Friday, September 14, 2012

Homework Help: Homework tool kit for our blind child

I have been wanting to do this blog for while.  I think its a great time to do it now because the school year has started in most areas of the country.

The past two years we have collected items to make doing homework just a little bit easier. Some of the items are necessary while others items are tools that just make things easier.

What things do YOU have in your homework tool kit?

Wonder what Abby has at home to help  her homework assignments?  
a lot of Abby's homework items (alt text: foam shapes in a plastic bin, a piles of books, Perkins brailler, Sensational blackboard, abacus, braille rules, and other items)

1. Perkins Brailler.  This is used to do all kinds of her assignments 
alt text: perkins brailler with foam stickers. Foam stickers are cool.
2. Sensational Blackboard which a a great tool for tactile graphics

alt text: a sensational blackboard 
3. Cranmer Abacus an essential tool for solving math problems.
alt text: cranmer abacus
4. Braille contractions reference books.  These are great and Abby and I have found them very useful.  We have two.  A Braille Spelling Dictionary & A Handbook of Braille Contractions
alt text: two white braille reference books
5. Age appropriate recreational braille reading material. Abby is assigned to read every night as part of her homework. Having things that is at her reading level is very important.
alt text: a collection of children braille books
6. Foam shape stickers. this can be very useful in doing math assignments. We have collected different shapes because sometimes the tactile graphics in her math book are lacking sometimes. That and foam stickers are just cool.
alt text: a collection of different shapes of foam stickers. 
7. a tactile dice.  Abby had an assingment that she needed a dice and this is what we bought for the next time we need one.

8. Braille rulers.  They are both in inches and centimeters NEEDED for many math assignments.
alt text: a collections of braille rulers. Some are white and others are black 
9. Wikki Stix & Bendaroos i have found that using a quality brand really matters.
alt text: a collections bendaroos in different colors.

10.  other items

  • slate & stylus  a easy way to write braille
  • 20/20 pen -its a dark black marker
  • puff paint - a simply way to make tactile graphics

What are some tools that you use?  Share we would love to hear what works for you. 


3 comments:

Jessica Kovacs said...

This is so helpful Penny! I'm going to go find Tom some foam stickers ASAP!

PletcherFamily said...

this is so helpful - thanks so much!! Finley is just in first grade, so this list will come in handy as she gets older.

Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Great going, Penny. I love your proactive approach. You are a wonderful mom and tireless advocate--a tremendous resource to parents and teachers alike.