Services
Vision Educational Evaluations
A standardized test administered without child-specific adaptations with special considerations to accessibility can negatively impact the score of the evaluation. It is critical that students with a visual impairment have access to test materials in an accessible format. I have experience in the administration of standardized assessments (e.g., Woodcock-Johnson, WIAT, etc) in an accessible (e.g., large print/braille) format.
Additionally, based on student need, I have experience administering a range of functional vision assessments:
Functional Vision Assessment (FVA): Evaluates the child's use of functional vision in a non-clinical school/home setting to provide information and recommendations to the educational team.
Learning Media Assessment (LMA): Identifies the most appropriate learning and literacy media (e.g., tactile, visual, auditory).
Assistive Technology Screening: Provides suggestions on use of assistive technology use to aid in access to curricula.
I also provide support to educational teams with:
Writing IEP/ISFP Goals
Identifying Appropriate Testing Accommodations
Vision Considerations to AAC
Braille Readers
Braille readers need to access the academic curriculum in their classrooms and to advance their skills in all areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC). As a member of an educational team for students who are braille readers, I focus on both.
Access to Core Curriculum: Students who are braille readers need access to the instructional materials used in their classrooms. By making classroom materials accessible to braille readers, they are able to participate in the academic curriculum alongside their peers. Materials can be made accessible through the use of digital documents, braille materials, and tactile graphics. I can work with your child and his/her classroom teachers to create accessible documents.
Instruction in the Expanded Core Curriculum: Access to and instruction in the core curriculum (i.e., math, reading, science, social studies, etc.) is not enough for students with visual impairments. The ECC is a set of skills that allows students with vision loss to compensate for their visual impairment. In working with students who are braille readers, I provide instruction in the applicable areas of the ECC based on the areas of need of the student. The areas of the ECC are:
Compensatory Access
Sensory Efficiency
Assistive Technology
Orientation and Mobility
Social Interaction
Recreation and Leisure
Independent Living
Self-Determination
Career Education
Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI)
Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) is the leading cause of childhood visual impairment in the United States. Other (ocular) visual impairments are related to the eye, but CVI is a brain-based visual impairment with unique behavioral characteristics, and unique considerations surrounding appropriate assessment and intervention. Students with CVI have the potential to improve their visual functioning over time with appropriate, student-centered educational interventions.
For students with CVI, I support the educational teams in a number of ways.
CVI Range: I have experience using the CVI Range (Roman-Lantzy, 2007; Rev., 2018) to evaluate students with CVI. The CVI Range is an assessment protocol designed to determine the functional vision and the impact of CVI on a Range of visual functioning (0-10). The score drives the development of appropriate adaptations and educational modifications needed to support the student’s access to learning environments and materials. Documenting the degree to which the CVI impacts the student's functional vision on an annual basis allows for progress monitoring and guidance for the educational team across domains.
CVI Schedule: For students with CVI, adaptations should be implemented throughout the school day on an individualized basis to maximize visual functioning. A CVI Schedule is a collaborative team document used to plan these adaptations so that they may be used consistently across environments and activities. Following assessment results, I can work with your educational team to develop a CVI Schedule.
Salient Feature Dictionary: Students with CVI (in late Phase II and Phase III) benefit from instruction focused on the use of salient features of images. Salient features are the unique visual components of any object or image that are used to differentiate one thing from another. These features promote identification, recognition, and discrimination of 3D and 2D targets. To support shared practices for all members of the educational team, a salient feature dictionary documenting the target images that are the focus of instruction (and their salient features) should be created. When appropriate, I can work with your team to develop and maintain a student-centered salient feature dictionary.
Students With Low Vision
Children with low vision need instruction in a variety of tools to allow them to perform academic work commiserate with their peers without vision loss. These tools can be thought of with two focuses - access to the core curriculum and instruction in the areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC).
Access to Core Curriculum: Students who with low vision need strategies that will allow them to access to the instructional materials used in their classrooms. Access can occur through assistive technology (e.g., iPad, video magnifier, etc.) used by the student and strategies used by the classroom teacher. I can provide instruction to the student in ways to utilize assistive technology in efficient ways to access the core curriculum. Additionally, I can provide training and support to the classroom teachers to allow for better access to their content area.
Instruction in the Expanded Core Curriculum: Access to and instruction in the core curriculum (i.e., math, reading, science, social studies, etc.) is not enough for students with visual impairments. The Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) is a set of skills that allows students with vision loss to compensate for their visual impairment. I can provide instruction in the applicable areas of the ECC based on the areas of need of the student. The areas of the ECC are:
Compensatory Access
Sensory Efficiency
Assistive Technology
Orientation and Mobility
Social Interaction
Recreation and Leisure
Independent Living
Self-Determination
Career Education