Hi AER Colleagues,
I hope that your week is off to a good start. These are challenging times
in so many ways. I know you are each spread thin and I know the families
and children you work with are as well. I don’t want to do another ask, but
I am. This is an important ask. We have the second Access and Engagement
study open through November 22. If you are a TVI or O&M working with
children please take 30 minutes or so to complete the survey. Please also
reach out to your families and ask them to do the same. Maybe even offer to
watch the kids or loan them a device if they’re not online. Or, call and
read them the questions and enter their data. We really want to hear from
all families, not just those with easy access to the internet.
The email below talks about the survey, the report we published, the blog
post that we just published today on how to use the report to improve
education for our students, and a free town hall on Tuesday. Please share
it widely.
I’ve attached a flyer about the survey as well to this email. Thank you for
all you each are doing for those with visual impairments.
Penny
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: American Foundation for the Blind communications@afb.org
Date: Thu, Nov 5, 2020 at 1:44 PM
Subject: COVID-19’s Impact on Education of Visually Impaired Children: You
Can Help
[image: AFB. American Foundation for the Blind. Expanding possibilities
for people with vision loss.]
[image: A school-age Black girl examines a variety of seeds on a plate
while her science teacher and teaching assistant present a Zoom lesson. A
school-age Multiracial boy sits in an adapted chair with a female adult
sitting behind him. They are joined in an online meeting. An augmentative
communication device sits to the left of the boy.]
Let's Work Together to Ensure Accessible, Engaging, and Inclusive
Education for Children with Visual Impairments
The second Access and Engagement study
https://afb.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=bd3c8fefc9f905f5ccf41c577&id=25fdc459cf&e=ffd2030d24
opened on October 30 and closes on November 22. We want all family members,
guardians, teachers of students with visual impairments (TVIs), and
orientation & mobility (O&M) specialists in the U.S. and Canada to have the
opportunity to share their experiences about education this fall. The
survey takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. If you qualify, please
consider taking it and inviting a family you know to take it too. Tell them
why you think this survey is important.
The first Access and Engagement study
https://afb.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=bd3c8fefc9f905f5ccf41c577&id=736663c006&e=ffd2030d24
report is available for free download. In addition to the full report as an
accessible PDF, there is also an accessible PDF of the Executive Summary.
Everything is also online by section, so if you want to point someone to a
specific section you can do so. Each section of the report has
recommendations.
Speaking of recommendations, Dr. L. Penny Rosenblum, the lead author of the
report, has put together a blog post on how you can use the first Access
and Engagement report to advocate for students with visual impairments
https://afb.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=bd3c8fefc9f905f5ccf41c577&id=c81e7303a8&e=ffd2030d24.
If we all come together, we can have a stronger impact on administrators,
policymakers, technology companies, and others. The findings and
recommendations in the first Access and Engagement report allow you to pair
your own experience with data about 455 children and 1,028 professionals.
That’s a lot of voices!
Finally, do you know about AFB’s Town Hall on November 10 from 2:00-3:00 PM
Eastern? The topic is Education Across the Lifespan. This is an opportunity
to ask your questions and share your comments. The first three authors of
the Access and Engagement report, Dr. Rosenblum, Dr. Herzberg, and Dr. Wild
will be responding to questions and comments. It’s free to sign up
https://afb.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=bd3c8fefc9f905f5ccf41c577&id=e9e06b37d8&e=ffd2030d24,
so please plan to join us.
On social media use #AccessEngagement to share how you are using the
report, encourage others to complete the second survey, or ask your
questions. You can also email access_report@afb.org
<access_report@afb.org?subject=Access%20and%20Engagement%20Study>. We want
to hear from you!
Thank you,
AFB Communications
communications@afb.org
<communications@afb.org?subject=Access%20and%20Engagement%20Study>
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American Foundation for the Blind · 1401 South Clark Street · Suite 730 ·
Arlington, Virginia 22202 · USA
--
John D. Mackin
Manager, Public Relations
American Foundation for the Blind
Phone: (212) 502-7627
We're creating a future of no limits. Join us at www.afb.org/nolimits