3. Asking Questions
Using the control panel:
During the Q & A session
you can ask questions by
clicking on the “Raise Hand”
button
Type your question in the
“Questions” box during the
presentation
3
4. Today’s Agenda
I. The importance of improving
literacy for people with vision loss
II. LCI - Reading Action Program
III. Partner Presentations:
A. The Hadley School for the
Blind
B. American Foundation for the
Blind
C. Bookshare
IV. Discussion
4
5. Importance of Literacy for People with Vision Loss
• Literacy is important for:
Learning and Development
Academic Achievement
Occupational Opportunity
Social Success
• In U.S.10% of blind children are
learning Braille
• 85% of blind children attend
public schools where few
teachers know Braille
5
6. Reading Action Program
Challenges Lions to focus on literacy and
access to educational tools and resources.
• Promotes the importance of reading
• Encourages community service:
o Serve as a volunteer reader
o Support Braille literacy
o Organize a book drive
o Provide technological resources
and training to schools in need
6
7. Reading Action Program
Resources:
Call to Action Flyer
Project Idea Sheet
Planning Guide
Press Release
Bookmarks
Diploma
7
9. Community Needs Assessment
Community Needs Assessment
LCI code: MK-9
• Provides step-by-step guidelines to
determine community needs, to avoid
duplication of services.
• Contains a needs assessment
questionnaire you can send to:
o School Principals
o Teachers
o Library Personnel
o Agencies
o Children’s organizations
9
10. Poll Question
Are you currently involved with
projects or activities that are
focused on literacy and serve
people who are blind or
visually impaired?
Choose: “Yes” or “No”
10
11. Resources and Service Opportunities
Partner Presentation
Judy Matsuoka, Instructor
The Hadley School for the Blind
www.hadley.edu
Judy@hadley.edu
11
17. Learning Braille
Courses for Sighted People Who Need
to Learn Braille
Introduction to Braille
Basics of Nemeth Code for Math
Contracted Braille
Braille Music Basics
17
18. Braille Courses for People with Visual Impairments
Courses for Learning to Read by
Touch
Using Raised Markers
Braille Literacy 1: Tactile Readiness
Braille Literacy 2: Learning the
Alphabet
Braille Literacy 3: Uncontracted
Braille
Braille Literacy 4: Contracted Braille
Experience Braille Reading
Essentials of the Nemeth Code for
Math
Braille Music Reading
18
19. How May a Lion Work with Hadley?
For more information visit:
www.hadley.edu
Click on "About"
19
20. Resources and Service Opportunities
Partner Presentation
Ike Presley, Project Director
American Foundation for the Blind
www.afb.org/lions
ipresley@afb.net
20
21. Improving Literacy
Using Technology to:
Support Literacy
Promote Literacy
Enhance Literacy
Sustain Literacy
Develop Literacy
○(not so much)
21
22. What Can Technology Do?
Technology Provides Tools for:
Accessing Printed Information
Accessing Electronic Information
Communicating Through Writing
22
23. What Kind of Tools?
Tools for Accessing Information
Visually
Tactilely
Auditorily
It takes a toolbox full of tools to be
successful!
23
24. The Need
Technology Training
Service providers
Consumers
24
25. The Need
• Technology Training
Service providers
○ Button pushing
○ Instructional strategies
▫ This is the big need
• How do I teach this technology?
25
26. The Need
Technology Training
• AFB addresses this need through
Face-to-face training
Conference presentations
E-Learning Center
○ On-line courses
○Webinars
26
27. Lions Involvement
Consider Financial Support for
Training Opportunities:
AFB face-to-face trainings
AFB e-Learning
courses/webinars
AFB curriculum development
27
28. Lions Involvement
• Support Training Opportunities
Partner with AFB and other funders
○Provide training facility
○Provide funding for training materials
○Provide support for service providers
to attend training opportunities
28
30. Resources and Service Opportunities
Partner Presentation
Kristina Pappas, International Program Manager
Bookshare ”Making Reading Accessible to All”
www.bookshare.org
kristinap@benetech.org
30
31. The Challenge
Photo: mehan
Photo: C. Frank Starmer
Photo: Lance Bellers
31
32. What is Bookshare?
65,000+ Titles
208,000+ (160,000+ with
Members WIPO Treaty)
8+
40+ Countries Languages
20+ 200+ Publisher
LIBRARY Internation Partners
al Partners
32
34. Lions Club + Bookshare= Great Opportunity!
Photo: C. Frank Starmer
34
35. Poll Question
What types of projects would be of
interest to you?
Community awareness
Braille literacy
Access to technology
Digital library
Advocate for local schools and
teachers
35
36. Questions & Answers
Hi Lions!
Please raise your hand if you
would like to ask a question.
Click on the “raise hand button”
which looks like this:
36
38. Thank you for your Participation!
A roaring “Thank you!”
