VIDBE-Q Volume 69 Issue 4
sometimes and I may disappoint the teacher if I do not have that "magic pill."
Although the "magic pill" might happen in O&M, I have found that it is a more
frequent expectation in AT. However, it is quite satisfying when the "magic pill"
works, such as giving a student whose vision has decreased over time their first
opportunity to use an electronic magnifier so that they can read again.
Furthermore, many adults with age-related vision loss had never used AT devices
or had training with them. Introducing such a device can often make a sudden
positive impact on their capabilities and mental health.
In my role as a CATIS, I have to delve much more into the world of the
teacher of students with visual impairments (TSVI) than I did in O&M. One of my
goals as a CATIS with school-age students is to make the educational curriculum
more accessible, so I must be familiar with the mode of delivery (such as whether
it is in print or electronic formats). I need to have a more direct concern about the
student's reading and writing than compared to teaching O&M. However, this
increased concern about reading and writing helps me as a COMS to include more
elements of the ECC during O&M lessons.
As a CATIS, I have more occasions of humility compared to my work as a
COMS. I should be at least at an intermediate level of knowledge on most
electronic devices that a student with blindness or low vision would use. Although
some devices are relatively easy to figure out, refreshable braille devices and
