Friday catch-up notes—1 May 2026
What did we notice but didn't write about this week?
Editor’s note: This post contains snippets about stories, resources, and observations that the SET authors didn’t quite have time to develop into full-blown posts over the past week. I’m hoping we can catch up with our in-boxes. We didn’t want you, Dear Readers, to miss them. Some of them may later appear as a part (or parcel) of a full-blown post.—JohnL
Michael Casey published a pair of articles for the Washington Post 6 April 2026 in which he chronicled Matthew Shifrin’s efforts to create accessible directions for building objects with Lego bricks. The stories describe adaptations that Mr. Shifrin and co-workers make available via for free on their Web site:
https://bricksfortheblind.org/. Mr. Casey’s written article, which is text based, is at “How a blind man made it possible for others with low vision to build Lego sets
Matthew Shifrin loved building Lego sets as a child,” and there is an accompanying, 40-sec video at “A blind Lego enthusiast is making hundreds of sets more accessible.”
The regular issue of the ConnSENSE Report arrived 30 April 2026 in my (JWL) mailbox. As is usually the case, it is packed with links to informative content. There are links to stories about camps for kids with disabilities, voice assistance experiences, adaptive sports equipment, and lots more. The good folks at the University of Connecticut A. J. Pappanikou Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities have been providing these updates for decades; keeping up with them will be helpful to many parents, teachers, and administrators associated with special education and disabilities.
Kuna Tavalin of the Council for Exceptional Children published the regular update about policy on 1 May 2026. Read Policy Insider here!