Service Delivery Options and Professionals
If you have a student who is visually impaired enrolled in your general education class, you should have a great deal of support! Successful inclusion of students with disabilities is dependent on the provision of appropriate support for the student within the inclusive classroom
Every student who is visually impaired should have support from a qualified teacher of students with visual impairments (TVI) who should provide the following:
- support to you as you plan and implement instruction,
- support to you as you plan and implement evaluation and progress monitoring,
- direct, consistent, on-going instruction to the student who is visually impaired in areas of the expanded core curriculum (for additional information on this, see the discussion of the expanded core curriculum under the “curriculum” link on the front page of this website),
- assessment information based on specialized assessments, especially on a yearly functional vision assessment and learning media assessment.
- on-going connection with the student’s parents and other community partners who can provide support for the student’s education.
There are several options for providing specialized educational services to students who are blind or visually impaired. Decisions related to the type of educational services (or educational placement) appropriate or a student is highly individual and is based on a number of family and academic factors. In addition, a number of professionals is likely to help you as you include this student into your classroom. Below is a list of professionals and service delivery options that are commonly used for inclusive education with this population.
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Professionals Who Work with Students with Visual Impairments
- Teacher of students with visual impairments - A teacher of students with visual impairments (TVI) is a qualified teacher with special training in areas necessary to support students who are blind or visually impaired. Many TVIs have qualifications and experience in another area of education (e.g., elementary education, science education, special education). The TVI who works with your student will let you know how and when he or she will be providing support. Some students need support and instruction from a TVI on a daily basis while others need less intense support.
- Orientation and Mobility Specialist - An orientation and mobility specialist (O&M Specialist) will likely be a member of your student’s educational team. O&M specialists (sometimes called COMS—Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist) provides direct instruction to individuals with visual impairments in moving safely and efficiently from one location to another. In addition, this professional will help the student orient (become accustomed to) the school environment, including your classroom an their route from class to class or from class to the cafeteria, etc. The O&M Specialist usually provides instruction outside of the classroom and sometimes outside of the school day.
- Braillist - Some school districts employ a qualified (and sometimes certified) person to produce braille materials as needed for class academic work. Typically, this person would be responsible for supporting classroom teachers in obtaining accessible class materials (including worksheets, handouts and copies of overhead or powerpoint slides) but would not be responsible for the provision of textbooks which will likely be ordered from a provincial or state agency.
- Paraprofessional - The practice of assigning a one-on-one paraprofessional to support an individual student who is blind or visually impaired is frowned upon. However, having an additional pair of hands in the room to support the learning environment which allows a classroom teacher to provide more direct instruction to all students is often helpful. Paraprofessional support for a student with visual impairments should be closely monitored by the TVI and parents. Direct instruction is the responsibility of a qualified teacher. Paraprofessional support for students with visual impairments should always have the goal of independence. With the goal of independence in mind, paraprofessionals can be an important member of a student’s educational team.
Service Delivery Models
There are several ways to provide educational support for students with visual impairments. The definitions of service delivery models listed below outline how specialized services are provided to support students using various models. Each model includes a brief description along with a list of issues related to classroom teachers working with students in each model.
- Itinerant Services - Some students who attend their neighborhood or other public school are provided specialized services from a TVI who travels from school to school. In most cases, the student will be the only student who is visually impaired in the school and so, the TVI comes to the school, provides instruction and consultation and then travels to another school where he or she provides support to another student. The amount of support provided by an itinerant teacher of students with visual impairments varies widely and can be as much as half a day or more every day of the week and as little as a few visits a year. The amount of time provided by the TVI should be based solely on the educational needs of the individual student.
- Suggestions for classroom teachers working with an itinerant teacher
- Arrange a meeting with the TVI as soon as you know that the student will be enrolled in your classroom. Teachers of students with visual impairments are a wealth of information and are willing to support you as you begin to think of how a braille reading student will fit into your classroom. The earlier you can meet with the TVI, the better!
- Create an on-going system of communication with your student's TVI. Since itinerant teachers will not be on-site at all times throughout the school day, it is important that you establish an effective way to communicate with him or her. Some people find that email is a good tool while others effectively use cell phones.
- Spend some time with the TVI as his or her schedule is being developed to decide how to most effectively use the TVI’s time.
- Discuss with the TVI setting up a system for getting classroom materials in an accessible format for your student.
- Resource Room - Some schools set up a resource room for students with visual impairments in a single school building. In this model, the teacher of students with visual impairments stays at the school all day every day and provides both intense instruction and on-the-spot support for students with visual impairment enrolled in classes at that school. For the most part, resource rooms for students with visual impairments are located in urban areas where the population supports such a delivery model.
- Suggestions for classroom teachers working with a TVI in a resource setting
- Get to know the TVI assigned to your school. Include him or her in planning for class instruction, activities and extra events.
- Determine a system of asking for on-the-spot support when necessary.
- Residential Schools - Some students who are enrolled in a residential school for the blind take classes at a local public school. In some cases these classes are taken because the specific course content is not available at the residential school. In other cases the student attends a public school because it is seen as the most appropriate educational setting in combination with support he or she receives from the residential school.
- Suggestions for classroom teachers working with teachers from a residential school
- Schedule a meeting prior to the beginning of the year to discuss how to effectively include the student in your classroom and to determine what supports are available from the school.
- Familiarize yourself with the staff at the school and ask for a list of resource people with phone numbers and email addresses.