Real objects representing activities in the child’s day are arranged in left to right sequence in plastic bins.

Communication

What is literacy for students with limited language?

Many children with visual impairments and additional disabilities have delayed language development and experience challenges with verbal or signed expressive and receptive communication.  Learn about the hierarchy of communication symbols for tactile learners and how to select objects and tactile symbols.  Do you know how to set up a calendar system?

Reading

Choosing books for beginning readers

It’s never too early to read books! There are many options when selecting books for students with multiple disabilities, depending on the needs and interests of a particular child.  Reading addresses many different types of goals, and a variety of books may be appropriate at different times.  Explore reading choices for this population.

Page from an object book with two bars of soap in a baggie and the text “I choose what kind of soap to use.”
Story box items for “If You Give a Pig a Pancake” include a shoe, a glue stick, a hammer, and a small stuffed pig.

Tips and techniques

Tell a story with objects

Story boxes are a great way to enhance your child’s literacy experiences. A story box is a collection of objects that go along with a story. The objects act like pictures to a blind child.  Learn how to make story boxes and ways to add simple assistive technology that make early reading fun!

Aligning to curriculum frameworks

 How can a literacy program for students with deafblindness or multiple disabilities be aligned with the state’s Curriculum Frameworks? See examples of IEP goals aligned to state standards.