#AtHomeWithAPH Resources

We’re all familiar with the effects that social distancing, self-quarantine, and canceled classes are having on our day to day life. That’s why we’ve made it our mission to help ease the stress and boredom by offering fun activities and virtual educational opportunities for learners of all ages. We’ll be posting information about all of our favorite, free and educational activities and lessons, plus some great external resources. We’re working hard to build more resources, and will be adding to our #AtHomeWithAPH resources page on a regular basis (be sure to bookmark it).

Virtual ExCEL Academy

Join virtual classes from home! Together with our friends from the California State University, LA and Paths to Literacy (a joint project of Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Perkins School for the Blind), we will be offering FREE engaging lessons for students with a variety of abilities. Learn more and register today! Missed one or want to rewatch? We’ve recorded them all here.

APH Webinars

We’ll be hosting a series of FREE WEBINARS on some of our favorite products! Learn about upcoming innovations, hear from our partners, or get tips on how to get the most out of your favorite classroom tools! We’ll be updating this list regularly, including so keep checking back!!

APH Activities and Resources

We’re putting together a list of APH activities for you to do at home including experiments, lessons, and art!

• Are you an artist? We want you to participate in the 2020 APH InSights Art Competition and Exhibition! Submissions are due May 15. Learn more and get creating
• Check out our playlists on Youtube to learn about BrailleBlaster, Code Jumper, our previous webinars and more! You can find them here
• Using APH products at home? Access our online catalog of manuals to make sure you’re getting the most out of our educational tools
• You can create high-quality braille at home with BrailleBlaster! And make sure you get the most out of BrailleBlaster by checking out our video tutorials
• Get the braille you need- fast! Learn about our free NIMAS-to-braille translation service
• Make fun (and delicious) Braille Cookies with your kids while teaching a variety of skills
• Build a foundation for concepts about people, objects, actions, and places with these fun SAM games!
• Find accessibility tips for working from home (WFH)
• Learning math is fun and easy with these tutorials! In both UEB and Nemeth
• We have a new web app that tests your typing skills. Try out Typer and let us know what you think
• Enjoy some at-home DIY tactile coloring pages!

Free APH Apps & Actions

We have lots of great apps for students of all ages to learn and play. From accessible crossword puzzles to O&M Trivia, the whole family can enjoy:

• Crossword puzzles for everyone to play on mobile or desktop!
• Flip-Over Faces is a way for kids to explore hundreds of fun facial expressions while learning about emotion and practicing dexterity. Download for Android or iOS Learn more here
• Braille Badges are accessible stickers to use in the messaging app! Featuring white canes, cute guide dogs, and simbraille message bubbles. Perfect for any occasion. Download for iOS
• Visual Brailler is perfect for practicing transcription work with a digital braille writer. Great for on the go NLS certification exercises. Download for iOS
• SlapStack Math is a fully accessible action and memory game that uses math flashcards instead of playing cards. Collect points by winning the most cards! Download for iOS
• Practice2Master Fractions makes learning about fractions fun with an unlimited number of problems to practice. Download for iOS

Access the APH File Repository

The APH file repository allows users to download APH textbooks and select products in a variety of electronic formats. You can find braille-ready and large-print textbook files, Building on Patterns’ Teacher’s editions in PDF format, along with braille sheet music files. Just start searching the Louis database to find available electronic files, then log-in and download the file directly to your computer. If you don’t have an account, please contact Resource Services staff at Resource@aph.org or 1800-223-1839 x705 and they can email the file to you.

External Apps and Resources

So many organizations, like our own, are working to make sure you have the tools you need in this stressful time. We’ve curated a list of resources and apps:

• Tour the AFB Helen Keller Archives via the Internet
• A lot of webinars are being hosted on Zoom. Learn about their hotkeys and other accessibility measures
• Get JAWS, ZoomText, and Fusion for free through the month of June from our friends at Freedom Scientific. They’re also offering free trainings twice a week
• The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) put together a great resources list 
• Join one of NOAH’s Social Distancing With Friends Events
• Check out Adam Parker’s social-emotional videos for kids
• Introducing a new free resource from Internet Archive, the National Emergency Library, a collection of millions of titles so that students working from home will have access to content in digital formats
• Starfall teaches reading and math skills to K-5th grade using videos and songs to learn the alphabet, how to sound out words, add and subtract, count, and more!  Keep the fun going by listening to music, practicing tongue twisters, and even reading myths, fables, and folktales. The pictures in these stories are described for visually impaired learners. Make sure to click on the Enhanced Accessible Index for Children to activate these features
• National Geographic is great for students of all ages to read articles about different countries, animals and current events. Watch science experiment how-to videos, take quizzes to test your knowledge, receive homework help, and fill out mad libs
• Head over to Seussville to learn about Dr. Seuss’s life, watch videos of and listen to his stories read aloud,  find activities, crafts, and print-outs to engage children, and even make their own Seuss-themed snacks
• National Braille Press is offering free downloads of some useful books
• Bookshare has free individual memberships for students, giving them access to tons of books. Learn more about using Bookshare with their webinars
• Aira is offering free services to college students through May 2020. To learn more contact support@aira.io
• NFB put together a great list of distance learning resources
• Access these remote learning resources from DCMP for free
• Try out Bump Bump Braille Learn! It puts learning braille at your fingertips.
• Questions about the accessibility of Zoom? Check out Meet Me Accessibly, A Guide to Zoom Cloud Meetings, by Jonathan Mosen- now free for everyone! Jonathan’s demonstrations use JAWS for Windows, but the concepts apply universally; you don’t need to be a JAWS user to benefit from this book.
• Core Knowledge Foundation is offering a variety of free resources for education for all
• Dolly Parton is doing live readings of books from her Imagination Library, several of which we have produced in braille and distributed for free through our Braille Tales Program. Grab your copy and read along with Dolly!
• Teachers, join one of these coffee talk hours with TSBVI!
• Light House Guild has a Teen Tele-Support group for high school students

Post about how you use these resources, games, and tools to have fun and learn #AtHomeWithAPH and don’t forget to tag us and use the hashtag!