Newfield CSD’s new kitchen provides cooking experiences for visually impaired students

The Newfield Central School District (CSD) provides a kitchen that offers the experience of cooking for visually impaired students.

Jay Phillips, the district’s teacher of the visually impaired (TVI) through TST BOCES, works with students on the expanded core curriculum of cooking in a working kitchen.

The fully functioning kitchen, Phillips said, is part of Newfield CSD’s recent project of a newly refurbished classroom that includes assistive technology.

According to a December education report, the kitchen has “added new opportunities to provide our students with real life experiences of cooking for others and partnering with other classrooms.”

“We have set up a fully functional kitchen,” Phillips said. “Our appliances have been modified with braille and tactile markers. Our classroom has a dual-media approach. We use both print and braille to label our cabinets and tools. We use tools modified for use with students that have visual impairments. These include measuring utensils that are both high contrast and include tactile markers, talking scales, finger guards to use while practicing knife skills and cutting techniques and rolling pins with height adjustments.”

Phillips, the lone TVI for Newfield CSD, is handling a caseload of three students at the district, with varying degrees of visual functioning.

Phillips noted that the kitchen program started at the beginning of the school year, when work was being done on the refurbished classroom. It concluded prior to Phillips’ presentation on the program at the Dec. 19 board of education (BOE) meeting.

“The maintenance team put a lot of time and effort into getting the room ready as soon as possible,” Phillips said. “There were plumbing needs, and flooring had to be installed before we were fully operational.”

Kimberly Stine, principal at Newfield Elementary School, praised Phillips’ efforts with the program.

“Jay’s presence is felt across our school,” Stine said. “He has met needs that could not be met any other way. His students are learning new skills that impact not only their time at school but also their lives at large. He is friendly, kind and is teaching all of our students acceptance which goes beyond the classroom. Seeing him in our [pre-kindergarten] class with one of his students teaching braille is just one example of the reach of Jay’s instruction. We are beyond lucky to have Jay as a part of the Newfield team.”

Phillips — who expressed at the BOE meeting the importance of teaching life skills and handling assistive technology equipment while laying out an overview of what TVIs teach — said the skills bode well for students’ job prospects in the future.

According to notes from the Dec. 19 BOE meeting, Phillips discussed how having job experience while in high school is “critical to visually impaired students’s future employability,” noting that one current high school student with visual impairment is employed.

“I am grateful for the classroom Newfield has helped to put together in order that we help prepare these students for independence,” Phillips said.

Newfield Notes appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.

In brief:

Presentation on Alzheimer’s and dementia is Jan. 27

The Newfield Public Library, located at 198 Main St., will hold a presentation by the Alzheimer’s Association on Jan. 27 from 6 to 7 p.m.

The Alzheimer’s Association will present “Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia,” the first of a three-part series.

The presentation will help people learn about the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia, current research and treatment, resources and more.

Attendance can be virtual or in person. To register, call 607-564-3594.

For more information, visit alz.org/CRF.

Yoga for beginners held every Saturday

A yoga for beginners class will be held on Saturdays at Newfield Public Library from 10 to 11 a.m.

Phyllis KuanYin Chi, a yoga teacher certified through Yoga Farm in Lansing, will lead the class. The instructor also has additional training in trauma-informed yoga.

The class is on the second floor of the library. It is suitable for people new to yoga or those with mobility issues. There is also an opportunity to deepen poses for those with more experience.

The class is for ages 18 and older. Participants must have their own yoga mat or blanket. The class is free, but there is a suggested donation of $10.

‘Mind Over Body’ program on Feb. 29

The Newfield Public Library will host its “Mind Over Body” program on Feb. 29.

The program, led by instructor Mitch Raymond, will take place on the second floor of the library at 6 p.m. The presentation from Raymond breaks down how to “improve the strength, flexibility, stability, balance and skill” of participants’ bodies through practices that “enhance neuromuscular connection and physiologic well being,” according to a description.

The library recommends bringing a yoga mat to the program, and participants will work with the library’s chairs and table to assist with stability. The program will have a suggested donation of $10.