GOAL 6: Assessment of students will be conducted, in collaboration with parents, by personnel having expertise in the education of students with visual impairments.
CURRENT SITUATION 6A
Parents are notified of assessment dates and provided with assessment reports, but are not always invited to be active participants in the assessment process.
AREAS OF NEED
Parents need to be recognized as a primary resource for information about their child's life skills and abilities.
INITIATIVES
To continue to provide information about the availability of parent training in the areas of assessment, development of the IEP, and other components of the special education process through the Parent Information Center.
STRATEGIES
The statewide support program should continue to provide support to the N.H. chapters of the National Association of Parents of Visually Impaired (NH/NAPVI), and the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation. (NH/NOAH). CURRENT SITUATION 6B Currently, assessments for special education identification (coding) conducted in N.H. are being performed by qualified personnel.
CURRENT SITUATION 6B
Currently, assessments for special education identification (coding) conducted in N.H. are being performed by qualified personnel.
AREAS OF NEED
A clearinghouse needs to be established whose mission is to provide information to school districts and parents about all resources and qualified examiners.
INITIATIVES
To ensure that qualified professionals continue to be available to provide educational assessments and development of individualized education programs.
To improve communication between personnel in related fields (psychology, occupational therapy, speech and language services etc.) and qualified vision service providers during assessments of students with visual impairments.
STRATEGIES
With the assistance of the statewide support program, local school districts will be encouraged to recruit and hire certified professional educators of students with visual impairments to provide assessments and educational services.
The statewide support project will recruit and hire trained and certified professionals in the field of education of students with visual impairments to provide consultative support in assessments.
CURRENT SITUATION 6C
It is very difficult to locate qualified service providers for evaluation in disability-specific areas. Services such as Orientation & Mobility instruction, adaptive technology, low vision services, optical aids and other disability-specific services are needed by only a portion of the total visually impaired student population. This makes access to these related services difficult.
AREAS OF NEED
Providers of assessments in vision related service areas do not always have training and experience in working with students who have visual impairments, and are frequently professionals who work primarily with adults.
INITIATIVES
To provide opportunities for interested related service providers to increase their skills and qualifications to work with the school age visually impaired population.
To increase the awareness of agencies that provide related services to children that their staff must have experience in the special education service delivery system.
STRATEGIES
Utilize an interagency collaborative model to provide workshops and in-service opportunities.
Encourage school districts and other agencies to support ongoing coursework, conference participation, training, etc. for related service providers.
Encourage the recruitment and hiring of qualified staff by agencies and school districts providing services to students who are blind or visually impaired.
CURRENT SITUATION 6D
Proposed state teacher certification standards in areas of special education have been tabled for several years by the State Board of Education.
AREAS OF NEED
Specific categorical certification standards need to be maintained for teachers of students with visual impairments (see appendix F).
INITIATIVES
To continue to monitor and support the proposed standards to assure that revisions are not made which might jeopardize the availability of qualified educators of students who are blind or visually impaired.
STRATEGIES
Investigate the need for a statewide resource to provide support, such as mentoring, to teachers of students who are blind or visually impaired, orientation & mobility other related service providers (refer to goal 3). This support would also review demographic needs of N.H. districts and work toward the resolution of inequities in statewide services. Additional Remarks & Concerns: In the assessment process, remember the importance of considering a student's individual temperament. The child's identity is not blindness. We must strive to assess the child, not the disability. However, a complete understanding of the child's visual impairment and its full impact on development and learning is a fundamental component for the provision of an appropriate assessment.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS RELATIVE TO GOAL 6:
refer to appendix F as well as item C (Policy Guidance from OSEP) on the attached list of additional resources.