Virtual See The Sound
Visual Phonics
What is Visual Phonics?
This workshop explores the multi-sensory Visual Phonics program and its benefits in reinforcing oral language, speech, literacy, and writing skills for students who are English Language Learners, Deaf or Hard of Hearing, or possess diverse learning needs.
Reinforce skills for English Language Learners, Deaf or Hard of Hearing students, and those with diverse learning needs.
Reinforces oral language, speech, literacy, and writing skills through a proven multi-sensory program.
Develop skills to implement Visual Phonics in therapeutic and instructional settings immediately.
Includes digital download of teaching cards, font, and completion certificate with your registration.
Meet Your Instructor
Joy Kane is a Licensed Visual Phonics Specialist and Trainer with over 18 years of experience supporting children who are deaf or hard of hearing and the educators who serve them. As a national provider of virtual Visual Phonics professional development, Joy works with teachers, speech-language pathologists, interpreters, and multidisciplinary teams across the country to strengthen literacy, phonological awareness, and access to spoken language for diverse learners.
Joy serves as the Lead Teacher for the Outreach Preschool and Kindergarten Program at the Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind (IESDB), where she mentors educators, supports program implementation, and ensures high-quality early intervention and instructional practices. She holds a Master’s Degree in Deaf Education and a Listening and Spoken Language Endorsement from Utah State University.
Known for her practical, classroom-ready approach, Joy’s Visual Phonics workshops bridge research to real-world practice. Her training emphasizes intentional use of Visual Phonics across communication modalities, clear instructional decision-making, and meaningful collaboration among professionals. Participants leave with concrete strategies they can immediately apply to improve student access, engagement, and literacy outcomes.
What People Are Saying
L. Henderson
Parent
"You are truly amazing. I love how your passion for DHH kids never stops! As a mom with a child with a hearing loss, I saw the challenge he had when learning letters and letter sounds. Luckily, he was taught visual phonics! With visual phonics, we were able to lean into his preferred learning style and help him learn at the same rate as his hearing peers! I am a fan and an advocate of visual phonics for all kids!"
Ashley Camp, M.A., NIC
ASL/English Interpreter
"...By making sounds visible, Visual Phonics allows interpreters to accurately represent phonics concepts that are otherwise inaccessible through sign alone, giving students access to the structure of spoken and written English in ways that can be intentionally supported alongside ASL. I have worked alongside teachers to support instruction in letter–sound correspondence, decoding, and word analysis, and have witnessed students move beyond memorization to true comprehension and application. Strengthening reading and written English also supports continued development of ASL, as increased language access deepens students’ overall linguistic understanding. I highly recommend Visual Phonics for interpreters, as it is an invaluable tool that enhances access to literacy while supporting students’ language growth across modalities, allowing them to become more successful, confident learners."
Judith (Judi) M. Throop
MIT
"As an Interpreter for the Deaf supporting student learning, I enrolled in the Visual Phonics workshop, taught by Joy Kane, with a basic understanding of its purpose of English phonemic awareness. I did not find it to be conflicting to what I know and love to do, interpreting for the D/deaf children. Joy exceeded expectations by clearly presenting the history, research, and practical application of Visual Phonics. The well-structured practice throughout the workshop built my confidence and prepared me to use Visual Phonics effectively with students. I highly recommend attending this workshop, more than once, because it serves as a Visual Phonics introduction, as well as a review that will refresh skills, ensuring quality and correct delivery of the handshapes utilized to benefit student achievement."
Melissa Freese
First Grade Teacher
"Visual Phonics has had a meaningful impact on my teaching and on student access to phonics instruction. Through my work with students connected to the Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind, I have used Visual Phonics to support Deaf and hard of hearing students, as well as multilingual learners who benefit from clear visual and kinesthetic connections to sound. By explicitly pairing hand cues with letter sounds, digraphs, and diphthongs, students are able to better understand and produce phonemes. My students use Visual Phonics during phonics instruction, phonemic awareness activities, writing time, and reading, which strengthens sound–symbol relationships and builds confidence and independence as readers and writers."