More information: programs@lionsclubs.org
Marilee Kadar, Manager, Health & Children’s Services
Kate Barcal, Manager, Program Development
www.lionsclubs.org
38
Notas do Editor
Welcome Lions, Guests and Presenters. Thank you very much for joining us today to learn more about “improving literacy for people with vision loss.“ I am Marilee Kadar, manager of Health & Children’s Services in the Service Activities Division at Lions Clubs International Headquarters. It’s my pleasure to serve as moderator for this session. My fellow colleague is also in attendance: Kate Barcal, Manager of Program Development Department will be monitoring your questions during the session. (Kate....)Please note that this webinar is being recorded for future access and will be posted on the LCI website. We will add a link to the recording on the Reading Action Program Web page and also send it to everyone who registered for today’s webinar. We will mute all lines to reduce background noise. Let’s begin! We have a panel of three enthusiastic professionals who represent LCI partners for literacy. Each speaker will provide a presentation on the services and resources available for people with vision loss. Our speakers today include: Judy Matsuoka, The Hadley School for the BlindIke Presley, American Foundation for the BlindKristina Pappas, BookshareThank you, Judy, Ike and Kristina for participating today…. And welcome!
As all of your lines are muted, you may submit your questions during each presentation by typing your questions using the “questions” box. All of you should see a control panel on your screen, which is where you will find the questions box. We will address your questions after each presentation. We will also leave some time, after all of the presentations, to address additional questions you may have.
There are several things that we’d like to discuss in the next 1-1/2 hours, including:The importance of improving literacy for people living with blindness and low vision;The focus on literacy through President Madden’s Reading Action Program including materials and resources for Lions; LCI partners who provide valuable resources and services to people with vision loss, and service opportunities available for Lions in connection with these partnerships. Again, we’ll have a Q & A period at the end of each partnership presentation.
Literacy important for learning and development, and it is also essential for individual academic, occupational and social success. Based on US statistics, only 10% of blind children are learning Braille. While audio devices are useful sources of information for people with visual impairments, only Braille offers complete command of written language. However, 85% of blind children attend public schools where few teachers know Braille. According to The Hadley School for the Blind, there is a link between Braille literacy and successful employment for blind people. Braille literacy also affords many other joys of literacy – the ability to read for further education and pleasure, which aids in independent living, as well as the capability to write notes, recipes, novels and professional papers. For a child who is blind, learning Braille is an essential skill to developing literacy as learning to read and write is for a sighted student. Judy Matsuoka from The Hadley School for the Blind will join us shortly to provide more information about Hadley’s outstanding programs and resources, including courses for Braille. For people who are blind or have low vision, Braille and technology are the keys to success. Technology provides a wide variety of tools to enable people with vision loss to have greater access to information. The American Foundation for the Blind removes barriers, creates solutions, and expands possibilities so people with vision loss can achieve their full potential. Later in this webinar, we’ll hear from Ike Presley from American Foundation for the Blind. He will provide you with information about the current technology available for people with vision loss and the many ways this technology can enhance their lives. People with print disabilities deserve to enjoy reading as much as all other readers. A print disability can be a learning disability, a visual impairment or a physical disability. Individuals with a print disability cannot access print in a standard way. Kristina Pappas from Bookshare will provide you with information about access to the digital library, which can enable a person with a print disability to read a newspaper the same day it hits the newsstand or a best-selling book online as soon as it is released. You’ll learn about new technological developments that make reading digital books easier. Our presenters today will also share with you the various ways that you can partner with them to make a difference in the life of child or adult with vision loss.
As part of this year’s “In a World of Service” theme, International President Wayne Madden is challenging Lions to participate in The Reading Action Program to focus on literacy and access to learning resources through community service. He believes that every Lions club can get involved. Hundreds of millions of adults lack minimum literacy skills, and millions of school-aged children are not attending school to obtain them. The Reading Action Program is a year-long campaign that will continue through June 30, 2013. It can provide your club or district with many opportunities to serve. A few project ideas are listed on this slide. The Reading Action Program logo, as shown, is available for downloading on our website.
As you can see on this slide, there are a variety of resources to help your club get started. Or, if your club is already involved with literacy projects, you may find ideas for additional ways to serve your community. The “call to action” flyer gives you an overview of the Reading Action Program. The project idea sheet offers 25 suggestions for community literacy projects. This would be a great resource to distribute to your fellow club members. The planning guide provides you with easy steps for planning and organizing a literacy project. It also contains an action plan to help you get started. Attractive bookmarks are available to promote literacy and a Reading Action Program diploma can be personalized to recognize Lions volunteers or others who participated in your project. A sample press release is also available to promote your literacy project.
All publications are available at www.lionsclubs.org. Simply type “reading” in the search box on the home page. Here, you’ll be able to download a variety of resources, as listed on this slide. You will also enjoy reading the success stories from Lions around the world. And, you’ll find more information about LCI’s literacy partners and the Reading Action Program awards for clubs and districts.
