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 demands of classes and homework can leave little time to concentrate on the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC), such as daily living skills, adaptive technology, or orientation and mobility. The short course program will provide intensive short term instruction in areas of the ECC. Time will also be provided daily to maintain the core curriculum assignments missed during attendance at the short course. Students who can adapt to a new learning and living environment for a short period of time will benefit from this experience.

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

Short Courses 2019-2020

To begin the application process, please complete the brief Short Course Interest Form External link opens in new window or tab.

Building Advocacy, Self-Esteem, and Social Skills

October 14-18, 2019
(Registration closes September 16, 2019)
Ages: 14+

Come to CSB for a week to establish a community of peers with similar perspectives and experiences of dealing with visual impairment. This course is an opportunity to participate in the diversity of programs offered at CSB while focusing on improving self-knowledge by better understanding your visual impairment and how to explain it to others. Develop new recreation and leisure skills through our APE and Art programs. Experience working in our on-campus retail store, the Rocket Shop Cafe. Explore the use of phone Apps and other technology to orient yourself in a new environment. During this week you will join CSB for our annual White Cane Day celebration!

Preparing Your Best Burger

December 9-13, 2019
(Registration closes November 11, 2019)
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. It could be a beef patty, a veggie burger or turkey. The choice is yours.

Creating that meal requires knowing what you want, a shopping list of ingredients, how to purchase what you need, money skills to buy your ingredients, safe food handling, knife skills, kitchen tools, how to measure quantities and of course the oven.

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

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

January 13-17, 2020 (Rescheduled from November 11-15, 2019)
(Registration closes December 2, 2019)
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 Exploratorium to dissect a cows eye! They will practice talking about their vision and 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 can benefit from magnification.

Let's Get Cooking

February 3-7, 2020
(Registration closes January 6, 2020)
Ages: High School

Are you ready to look beyond the microwave to prepare food? Join an existing 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 follow recipes. Access customer service to locate your ingredients and improve your safety and independence in the kitchen.

*This course is designed to meet the needs of students enrolled in a functional academic program.

UEB and Refreshable Braille

March 2-6, 2020
(Registration closes February 3, 2020)
Ages: Elementary and Middle School

Apply now for a fun-filled week focused on learning UEB Braille. Students will also work with technology staff and be introduced to various refreshable braille devices. Students applying for this course should already know approximately 75-100 contractions (either EBAE or UEB). The week will begin and end with an assessment of braille skills to identify the development of newly learned knowledge. 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 to Transit: Apps Edition

March 30-April 3, 2020
(Registration closes March 2, 2020)
Ages: 14+

CSB is proud to announce this 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 BART and 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 interests, 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 tablets and have the ability to download a variety of free Apps throughout the week.

Lil' Sprouts - Plant Life (Day Camp)

Day 1 of 2: February 26, 2020, Day 2 of 2: May 20, 2020
(Registration closes January 20, 2020)

Join CSB's elementary age class for two unique days of all things plants. In early spring, we will prepare our garden beds and plant vegetable starts and a variety of seeds. We will explore plant development and learn about the importance of roots, stems and leaves. Discover how water and nutrients move through the plant. Return to CSB in late spring to harvest our bounty and prepare a simple and nutritious meal from the garden. Transportation is not provided for these one day courses. Students must arrive with a parent/guardian or district teacher.

Sensory Exploration (Day Camp)

Day 1 of 2: February 26, 2020, Day 2 of 2: May 20, 2020
(Registration closes January 20, 2020)

Come explore a variety of sensory activities from a simple water table to an engaging interactive bubble tube surrounded by a fiber optic curtain. Both morning and afternoon activities will include a sensory craft and time for exploring the many sensory experiences available: two tactile walls, a musical percussion wall, a musical touch wall, a ball pit, a cloud pit, platform swing, vibro-acoustic chair, mini-trampoline and more. So, whether you are craving an energizing experience or needing a calming corner, you will find what you need here in the sensory room.

Activities in this course will support social interaction skills, recreation and leisure and sensory processing skills.

Media Makers Workshop: Making Media that Matters to You
(Now a Summer Academy Course)

June 22 - 26, 2020 (Rescheduled from April 27 - May 1, 2020)
(Registration closes May 11, 2020)
Ages: 10 to 15 years

Become a media maker.

Join this week-long media making workshop where participants will learn how to produce fun, informative, authentic media that matters! Together, we'll go through the basics of storytelling, and will embark on the beginning steps of production. Students will strengthen functional skills and increase self-determination while they interact with their environment in new and exciting ways, all the while capturing the adventure using technology!

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.