ACCESSING EDUCATION SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH VISUAL
IMPAIRMENTS: A GUIDE FOR PARENTS

It is not unusual for students with visual impairments,
including those who are totally blind, to be enrolled at
neighborhood schools alongside their fully sighted classmates
and friends. With appropriate intervention, most visually
impaired students fully participate in regular education classes
and programs. This has been acknowledged and implemented as
sound educational practice for many years and in all sections of
our country. It is also true that for some of students who are
visually impaired, enrollment in a special class or school may
be the recommended intervention for all or part of their
education.

The nature and extent of interventions vary with each student
and are determined by individual characteristics such as type of
vision disorder, age at which vision loss occurred, prior
learning experiences, developmental levels and possible
additional disabilities among other factors. One common
intervention is the provision of printed or other learning
materials in an adapted medium, e.g. enlarged print, recorded or
braille. Another is individual instruction or guided practice in
such skill areas as communication, concept development,
mobility, independent living techniques or career exploration.

The information which follows is intended to assist parents and
other care givers in locating and accessing appropriate special
education services. It may also assist them with establishing
and maintaining a viable partnership with school district
personnel who have responsibility for assuring a free and
appropriate education for children whose vision is impaired. For
additional information or answers to specific questions, the
reader is encouraged to consult the agencies and organizations
identified in the accompanying resource list.

AT WHAT AGE IS A CHILD ELIGIBLE FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES?

A child qualifies for an assessment to determine eligibility at
whatever age the diagnosed or suspected impairment is manifest.
In most cases, this extends from birth to twenty-two years of
age. For youngsters who are visually impaired, the parents or
guardians are encouraged to begin the process of exploring
eligibility and procedures for accessing special education
services as soon as possible after the diagnosis of impaired
vision is made.

HOW IS ELIGIBILITY DETERMINED?

This question is generally addressed through a review of the
child's eye report from an ophthalmologist or optometrist in
conjunction with an assessment of his or her functional vision
skills. When assessment results show educational development is
adversely affected by impaired vision, the student is eligible
for special education services to compensate for or remediate
the identified exceptional needs. Responsibility for assessments
of this nature rests with the local education agency or school
district. The only prerequisite to request an eligibility
assessment is a diagnosis or other reason to suspect the
presence of a visual impairment. In most cases the parent or
guardian should address their request to the principal or
special education teacher at the local school which the child
either is or will be attending. Upon receipt of this request,
the district will respond with a written proposed assessment
plan.

As soon as the referral for eligibility assessment is made, the
procedures and timelines governing delivery of special education
services are set in motion. These procedures and timelines are
very specific and subject to enforcement. For example, in
responding to a request for eligibility assessment, the local
education agency must begin the assessment process within ten
days. Once the required parental consent to assess has been
obtained, the school district has up to fifty days to conduct
the agreed upon assessment plan and convene a meeting at which
the assessment findings and recommendations will be discussed.

Parents or guardians should prepare for the meeting referred to
above by developing an understanding of its purpose and
structure as well as rights guaranteed to them under various
federal and state regulations. Information regarding parental
rights, special education procedures and timelines as well as
local school district guidelines are generally available upon
request from the local education agency. Information or
assistance of an advocacy nature is available from some of the
organizations in the accompanying list of resources.

DO PARENTS HAVE A SAY IN THE SPECIAL SERVICES OR TYPE OF SCHOOL?

The answer to this question is a resounding, "Yes". Mandates
assuring informed parental consent and involvement at all stages
of their child's special education program are major components
of federal and state laws. Guarantees of "due process" and
informed parental consent are clearly specified in the federal
law known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA). These are rights with which parents and guardians should
become familiar and which they should exercise.

When parents and school personnel agree that special
interventions are necessary, these must be specified in a
written document referred to as an Individualized Education Plan
(IEP). For youngsters below age three, this may be called an
Individualized Family Services Plan (IFSP). By law, the IEP or
IFSP must be developed in a cooperative effort involving both
school personnel and parents. Working together in the best
interests of the student, they are referred to collectively as
the "IEP Team" or other similar designation.

For students with disabilities and their parents, the IEP
becomes an on-going "blueprint" for the delivery of all special
education interventions. At a minimum, the plan must be reviewed
and amended as warranted on an annual basis. As with the initial
referral assessment, any significant changes in the agreed upon
IEP requires informed parental consent. In these and other ways,
Special education IEPs are unique in the realm of education.

WHAT IS MEANT BY THE TERM "FREE AND APPROPRIATE PUBLIC
EDUCATION"?

