane. The illustrations are photographic images of his home town with caricature overlays. In the book, Hoxie tells about his many steps into the darkness of becoming visually impaired followed by the joy of gaining confidence with his changed abilities. His friends and the support of the community have made his journey back to being independent a success. Readers of all ages find Grandpa’s White Cane an interesting and educational book. Medical professionals and educators alike have said this book needs to be in every school, every library, everywhere. Together, we are improving the quality of life for people who are blind and visually impaired. This book was published with support from the Spearfish Lions Club. Available on Amazon for $10.00 in paperback or $18.75 in hardcover or free for Kindle Unlimited users. PAGE 4 Did You Know... I would bet that most, if not all of you have heard the story of Helen Keller and her many accomplishments, but did you know that Anne Sullivan, known to Helen as Teacher, was visually impaired herself? In 1866, Anne Sullivan was born to Irish immigrants Thomas and Alice (Cloesy) Sullivan in Massachusetts. She was the oldest of five children. Two siblings died in infancy and this was the start of many tragedies to fall on this family. At the young age of 3 years old, Sullivan started having problems with her eyes. She had contracted an eye disease called trachoma, and by the age of five Anne’s sight was severely damaged. James, her younger brother suffered from weak hips and her mother who suffered from tuberculosis had difficulty getting around after a fall. Anne’s mother died when she was 8 years old and two years later her abusive father abandoned her, James, and their younger sister Mary, fearing he could not care for them himself. Anne and James were sent to live at the Tewksbury Almshouse, a home for the poor, while Mary went to live with an aunt. Anne stayed close to James hoping they would not be separated but four months later James died of tuberculosis. Anne continued living at Tewksbury after James’s death. At the age of 11 years she underwent two surgeries on her eyes but both failed to restore her sight. Around this time, Tewksbury Almshouse gained a bad reputation for the cruelty to inmates at the institution, sexually perverted practices, and even cannibalism.