Supporting Alphabet Knowledge and Phonological Awareness for

when following guidance for vision adaptations throughout the day. It is critical that all learners spend time talking about letter names, playing around with letter sounds and physically manip- ulating writing tools. Teach – Don’t Test Make it real, not rote. Include interactive materials and infor- mative feedback from knowledgeable others. Help students un- derstand when their responses are unclear and that how they respond does affect the outcome. Mastery is Not Needed The concept of mastery is closely connected to constant test- ing and repeated trials-based instruction – neither are necessary or desirable. Emergent learners with disabilities are building skills across time, and their abilities will and should fluctuate – just as these skills fluctuate across time for learners without dis- abilities. Check for Understanding Some students with CVI will be able to directly point (using a body part or a computer that reads eye movements) to make a selection from complex arrays (such as all 26 letters of the al- phabet), when provided with appropriate distance/spacing/size and visual features that make targets distinguishable. The same students may need to have items presented another way when there are more environmental distractions, or if s/he is fatigued. In this situation, the instructor can check for understanding by either asking the student to respond with their best YES or NO, or to pick an item from a list by using a signal that indicates, “That’s the one!” For more information about alternate access techniques, see Hanser, Wagner, & Musselwhite (2020) and view this webinar from Project Core: Supporting Individual Access to the Universal Core Module http://www.project-core.com/sup- porting-individual-access-to-the-universal-core-module/. Balance Explicit Instruction and Embedded Instruction While teachers talk about the alphabet and sounds embed- ded in daily shared readings and writing activities, separate ex- plicit instruction on the alphabet and sounds is also needed. The term explicit instruction refers to specific, organized lessons that target a particular skill. In the following sections, we will discuss explicit instructional activities, as well as ideas for embedding instruction throughout naturally occurring daily routines. We refer to the term ‘immersion’ to refer to activities that give stu- dents rich language experiences with supportive materials (e.g., alphabet books, poems, songs) without targeting specific alpha- bet knowledge or phonological awareness goals. Provide Daily Opportunities for Reading & Writing Activities. Alphabet instruction and phonological awareness are just two components of literacy instruction. Daily instruction must

also include opportunities for students to apply their growing skills during real reading and writing activities. Keep in mind that many of these beginning learners are emergent readers and writers who need to have opportunities for simply exploring books and experimenting with writing. Learners with signifi- cant disabilities, including CVI, may be perceived as not being ready for books and writing because they can’t visually process the text. However, professionals must push past this and provide highly interactive activities with rich auditory input supported by the appropriate visually modified materials which is available for students to look at, however, is not mandatory. GENERAL STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT LEARNERS WITH CVI Strategies and tools can increase success for students with CVI across literacy instruction, including instruction to build al- phabet knowledge and phonological awareness. When adapt- ing materials, it is essential to consult with your TVI. This cannot be overstated enough. The TVI can give specific recommenda- tions for specific learners regarding text needs such as font, size, color and complexity of array. As discussed in-depth in Hanser, Wagner, & Musselwhite (2020), sample strategies include: Use of Occluders Occluders can reduce visual complexity by covering up extra- neous pictures, symbols, letters, etc. For example, the occluder in this graphic shows how the OT calls attention to the target letter on a learner’s alternative pencil by covering up competing letters. (See Image 1: 3 Location Print Flip Chart, next page). Use of Black Backgrounds Visual complexity can also be minimized by presenting mate- rials on a black surface, such as the large tri-fold board from Aug- mentative Resources (www.augresources.com). See Image 2.

Image 2: Large Tri-Fold Board

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