Perkins eLearning To Go

Latest Episodes:

Assessment and Intervention with Ellen Mazel Jul 02, 2019

Show notes

Ellen Mazel discusses how vision is processed in a child with cortical vision impairment (CVI), how the child understands the visual part of their world, and the importance of early intervention. She also offers strategies for assessment and intervention.

Ellen works as the CVI Program Manager for Perkins School for the Blind. She joined the administrative leadership team at Perkins School for the Blind to create and oversee Perkins CVI assessment program. The position includes continued research with Dr. Christine Roman-Lantzy, a leader in the field, as well as several vision professionals at MIT, Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School to advance knowledge about CVI.

Click here for an accessible transcript of this episode on Perkins eLearning website.

Behind the scenes at eLearning with Robin Sitten Jun 25, 2019

Show notes

Perkins eLearning offers a variety of online courses, tutorials, and webinars. We talk with Robin Sitten, program manager for Perkins eLearning, to discuss Perkins eLearning inside and out. Hear what goes on behind the scenes, how topics for classes are considered, and what the future holds for online learning at Perkins!

Click here for an accessible transcript of this episode on the Perkins eLearning website

CVI: past, present and future with Al Lantzy Jun 18, 2019

Show notes

Click here for an accessible transcript of this episode on the Perkins eLearning website

In this episode we have a special host, Robin Sitten from Perkins eLearning, interviews Dr. Alan Lantzy to discuss all things Cortical Vision Impairment – from the beginning when assessment was new or non-existent, to what has evolved and changed over the past 15 years (and who was driving this change.) It is a very special episode of Perkins eLearning to-go.

Accessible Instructional Materials in the Digital Classroom with Yue Ting Siu Jun 11, 2019

Show notes

Yue Ting Siu provides us with an introduction to current technologies employed to help access instructional materials. In addition, she guides us in exploring new and emerging technologies for the digital classroom, including image and video description, and multimodal data displays. Finally, Yue Ting talks about the focus on braille and tactile literacy in the digital age and the issues related to reconciling these priorities with technology.

Ting is a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI) with 14 years of experience working with students with visual impairments, severe/multiple disabilities, and deafblindness. Ting's research includes: Assistive technology development and implementation, teacher preparation and professional development, digital inclusion, and multimedia accessibility. She also provides research and consulting support to bridge technology development and teachers' adoption of tools for the classroom. (www.tplus.education)

Click here for an accessible transcript of this episode on the Perkins eLearning website.

Paths to Technology with Diane Brauner Jun 04, 2019

Show notes

Diane is our guru for Paths to Technology. As the web-manager, she joins us to discuss the website and how you could become a blogger for paths to Technology (and possibly make some extra money in the process).

Diane is an educational accessibility consultant collaborating with various educational app developers and agencies. She splits her time between managing the Perkins eLearning website, Paths to Technology, presenting workshops on a national level and working on accessibility-related projects.

Click here for an accessible transcript of this episode on the Perkins eLearning website.

A Unified Approach: Searching for Solutions to CVI with Ed Bosso May 30, 2019

Show notes

What can happen when a diverse group of people come together to tackle challenges facing children with CVI? Ed Bosso, Superintendent and Executive Director of Educational Programs at Perkins School for the Blind, talks with us about fostering a unified approach to solve complex problems.

If you're interested in taking part in breaking down challenges facing children with CVI, you can join us at the 5th annual CVI symposium July 11 and 12. For more information visit www.perkinselearning.org/symposium.

Click here for an accessible transcript of this episode on the Perkins eLearning website.

Cerebral Visual Impairment: A Brain-Based Visual Condition with Dr. Amanda Lueck May 28, 2019

Show notes

Dr. Lueck provides an overview of cerebral visual impairment and the challenges that parents and professionals face in terms of understanding how children with CVI use their vision. She emphasizes the importance of assessing the child to understand what they see.

Amanda Hall Lueck, Ph.D., Professor Emerita of Special Education & Communicative Disorders at San Francisco State University has worked in the field of visual impairments for over 40 years. At the University of California, Berkeley Low Vision Clinic, Dr. Lueck coordinated education and rehabilitation services. She has been a teacher in California and Wisconsin, and she was the Director of the Assessment Center for the Visually Impaired, an outreach unit of the California School for the Blind.

Click here for an accessible transcript of this episode on the Perkins eLearning website.

"If You Can Breathe You Can Learn" - Active Learning with Charlotte Cushman May 21, 2019

Show notes

What is Active Learning? Charlotte Cushman knows and is here to discuss all things Active Learning.

Charlotte Cushman is the driving force behind Paths to Literacy; she manages this website for Perkins School for the Blind and Texas School for the Blind. In addition, Charlotte is an active blogger for Paths to Literacy. Charlotte is also the website manager for Active Learning Space, she sat down with me to discuss this site and how Active Learning can be of assistance when teaching children with visual impairments.

Click here for an accessible transcript of this episode on the Perkins eLearning website

A Parent's Perspective: Helping Your Child with Multiple Disabilities Engage with the World with Amber Bobnar May 14, 2019

Show notes

Amber Bobnar is a parent of a young boy with visual impairment and additional disabilities. In this webcast, she talks about how important it is to involve children with disabilities in their community and gives advice on how to make this happen. Amber is the creator of the WonderBaby.org, a website which provides a support network and a multitude of resources for parents of children with visual impairment.

Click here for an accessible transcript of this episode on the Perkins eLearning webiste

CVI Experts: Dr. Sarah Blackstone and Dr. Christine Roman-Lantzy May 07, 2019

Show notes

We are in for a treat! After completing a live webinar for Perkins eLearning Dr. Blackstone and Dr. Roman- Lantzy stayed to discuss the exemplary work being done at The Bridge School in California.

Dr. Sarah W. Blackstone is past president and fellow of the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC) and a founder and board member of its US Chapter. Dr. Blackstone is a contributing author to Cortical Visual Impairment: Advanced Principles, where she addresses the AAC needs of children with cortical visual impairment.

Dr. Christine Roman developed the CVI Range©. She and Perkins eLearning work in partnership to offer courses on CVI and the CVI Range©, as well as the Perkins-Roman CVI Range Endorsement. Dr. Roman is the Director of The Pediatric View Program at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA.

Click here for an accessible transcript of this episode on the Perkins eLearning website