Technologies are everywhere in this day and time but how do we know which types of technology works best for, specifically, people who are visually impaired? In this week’s podcast, we welcome Sam Seavey who is well-known for his Youtube channel, The Blind Life, where he shares tips & tricks and information emphasizing on assistive technologies for people who are visually impaired. You will get to know more about assistive technologies as we talk about how the cost of the technologies came about and which types that work for most people. Tune in to the podcast to find out! Links to the resources mentioned: The Blind Life, Sam’s Youtube Channel Sam’s Cake Collection, Facebook ATToC Waitlist, Allied Independence --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/astepforward/message

Are you looking to create a more engaging lesson plans? There are endless resources online that makes teaching virtually much more efficient and I’m sure most of you have heard of Google Slides. I have to say, they have a lot of mind blowing features that are not really out there. This week, you'll get to take away extra tips on how you can actually utilize Google Slides in order to engage with your students and your students' parents more. From creating interactive slides to even your own websites, this episode will open up a new world for your lesson plans. Links: Allied Independence --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/astepforward/message

How can O&M Specialists support the special education teachers we work with? During the pandemic and beyond, collaborating with our students’ team members is the most efficient way to increase their skills when we aren’t there with them in person. We spend 1% of our students’ waking lives with them. The other 99% is with other people. And those people need to know how to do what we need them to do and feel comfortable doing those things. This week, we have Braelan Martin on the podcast. Braelan Martin is a K-2 Special Education Teacher with a passion for providing fun and engaging lessons for her students. For Braelan, the key to a successful classroom is the collaboration between all of the staff members.  Besides teaching, Braelan enjoys making Youtube videos for educators to learn more about classroom management, organization, and staff collaboration. Links: That Special Educator, Teachers Pay Teachers That Special Educator, YouTube That Special Educator, Instagram --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/astepforward/message

Curious about how to approach the topic of racial inclusion, antiracism, and the Black Lives Matter movement with your students? Join Kassy and Sidnaya as they break down how to approach this subject with your students.  Links:  Kendi, I. How to Be an Antiracist DiAngelo, R. White Fragility --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/astepforward/message

Teaching young children with visual impairments in a preschool setting is quite a unique situation in our field. This week, we welcome Katie Armstrong, M.S., CTVI, COMS, and Doctoral Candidate, who specializes in teaching young children with visual and multiple impairments to talk about her experiences leading a preschool classroom for children with visual and multiple impairments.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/astepforward/message

I’ve been thinking and talking about remote learning a lot lately. With schools all over the country announcing that they will not be not be holding in-person classes this fall, it looks like the virtual classroom is here to stay — at least for a while. As with any change, this shift is going to bring about plenty of new challenges. Yes, there will be growing pains. But we have the choice to focus on the growing, while keeping in mind that the pain will be temporary. At this present time, we are in our metamorphosis phase as a community. We have a ways to go until we are a butterfly, but the opportunity to grow into something beautiful is as present as ever. In this podcast I want to introduce you to some of my favorite 21st Century Collaboration Methods for teaching online. These techniques come from years of experimenting with remote instruction, and centering in on what really works — and what doesn’t. As dedicated teachers, we all face the ongoing challenge of seeing that our young students have a strong support system around them, especially when we can’t be there. It is not enough for us to engage with them for an hour or two a week — their family and friends need to be part of the process if they are to truly get the help they need and deserve. This is where collaboration becomes key. As important as getting your students' parents involved is, it is not always a simple task. Surely they want to help, but like all of us, they are busy. By implementing the collaboration techniques that we get into in this podcast (and that we will be covering in greater detail in our upcoming Masterclass) you will begin to create an inclusive learning environment around your students. You CAN increase engagement with your students with visual and multiple impairments, while also saving valuable time. Join me friends, to find out how! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/astepforward/message

Now more than ever, with teaching moving further and further into a virtual space, it is imperative that we keep in mind our primary goal — improving the lives of our students. Orientation and Mobility is already a field that specializes in catering to a person’s specific needs, and the COVID-induced shift to online learning has certainly added another layer to that task. But instead of looking at this as another hurdle, let us see it as a time of new opportunity. In this week’s podcast I get to talk with Amy Parker, an assistant professor and the O&M Program Coordinator at Portland State University. Amy is a wealth of information, as well as a radiant source of confidence and clarity amidst these trying times. She tells us how we can breathe new life into our online lessons, explains why we need to see mobility as a human right, and speaks on the importance of continuing to learn and serve in order to teach and lead. Amy is a dedicated professional who continues to see herself as a servant of the people. Previously, at Texas Tech, she was heavily involved with teaching remotely and developing the curriculums to do just that. Now, as that becomes the norm, Amy tells us about how we can take on today’s new teaching challenges in stride, and use the changing landscape as a chance to further foster a community. From bringing educational resources to remote areas of Alaska, to understanding the challenges faced by a visually impaired person of color, this conversation brings to light many of the obstacles that we are faced with today. Join us, as we take a step forward together — a time when we need it the most. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/astepforward/message

We all love our students, that is why we chose this path. But as all teachers eventually discover, passion and long hours alone don’t get the job done. As a professional in the ever-changing educational system, it is all too easy to feel like you must sacrifice your personal life in order to be an effective teacher. We stay in the classroom as the parking lot empties, we bring our work home with us, and still find ourselves writing tomorrow’s lesson plans after dinner. There doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day to keep up with all of our school related duties, let alone spend time with our families and kids and give ourselves the occasional mental break. We have all felt like this, but fortunately for us, so has our friend Kristen. In this bonus episode of our podcast, I sit down with elementary school teacher and Easy Teaching Tools founder, Kristen Walker. Kristen has been an educator since 2005, and like so many of us, she struggled to carve out time for her personal life while still feeling like she was dedicated to her students. Over the years, though, she has discovered that organization and efficiency are the keys to being an effective teacher, not just being the last person to leave everyday. She now passes her knowledge along in the form of her company Easy Teaching Tools in hopes of helping teachers everywhere make better use of their time while regaining some sanity. By organizing daily tasks into simple, easy to implement programs you can streamline your approach to teaching and make a big impact in the classroom. Want to leave school at 3 everyday AND rekindle your love of teaching? Kristen’s got you covered. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/astepforward/message

How do you practice guide technique during a pandemic? We have the responsibility to keep ourselves and our students safe right now. In this episode, we dive into four options for safely practicing guide technique during a pandemic. Find the rest of the show notes at https://astepforwardpodcast.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/astepforward/message

So, you’ve just got thrown a curveball of a lifetime, just a few months ago. We've all had to relearn our jobs, and figure out how to do everything in a new way. With that in mind, I have some really good nuggets of information that are going to help bring your teaching and your association to the next level. This will take you step-by-step in this scientific approach to teaching online that I've been using to engage people.  So, press the play button to get the inside scoop on these effective yet easy to do methodologies. Also, I have a special gift for you over on my blog which I'm very happy to offer to you. For years now, it's just not something that I had ever thought was needed out in the world.  But now, is a perfect time and the perfect person is you! So, don't miss it and grab your copy! Find the rest of the show notes on our Allied Independence blog page. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/astepforward/message