If you’re not sure where to start, you may want to implement a community needs assessment to determine where your services are most needed. You can find this assessment form on our website, too. Just type “MK9” in the search box at the LCI website. It contains a needs assessment questionnaire you can send to school principals, teachers, libraries and other agencies and organizations involved with promoting literacy for children and adults.
We will now move to our first Poll Question: “Are you currently involved with projects or activities that are focused on literacy and serve people who are blind or visually impaired?” We will give you a few moments to complete the poll.The poll is now closed. Thank you for participating. (Sample: Majority is “Yes”Based on these results, ____ % are already focusing on literacy in your service. That’s great! As you hear from our presenters, we hope you will be empowered to continue your service and discover new ways you can support individuals with vision loss. We encourage you to type your questions in the comments box during the presentations, and we’ll do our best to address them at the end of each presentation. (Sample: Majority is “No” Based on these results, most of you have not been involved with projects for people who have vision loss. As you hear from our presenters today, we hope you will be empowered to explore service opportunities in your communities to support individuals who are blind or have visual impairments. We encourage you to type your questions in the comments box during the presentations, and we’ll do our best to address them at the end of each presentation.
I now introduce you to our first presenter, Judy Matsuoka, an instructor at The Hadley School for the Blind. Judy Matsuoka is an instructor at the Hadley School for the Blind where she teaches Braille courses and is involved in the development and writing of new courses. She has been an itinerant special education teacher, a rehabilitation teacher, and a university instructor at Northern Illinois University, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and most recently, at Utah State University in a unique collaboration between Hadley and the university. For the 10 years prior to joining Hadley's faculty, she was the executive director of a non-profit organization and the board member of foundations focused on the issues of low income communities in the American South.Thank you for joining us, Judy.
Thank you, Judy. I will now turn it over to Kate Barcal for the question and answer portion of this presentation.
I now introduce you to our second presenter, Ike Presley, National Project Director at the American Foundation for the Blind. Since joining AFB in 1999 Ike has developed professional resources and materials that can be used by service providers to improve the quality of their service. He also presents and facilitates training workshops for service providers on the use of technology to develop literacy skills. Previously he was an assistive technology specialist at the Georgia Project for Assistive Technology, where he helped students to determine the most appropriate assistive technology for their educational program. He also worked as a technology instructor at the Georgia Sensory Rehabilitation Center, where he trained adults with hearing impairments and/or visual impairments in the use of assistive technology for employment. Ike has authored several articles and made numerous presentations at national and state conferences on assistive technology, literacy, and teaching students who are blind or visually impaired. He is co-author of the recently published Assistive Technology for Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired: A Guide to Assessment. Thank you for joining us, Ike.
Thank you, Ike. I will now turn it over to Kate as we proceed to the question and answersegment for this presentation.
I now introduce you to our third presenter, Kristina Pappas, International Program Manager of Bookshare.Kristina Pappas has an extensive background in book publishing and international business. Under her direction, Bookshare International has grown to encompass members in over 40 different countries, books in 9 different languages, and partnerships with international organizations serving people with print disabilities. Through these partnerships, Bookshare International has implemented programs to increase international Bookshare membership by addressing the unique technology and infrastructure challenges that exist in many countries.Thank you for joining us, Kristina.
Thank you, Kristina. We’ll now have a question and answer segment for this presentation. I will now turn it over to Kate.
We will now present our second poll question. Now that you have learned more about education, programs, tools and resources available to people with vision loss, “what types of projects would be of interest to you?” Please check all boxes that would apply.We’ll now take a few moments for you to complete the poll. The poll is now closed. Thank you for participating. Based on the results, it’s encouraging to see your interest in helping to improve literacy for blind and visually impaired people in your community. ____ received the highest number of responses, followed by _____ and ____.
We have some time remaining to take any additional questions. Again, I will turn it over to Kate, who will be monitoring your questions. Our presenters will be glad to respond to any questions you may have. We will try to get through all of your questions. You will also be able to send any questions to us after the webinar, and we’ll respond as soon as possible.
Wealso want to mention the LCI Service Activity Report. We encourage your club secretaryto report your club’s service activities via the online Service Activity Report. This report enables us to learn about various club activities worldwide and helps us to understand the way service differs, or is the same, within our clubs in various countries or geographical areas. Clubs who report a Reading Action Program project through the Service Activity Report will automatically receive the banner patch award. One patch will be awarded per club per year. So, your club will receive the patch after you report your first Reading Action Program project.
Thank you, everyone, for your participation. Kate and I hope you have enjoyed this webinar and have gathered new information you can take back to your clubs. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or comments. We look forward to hearing from you. You can send any inquiries to programs@lionsclubs.org.Have a nice evening. This concludes the webinar, “Improving Literacy for People with Vision Loss.”