Short Course Program

These programs are designed to address the unique educational needs of students with visual impairments currently attending school in their local school districts. The short course program provides intensive short term instruction in areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC), such as daily living skills, adaptive technology, or orientation and mobility.

To express interest in any of the courses, please complete the brief Short Course Interest Form External link opens in new window or tab..

For questions about the courses please contact Scott Smith, Short-Term Programs Coordinator, at ssmith@csb-cde.ca.gov or by phone at 510-936-5527.

See the Short Course Program Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

Online Courses

The iPad Course

October 26, 28, November 2, 4, 9, 11, 2021
Registration closes: October 11, 2021
Time: 3:30-5:00 PDT
Ages: Middle School & High School

Come play games using your iPad with VoiceOver (VO)! Through game based learning, students will learn and reinforce VoiceOver specific skills and explore apps helpful to the VoiceOver user. Through scavenger hunts, murder mysteries, and escape rooms, students will make friendships and connect with peers who are also VoiceOver users.

Skill level:

  • Intermediate
  • Not designed for Advanced VO users

Pre-requisites:

  • VoiceOver users only
  • Technology:
    • iPad with internet access
    • Headphones that can be used with iPad accessibility
      VoiceOver users only
  • Tech Skills:
    • Be able to share screen on Zoom with iPad
    • Be able to join Zoom on iPad
    • Be able to:
      • Double tap
      • Swipe left, right

Apps required to participate:

  • Seeing AI (Artificial Intelligence app)
  • Zoom
  • Scanner Pro (free version)
  • Aira

Low Vision and Me: Anatomy and Advocacy

Dates: November 30, December 2, 7, 9, 14, 16
Time: 3:30pm to 5:00pm PST
Registration closes: November 8, 2021
Ages: 9-13

Join us to learn all about your eyeballs! This course is designed to be completed via distance learning for students with low vision between the ages of 9-13. Through synchronous discussion and asynchronous activities, students with low vision will learn about the anatomy of the eye, how vision works, and how their functional vision works! They will practice talking about their vision and advocating for themselves in role play with their peers and interview successful professionals with low vision. This course is sure to be filled with memorable experiences while increasing their skills, confidence, and independence accessing their classwork.

Objectives:

  1. Students will learn about the anatomy of the eye and how the brain processes images.
  2. Students will learn how their functional vision may vary, be able to identify the accommodation they need, and describe why these are helpful.
  3. Students will learn some basics about self-advocating in the classroom and beyond.

In person Courses

Preparing Your Best Burger

December 6-10, 2021
Registration closes: November 1, 2021
Ages: 16+

Discover what it takes to make a really good burger; not something you heat up in a microwave, but a fresh burger with all the fixings. Beef patty, veggie burger, or turkey, the choice is yours. Creating a meal requires knowing what you want to eat, organizing a shopping list of ingredients, the skills required to purchase ingredients including travel and money skills, safe food handling, knife skills, kitchen tools, how to measure quantities, and of course how to use the oven.

Join us for a week of cooking, shopping, chopping and eating your ultimate burger.

Let's Get Cooking

March 14-18, 2022
Registration closes: February 14, 2022
Ages: High School

Are you ready to look beyond the microwave to prepare food? Join an existing California School for the Blind (CSB) class for a fun filled week in the kitchen. Learn to prepare snacks and meals that are simple, nutritious and delicious. Participate in meal planning, shop for ingredients, and learn to create snacks and meals by following recipes. Go shopping and learn to access customer service to locate your ingredients. By the end of the week you will improve your safety and independence in the kitchen. This course is designed for students working at a functional academic level.

Low Vision and How I Use It: Anatomy, Advocacy, and Technology

April 11-14, 2022
Registration closes: March 14, 2022
Ages: Middle School & High School

Join this week-long course where students with low vision will learn about the anatomy of the eye, how vision works, how their vision works, and even take a trip to the San Francisco Exploratorium to dissect a cow's eye! Students will practice talking about their vision ad advocating for themselves in role play with their peers and interview successful Low Vision professionals. Students will also learn how to access the classroom and their environment using technology. This includes using Google Drive/Docs with screen magnification software, Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software/hardware, iPads, and a variety of video magnifiers. This week is sure to be filled with memorable experiences while increasing their skills, confidence, and independence in accessing their classwork.

Students applying for this course should have usable low vision and benefit from magnification.

Wellness Course

February 28-March 4, 2022
Registration closes: January 31, 2022
Ages: 13+

From stress management and isolation to overall wellbeing, our personal wellness class is designed to introduce students to various aspects of personal health including physical, mental and emotional health. Throughout the course, students will learn about the various components that go into developing and maintaining healthy lifestyles in order to achieve a balance for lifelong wellness. Some activities throughout the week include body movement and dance, meditation, field trips, art, journaling and reflections. Together, you will learn from each other, make friends, and learn lifelong skills that will benefit you now and into the future.

Breaking Open the UEB Code and Increasing Refreshable Braille Skills

March 28-April 1, 2022
Registration closes: February 28, 2022

Louis Braille loved codes. He investigated many codes before developing the system we know today as Braille. Louis Braille wanted to read more than anything else.

Are you learning Braille? Would you like to meet other who are learning Braille, too? Do you want to know the secret to Louis Braille's code? Can you imagine yourself as a decoding specialist for Braille?

Apply now for a fun filled week focused on learning Unified English Braille (UEB) and the rules that govern it. Students will also work with technology staff to improve skills with the BrailleNote Touch Plus and other refreshable Braille displays. Students applying for this course should already know approximately 75-100 contractions. The week will culminate in a Braille Bee competition (similar to a spelling bee) giving students an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.

Access Through Transit - Apps Edition

May 2-6, 2022
Registration closes: April 4, 2022
Ages: 14+

CSB is proud to announce this Orientiation and Mobility (O&M) themed short course designed to expose participants to a variety of navigational and transit Apps while traveling on local public transportation such as Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and Alameda-Contra Costa (AC) Transit. Students will learn to download and use specific Apps to plan trips, locate places of interest and the types of public transit needed to visit these destinations. Content will be shaped to meet the interest, skill level and needs of applicants, but likely activities will include walking, bus and transit routes including a visit to The Lighthouse for the Blind in San Francisco. Students must bring their own cell phones or tables and have the ability to download a variety of free Apps throughout the week.

Summer Academies

If you would like to look at our offerings from last year to get an idea of programming, check out our Summer Academy page.