As stipulated in both the IDEA and in most corresponding state
laws, school districts must provide educational services in the
"least restrictive environment". These must be provided without
cost to the family and must meet the individual student's needs
of both a special and regular education nature. "Least
restrictive" means that to the extent appropriate, students
receiving special education services must be enrolled at regular
education schools with their nondisabled age peers.

WHERE AND BY WHOM ARE SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES PROVIDED?

For infants and many preschoolers, special education services
may include parent education and guidance as well as direct
instruction of the child, all or some of which may occur in the
family's home. For students of any age, the IEP team may
determine that vision-related needs will be best met via minor
adaptations in the regular education program, thereby negating
the need for formal special education services. As the student's
needs change, so can the nature of special assistance. For this
reason, a re-evaluation may be requested at any time by either
the family or school personnel.

Most visually impaired students are taught in regular or
"mainstream" educational settings. This notwithstanding, special
education interventions may come via one of several
service-delivery models. The most commonly implemented models or
options include the following: itinerant teacher,
teacher-consultant, resource room, special class and special
school. No single model or option works for all students with
visual impairments. Each has its own merits, and while a given
model may be entirely appropriate for some students, it may also
be entirely inappropriate for others. Aside from eligibility for
special education services, determination of the appropriate
special services or program is perhaps the most crucial decision
to be made by the IEP team. Like all major decisions affecting
their child's IEP, this must be a joint effort based input from
the student's family as well as school personnel.

All of the service-delivery models mentioned above require the
services of special education teachers with expertise and
training in teaching students with visual impairments. With both
the itinerant teacher and teacher-consultant models the student
attends his or her local school. The former generally implies
some direct individual instruction in the development of
disability-specific skills such as braille, orientation and
mobility, or use of adapted materials or equipment among others.
This instruction usually is of a "pull-out" nature. By
comparison, with the teacher-consultant model most of the vision
specialist's direct interaction will be with the regular
education teacher(s).

The resource room and special class models are alike in that
both are located on regular education campuses, which may be
other than the visually impaired student's local or neighborhood
school. Under these models, students spend varying portions of
the school day in a special classroom with a special teacher for
visually impaired students. As appropriate, these visually
impaired students participate with their peers in regular
education classes and related school activities.

Some students with visual impairments will require the added
structure and services afforded by a special school. Such
schools usually are residential in nature and enroll only
students who have visual impairments.

When the IEP team has done its job correctly, all decisions will
have been based upon the identified needs of the individual
student, and regardless of the service-delivery model chosen, it
will be the "least restrictive educational environment" for that
student. Viewed in this perspective, all of these options are
appropriate for certain students and all are in compliance with
federal and state mandates regarding educational placement
options for students with disabilities.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE PARENTS AND SCHOOL DISTRICT CANNOT AGREE?

Procedures for an appeals process are mandated in both the
federal Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and
in related state laws and regulations. As with all other aspects
of IEP implementation, the appeals process has specific,
enforceable timelines. These assure that differences or disputes
are resolved in a manner which is both timely and impartial.
Upon request, local education agencies are required to provide
parents with information about the appeals process and their
rights within it.

EDUCATION OF STUDENTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS SELECTED RESOURCES

Organizations offering general information about educational
programs and services for students with visual impairments:

American Foundation for the Blind
11 Penn Plaza
Suite 300
New York, NY 10001
(800) 232-5463 or (212) 502-7600

American Printing House for the Blind
1839 Frankfort Avenue
P.O. Box 6085
Frankfort, KY 40206-0085
(800) 223-1839 or (502)895-2405

Hadley School for the Blind
700 Elm Street
Winnetka, IL 60093
(800) 323-4238 or (708) 446-8153

HEATH Resource Center
One Dupont Circle, NW
Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036-1193
(800) 544-3284 or (202) 939-9320

Helen Keller National Center for
Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults
111 Middle Neck Road
Sands Point, NY 11050
(800) 255-0411 or (516) 944-8900,
(516) 944-8637 (TDD)

Library of Congress National Library Service
for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
1291 Taylor Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20542
(800) 424-8567

Recording For The Blind & Dyslexic
20 Roszel Road
Princeton, NJ 08540
(800) 221-4792 or (609) 452-0606

Membership Associations offering networking and/or support
groups for parents:

American Council of the Blind
1155 15th Street, NW
Suite 720
Washington, DC 20005
(800) 424-8666 or (202) 476-5085

National Association for
Parents of Visually Impaired
P.O. Box 317
Watertown, MA 02272-0317
(800) 562-6265 or (617) 972-7441

National Federation of the Blind
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, MD 21230
(410) 659-9314

Organizations offering information and/or assistance of an
advocacy nature:

Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
2212 6th Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
(800) 466-4232 or (510) 644-2555

National Association for Protection and Advocacy
900 2nd Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 408-951