VIDBE-Q Volume 68 Issue 2
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In addition, several new options were added to the communication and
behavior station. Items to promote social and emotional regulation are now
featured, including several different adaptive fidgets (e. g., foot roller, beaded bags,
weighted stuffed animal, lap pillow white board). A Basic Talk 4 voice output
device (Enabling Devices, Hawthorne, NY, USA) was also added to demonstrate
another low-tech option for speech and communication. This device offers four
recordable options with an opening for pictures or tactual graphics.
Additional activities and information related to visual impairments have also
been introduced at the sensory impairment station. These include a Perkins Brailler
(Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown, MA, USA), a Braille Buzz (American
Printing House for the Blind, Louisville, KY, USA), braille stickers, braille books,
and a tactile drawing pad. In addition, the Lab now features a Snellen eye chart and
a Zimmerman Low Vision simulation kit (Dr. George J. Zimmerman, Naples, FL,
USA), which allows students to experience different variations of vision loss, such
as cataracts, field loss, macular degeneration, scotomas, and visual acuities ranging
from 20/70 to 20/800.
A final update to the Lab was made possible with the help of a grant. The
original set of iPads were replaced with the newest model. This purchase was
carried out in conjunction with a local training on dyslexia for early childhood
teachers, which included an additional training component for how AT can support
