As of October 2023, there were 266 students accessing Vision services via their IEP. Vision services are provided to eligible students who are Blind and/or Visually Impaired in their base schools, special education centers, homebound, and alternative schools. The IEP team determines placement and services.  Vision services can be provided to all eligible students in all FCPS school sites.

Currently, 98% of students accessing Vision services are served in their base schools by itinerant teaching staff. A small group of students in grades 7-12 access Vision services at Robinson Secondary School.  

Instructional Program:

Teachers of the Blind and/or Visually Impaired support the classroom teacher’s implementation of all curriculum for students with visual impairments.

• Teachers for the Blind and/or Visually Impaired provide classroom teachers with adaptations and modifications as necessary to allow students with visual impairments to fully participate in the appropriate instructional program as well as standard Program of Studies (POS), Standards of Learning (SOL), and other assessments such as Virginia Alternative Assessment Program (VAAP). These adaptations may be Braille materials, large print materials, low vision aids, and/or audio materials.
• Teachers for the Blind and/or Visually Impaired provide instruction in the general education curriculum. They may use modified materials and alternate strategies to pre-teach vocabulary, re-teach material, and help enhance the background knowledge of students to better prepare them for instruction.
• Teachers for the Blind and/or Visually Impaired provide consultation to classroom teachers to enable them to work more effectively with students with visually impairments. Teachers of the Visually Impaired provide strategies and advice on vision-related issues.
• Teachers for the Blind and/or Visually Impaired provide resources and instruction to all FCPS school sites, elementary, middle, and high, that have a student requiring their service, as initiated by IEP.
• Teachers for the Blind and/or Visually Impaired instruct students in self-advocacy strategies that will help them gain access to the general education curriculum. These strategies may include use and care of assistive technology, skillful questioning, self-selecting appropriate seating, and strategic skills for learning.
• Teachers for the Blind and/or Visually Impaired provide instruction in the ECC in addition to the POS and SOL. This curriculum includes a set of nine unique areas that are not typically learned incidentally by students with visual impairments and need to be taught through direct instruction.

Expanded Core Curriculum is divided into the following categories:

• Compensatory or functional academic skills
• Orientation and mobility
• Social interaction
• Self-advocacy skills
• Independent living
• Recreation and leisure skills
• Career education
• Assistive technology
• Sensory efficiency skills

Orientation and Mobility and Braille literacy support:

• For students who require assistance with Orientation and Mobility training per their IEP, the office of Vision Services has two full-time, certified Orientation and Mobility specialists to provide instruction to students in need of this specialized training.
• A full-time Braille transcriber is part of the Vision staff and supervised by the Program Manager of Hearing and Vision. This individual provides support to the Teachers for the Visually Impaired by converting books and other educational materials into Braille for blind or low-vision Braille reading students.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Regulations Governing Special Education Programs for Children with Disabilities in Virginia require that all students with disabilities participate in the Virginia Assessment System (VAS) either through the Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments or the Virginia Alternate Assessment Program (VAAP). Students who are Blind and/or Visually Impaired participate in the standardized testing given at their grade level as determined appropriate by their IEPs. Appropriate accommodations (e.g. read aloud, Braille or large print, small group) may be used as determined by the IEP team.  Teachers of the Blind and/or Visually Impaired work with school teams for students who are Blind and/or Visually Impaired to access assessments, such as Performance Matters.

Additionally, the following assessments may be employed to help determine eligibility and plan instruction:

• Functional Vision/Learning Media Assessment (FVA/FVLMA): provides information on the educational impact of the student’s vision impairment, including near and distant visual functioning, visual fields, the use of optical aids, lighting considerations.
• Learning Media Assessment (LMA): assesses the student’s ability to access and use different learning media in reading and writing. This may include Braille, large print, optical aids, and auditory materials. The Johns Basic Reading Inventory and/or Qualitative Reading Inventory (QRI) may be used to determine the student’s reading level and speed. Results of the FVA/LMA (mentioned above) may be used to determine the student’s primary literacy medium as print and/or Braille.
• Orientation and Mobility Assessment: provides information about the development of skills and knowledge that enable the student to travel safely and independently (e.g. spatial concept development, pre-cane, and cane skills).
• An Assistive Technology Assessment helps determine what assistive technology devices or strategies may best help the student gain access to the curriculum. (These may be computers, low vision aids, CCTV/video magnifiers, Braille note-takers, screen enlargers/readers, audio devices, etc.)
• Low Vision Program Assessment: Teachers facilitate the process of taking students through state requirements to qualify for the use of Low Vision aids from the Virginia Department for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
• Expanded Core Curriculum Checklist: provides information on a student’s functioning in the nine unique areas of knowledge and skills that students with vision impairment require due to their vision condition.

The Blind and Visually Impaired program uses the textbooks approved for general use, but with modifications as determined by the IEP team (large print, Braille, audio version). Accessible Instructional Materials of Aim-Virginia provides materials (primarily textbooks) in the format each student requires. The Blind and Visually Impaired program uses tactual materials, large print, and Braille versions of commonly read novels purchased from American Printing House (APH) for the Blind. Teachers also use teacher-created materials to reinforce and teach additional concepts.

Hardware used regularly in the Blind and Visually Impaired program that provides students access to the curriculum include:

• Laptop or desktop computers
• Tablets
• Video magnifiers & handheld video magnifiers
• Monitors for enlarged access
• Braille Notetaking devices
• Embossing machines (Braille printers)
• Other adapted equipment and/or materials

Software used regularly in the Blind and Visually Impaired program that provides students access to the curriculum include:

• Jaws (screen reading program that allows blind students to hear text on the computer screen)
• Zoom Text (screen magnification program for low vision students)
• Duxbury (allows teachers and Braille transcriber to create Braille text to send to an embosser to produce Braille pages.
• Open Book (scans printed documents, translates image into text, and reads text aloud.)
• Apps for tablets when appropriate & approved
• Bookshare and Learning Ally

Current Focus

A continued area of focus that has been identified by program manager in collaboration with principals, parents, and other stakeholders is to provide Teachers of the Blind and Visually Impaired training and professional development opportunities to increase knowledge of special education procedures to support implementation and provisions of services in Fairfax County Public Schools.

Our continued focus for the 23-24 school year is to continue providing trainings for Teachers of the Blind and Visually Impaired around writing measurable, objective, and observable annual IEP goals by engaging in one of the following strategies prior to proposal including peer/admin check, use of IEP goal checklist, or creation of data collection tool while writing.

Smart Goal: By May 2024, Teachers of the Blind and Visually Impaired will write annual IEP goals that are measurable, objective, and observable by engaging in one of the following strategies prior to proposal including peer/admin check, use of IEP goal checklist, or creation of data collection tool while writing. Success will be identified by a 20-percentage point increase from baseline (58%) of TBVIs meeting all three criteria (measurable, objective, observable) in 4 probed samples throughout the school year.   

Data

The focus of the 22-23 SY aimed at providing trainings for Teacher of the Blind and Visually Impaired around writing measurable, objective, and observable annual IEP goals by engaging in one of the following strategies prior to proposal including peer check, use of IEP goal checklist, or creation of data collection tool while writing. While a 13%-point increase was great growth over the year. We recognize a continued need of staff being able to write measurable, objective, and observable IEP goals.

Smart Goal: By June 2023, Teachers of the Blind and Visually Impaired will write annual IEP goals that are measurable, objective, and observable by engaging in one of the following strategies prior to proposal including peer check, use of IEP goal checklist, or creation of data collection tool while writing. Success will be identified by 90% of TBVIs meeting all three criteria (measurable, objective, observable) in 4 probed samples throughout the school year.