Saturday, April 4, 2009

Money folding, and everyday skills for young adults with a visual impairment

Money Management and everyday skills to help young adults who are visually impaired get ready for that big step of transition!

Keeping Track of Money from American House for the Blind (APH)
On the APH sight you will find a wealth of information regarding how to manage your money from how to identify money through the folding process (see below) to everyday living skills.

Identifying Bills by Fold

By folding denominations of bills in different ways, you can easily locate them in your wallet. Here's how:




Leave $1 bills unfolded


Fold $5 bills lengthwise


Fold $10 bills by width

  • Fold $20 bills lengthwise and then by width. Or you can fold them just lengthwise and put them in a separate section of your wallet

Identifying coins by touch - practice with a friend or family member using these techniques

  • Size - The dime is the smallest coin, and the half-dollar is the largest.

  • Edge - The penny and the nickel have a smooth edge. The dime, quarter, and half-dollar have a milled, ridged edge.

  • Thickness - The nickel is thicker than the other coins.

http://www.afb.org/section.asp?SectionID=40&TopicID=215&DocumentID=2232




Living Skills Center for the Visually Impaired
Attention-graduating seniors looking for those easy to use must have checklists that target what you need to know when transitioning from high school to your next step – well check out this checklists at

http://www.livingskillscenter.org/checklist.htm

Transition and Pre-Vocational

Social Skills

Orientation and Mobility

Living Skills

Food Preparation

Financial Management checklist
includes a wide variety of skills for the visually impaired young adult making that very important move to transition from high school to the work world. This checklist covers topics such as handling money, banking, signing checks with a signature card and so much more.

http://www.livingskillscenter.org/fa.html


St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Has an outstanding summer camp program called Project STEP. Below is a brief description (retrieved from the website April 3, 2009) stating the areas of transition that are targeted for high school seniors.


Project STEP A program directing the way for our young adults with visual impairments


Summer Transition and Employment Program is the first program of its kind offered by the Society, partially funded by the St. Louis Lighthouse for the Blind, for high school students who will go to college or into the competitive work force. The focus of the program is for intensive lessons in adaptive technology (speech and large print screen computer programs), meal preparation and exposure to work settings and other professionals who are blind. Programs address additional needs students must learn as they transition into adulthood, such as ironing, cleaning, cooking, money management and so much more.


Click here for their complete mission statement, vision statement, eligibility requirements, and all the STEP components; as well as the application to apply for Project STEP 2009.

http://www.lhbindustries.com/seethefuture/step.asp




Self Directed Transitional IEP’s resources for educators and counselors

Curriculumum Guide

This book is a must have! See table of contents below for a glimpse inside this valuable must have curriculum guide!

Table of Contents
  • Forewords

  • Getting Started

  • Unit Objectives
  • Introduction/Orientation

  • General Teacher Information

  • Introduction to Students

  • Objectives

  • Key Words

  • Materials

  • Activities

  • Teacher Resources

Sample of units - for full list visit http://www.tsbvi.edu/publications/sd.htm#top

  • Unit 2: Self-Awareness

  • Unit 3: Identifying Strengths and Challenges

  • Unit 4: Self-Acceptance, Coping and Compensatory Strategies

  • Unit 7: Personal Control

  • Unit 8: Communication: Basics of Communication and Active Listening

  • Unit 10: Personal Advocacy

  • Unit 13: Dreaming About the Future

  • Unit 16: Making Action Plans (steps to reach short-term objectives

  • Unit 18: Problem Solving II: Goal Assessment and Revisions

  • Unit 20: Rights and Responsibilities (including legal status)

  • Unit 23: Where the Rubber Meets the Road

    http://www.tsbvi.edu/publications/sd.htm#top


Course Work

The Cornell University site is an on-line self paced course on person centered planning. The site can be read, printed to meet everyone’s needs. There are 7 course topics to choose from each include;


  • Introduction
  • Quiz

  • Activity

  • Readings

  • Resource

Course list:

  • Course 1: Introduction to Person-Centered Planning

  • Course 2: Community Membership: Opportunities for Meaningful Interaction

  • Course 3: Self-Determination

  • Course 4: Common Threads Between Different Person Centered Tools

  • Course 5 Series: Popular Person-Centered Tools

  • PPCT: Objectives and Framework
  • PPCT: Essential Lifestyle Planning

  • PPCT: MAPS

  • PPCT: Personal Futures Planning

  • PPCT: Circles of Support

  • Course 6: Organizational Change

  • Course 7: Transition Planning

http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi/pcp/course07.html

Power Point

Student Involvement In Their Transition Education Planning Process

This is Power Point of 72 slides is a wealth of information that educators and counselors can draw upon to help develop their abilities to bring about a “true” self directed and self developed Transitional independent educational plan.

http://www.google.com/search?q=teaching+self+directed+Transitional+IEP++Florida&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a


Resource Center Web Site

Self-Determination Resource Web Site -
This one is my favorite

This site is comprehensive and easy to use. It has links to every aspect of self-determination and Transitional IEP’s. The following links include guides, brochures, websites, books, Power Points, contacts, portfolio templates, agencies and the list goes on;

  • Websites

  • Examples of student-let IEP’s

  • Classroom resources, person centered planning guides
  • Post secondary Education

  • Professional Organizations

  • Schools

  • Self advocacy

  • Self determination

  • Research

  • Preschool, Kindergarten, Secondary and Elementary

  • School Reform

  • Conferences

  • Transition

  • Voices

  • Textbooks
http://www.selfdeterminationak.org/resources_for_teachers.html