In 2011, a collaborative effort began between the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) and Austin Classical Guitar (ACG), a local 501(c) nonprofit music organization. The idea behind this collaboration was to start a small guitar program that would provide TSBVI students with quality classroom guitar instruction. At that time,…

Discusses problems that users with disabilities, particularly visual impairments, have with Web-based classes. Discusses efforts by the Texas Commission for the Blind to offer Web-based training to visually impaired staff members; and explains how to test a Web site for accessibility and how to make a Web site more accessible and effective. (LRW)

This article describes the Early Braille Readers Project, which provided a Mountbatten Pro Brailler and peripheral equipment to 20 kindergarteners, first-, and second graders in Texas. The project included training and support in the form of site visits and teacher training for both teachers of students with visual impairments and classroom…

The author discusses changes that the Texas Division for Blind Services made in its vocational rehabilitation program to increase competitive employment opportunities for vocational rehabilitation consumers who are blind and visually impaired. P. R. Warren, B. S. Cavenaugh, and M. J. Giesen (2004) reported that, nationwide, a higher proportion of…

In 1992, the Texas Commission for the Blind formed a student leadership committee, Leaders in Transitioning with Excellence, to facilitate the development of leadership skills and involvement in communities by students with visual impairments, aged 15 to 20. This article describes the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the committee and…

Itinerant teachers (N=31) of the visually impaired in rural Texas identified shortcomings of the job (e.g., driving, communication with school personnel) and suggested problem-solving strategies (e.g., improving efficiency, establishing team relationships, adapting expectations). Among implications is the need to inform prospective teachers of the…

This report describes activities and recommendations of the Texas Commission on Braille Textbook Production, which monitors the acquisition Commission on Braille Textbook Production. The primary purpose of the commission is to monitor the expeditious acquisition of publisher computerized files in the form of textbook diskettes which are needed for…

A successful outreach model for training rural teachers of the visually impaired includes an on-site, two-year course sequence leading to certification which results in: increased teacher knowledge about community resources; a supportive networking system among participating teachers; and the capability for meeting the needs of rural area,…

In response to Senate Concurrent Resolution 83, the Texas Education Agency studied methods for screening all students upon entry to school for significant developmental lags that could lead to learning disabilities. The resulting report includes: (1) identification of screening techniques; (2) methods currently in use and validated for treatment…