CCPS Services for Students Who Are Blind and Visually Impaired

Welcome and Opening Remarks Dr. Harry Fogle

Overview of IDEA/COMAR Regulations Dr. Harry Fogle

Team Building Activity  Organize by Region with recorder/reporter  Study the Image  Prepare descriptive sentences  Report best sentence  Region with Most Unduplicated Sentences Wins via Round Robin

Who is eligible to receive Vision Services?  Any child, birth through age 21, who resides in Carroll County (51%) and ð With a Visual Acuity less than 20/70 with correction in the better eye or has a visual field of less than 20 degrees ð A determination by the IEP team of an adverse educational impact

Vision Roles  Itinerant Vision Staff ð Two Teachers of the Visually Impaired ð One Orientation & Mobility Specialist

CCPS Itinerant Staff  Teacher of the Visually Impaired ð Acts as liaison in acquiring textbooks in appropriate media (e.g. Braille, Large Print, Audio Tapes, etc.) ð Provides consultative support to parents, caregivers, and all staff in these areas: Understanding the visual loss How to adapt and modify the learning environment How to adapt, modify and implement instruction ð Provides educational support in: Listening SkillsTouch Typing Orientation and MobilityWord Processing Basic ConceptsDaily Living Skills Braille SkillsAuditory Memory Tracking SkillsVisual Memory

CCPS Itinerant Staff  Orientation and Mobility Specialist ð Orientation and Mobility (O&M) are disability specific needs that extend beyond academic learning ð The O&M Specialist provides careful, systematic instruction of concepts and skills needed to travel safely and independently

Non-CCPS Vision Services  Outreach Services ð a free service (tax supported) available at the Maryland School for the Blind that provides on-campus:  Low Vision Clinic  Assistive Technology  Infant and Toddler Services ð a free (tax supported) service available through the Maryland School for the Blind that provides on-site:  Initial and Triennial Assessment  Consultative Assistance  A resource to parents  In-home infant and toddler services

Initiating Vision Services  Assessment ð Documentation of clinical visual acuity from an Optometrist or Ophthalmologist ð Carroll County Functional Vision Exam ð Educational assessment, formal or informal, by special and general educators Evaluation by additional staff if other areas of educational impact and/or disability are suspected, such as OT, PT, Speech, Mobility, etc.

Vision Services  Expanded Core Curriculum –Academic Skills –Communication Skills –Sensorimotor Skills –Orientation and Mobility Skills –Daily Living Skills –Career and Vocational Skills –Social and Emotional Skills

Academic Skills  Vision Teacher provides consultation and/or co-teaching in support of the classroom teacher’s efforts to comply with the CCPS Curriculum

Communication Skills  Vision Teacher consults with the Speech Pathologist to develop strategies and interventions to meet the communication/language needs of students with vision impairments  Vision Teacher provides instruction in compensatory skills, such as Braille, Keyboarding, and use of Assistive Technologies (Low Vision Aids)

SensoriMotor Skills  Vision Teacher assists &/or collaborates with the OT and PT to meet the sensorimotor needs of students with visual impairments including –keyboarding, –tracking, eye-hand coordination, –activities of daily living, movement, and –use of Assistive Technology Devices

Orientation & Mobility Skills  Vision Teacher and the Orientation and Mobility Specialist collaborate to instruct students in the development of concepts and skills needed to safely and independently travel within the school building and campus.  The Orientation and Mobility Specialist provides individualized instruction in a variety of educational and community settings

Daily Living Skills  The Vision Teacher adapts the CCPS Curriculum for Daily Living Skills to meet the needs of the visually impaired student.

Career & Vocational Skills  The services provided by Vision staff in teaching compensatory skills provide the student with the prerequisites needed to reach their career and vocational goals in life.  The Vision Staff works in conjunction with other CCPS staff to define and provide opportunities for career awareness and development

Social and Emotional Skills  The Vision Teacher works in conjunction with school staff and families to assist the student in the development of age/developmentally appropriate social skills. Support is also provided to families, students, and schools to find and access community services

Vision Services  Assistive Technology ð Low Technology Bold lined paper Bold markers Slant board Etc. ð High Technology BrailleWriter CCTV (closed circuit Television) Reading System Specialized computer hardware Specialized computer software Etc.

Vision Services  Providing Accessible Materials –Commercially available Braille, large print and audio tape –Provide instruction to school staff to make appropriate materials –Sources for Accessible Instructional Materials: IRC (Instructional Resource Center at Maryland School for the Blind) School or site produced materials

Statewide Assessments  CTBS – county contacts state for Braille and Large Print  MSPAP – county contacts state for Braille and Large Print; for Braille student, Vision Teacher may need to proctor.  High School Assessments - county contacts state for Braille and Large Print

CCPS VISION SERVICES  Where does CCPS go from here? Dr. Harry Fogle

The End  The Vision Services presentation was made possible by:  Dr. Harry Fogle  Mrs. Stephany Savar  Mr. Raymond Peloquin  Mr. Robert J. Esposito Special Thank You to NASDE.