VIDBE-Q 2026 Volume 71 Issue 3
postsecondary education. Lessons in executive functioning, assistive technology,
orientation and mobility, activities of daily living, and self-advocacy are
intentionally connected across settings. Students build organization and time
management skills through schedules, calendars, and college planning activities
while using technology tools such as Microsoft Office, accessibility features, and
online collaboration platforms. Self-advocacy is reinforced through
accommodation planning, speech development, disability services presentations,
and college campus visits. Independent living instruction includes budgeting, meal
planning, grocery shopping, health and wellness, transportation, and apartment
exploration.
Research suggests that participation in recreation, leisure, and community
activities supports self-determination, social inclusion, independence, and overall
well-being for youth with visual impairments (Alcaraz-Rodríguez et al., 2022;
Lieberman et al., 2022). Community experiences are essential to both programs.
By participating in employment tours, college visits, volunteer opportunities,
recreational outings, and community travel experiences, students apply classroom
learning in real-world environments. Over the summer, students had the
opportunity to pick different recreation events that they wanted to experience and
explore such as iFly indoor skydiving, an outdoor high ropes course, kayaking at
the lake, accessible escape room, ice skating, pottery, audio description movies,
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