Vision Services

Vision Services are provided to students who have a “serious vision loss after correction” and/or are “legally blind” as documented by a licensed eye specialist and have been assessed by a Certified Teacher of the Visually Impaired and Orientation and Mobility Specialist and found to have a serious vision loss which adversely affects their academic performance.  A student who qualifies for eligibility as a student with a visual impairment (VI) and is approved through the ARD/IEP committee will receive services from a Teacher of the Visually Impaired and/or an Orientation and Mobility specialist.

The role of the Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI) is to provide services for eligible students with visual impairments.  These services would include specially designed instruction, accommodations, modifications, the Expanded Core Curriculum to aide in accessing the curriculum, and technology supports including the use of Braille and magnification.  The Vision Teacher travels to the student's assigned school or educational setting to provide consultative services to the classroom teacher and/or student and direct instruction. This may include pull-out instruction, collaboration, consult, or in-class support based on content and student needs.  Determination of services is based on the findings of the Functional Vision and Learning Media Assessment and the student's IEP.

Evaluation information and recommendations from the Orientation and Mobility Specialist will also be included in the IEP.  An Orientation and Mobility specialist is a human services professional who specializes in helping the visually impaired acclimate to their physical environment. Training in O&M may be provided if a student qualifies for VI eligibility and is approved by the ARD/IEP committee.