Your Role as Parent
If you are the parent of a child who is
visually impaired, then it is incumbent upon you to insure that your
child receives the best education available. In order to do so, it is
imperative that you understand fully the nature of your child's
disability, that you understand his/her needs, that you are
knowledgeable as to what services are available to meet those needs and
that you are aware to some degree of what strategies should be employed
to educate your child. In short, you must advocate for your child by
asking the appropriate questions at parent/teacher conferences to
ascertain that your child's needs are being met and appropriate services
are being provided.
Understanding Your Child's Disability
There are many reasons why some people
are visually impaired. How a person sees depends upon his/her type of
visual impairment and the degree of vision loss. In order to meet the
needs of children who are visually impaired, parents and educators must
be cognizant of the factors relevant to the child's particular type of
impairment. They need to understand as clearly as possible what the
child sees in order to determine his needs and what services should be
provided to meet these needs. The staff at the Arkansas School for the
Blind can assist you in making these determinations. ASB operates a
low-vision clinic, staffed by Dr. Kenny Doan, the only low-vision
specialist in Arkansas, and a certified teacher of the visually impaired
knowledgeable of the various types of visual impairments and how they
impact the education of children. This clinic is available to any parent
of a visually impaired child residing in the state. You may schedule an
appointment for your child at the clinic. Your child will receive a
complete visual examination, and the staff can explain the nature of
your child's visual impairment and make recommendations as to what
low-vision aids, services and strategies might be employed to assist
your child in acquiring an education. To schedule an appointment or to
request additional information, contact Teresa Doan, (501) 296-1810, or
Email Teresa Doan
Determining Least Restrictive Environment
Federal law 94-142 states that every
child with a disability must receive a free, appropriate, public
education in the least restrictive environment. "Least Restrictive
Environment" means that education must occur in the environment which is
the least restrictive to the child's normal development. Ideally, a
child should attend school in his/her local school district, and receive
a free, appropriate public education. Unfortunately, many persons
responsible for the education of children with disabilities have tended
to place great emphasis on children attending local schools, and have
paid scant attention to whether educational programs offered at those
schools are accessible to children with disabilities, or whether their
needs are being met. Such a narrow interpretation could have
devastating consequences to the development of a child who is visually
impaired. In applying this narrow and erroneous interpretation to the
above term, special educators have abrogated their responsibility to
provide a free, appropriate, public education in the least restrictive
environment for children with visual impairments and placed that
responsibility with the parents of those children. In determining if
the current educational placement is the least restrictive environment
for a child who is visually impaired, parents should ask the following
questions:
- Does my child participate fully in
school activities?
- Is my child functioning at grade
level in reading and math?
- Does my child travel independently
in his/her school?
- Are all books, hand-outs and other
educational materials available in my child's appropriate reading
media?
- Is my child allowed to participate
in physical education?
- Is technology available which will
allow my child to fully utilize computers and access the internet?
- Does my child interact informally
with other boys and girls?
- Are opportunities provided for my
child to participate in extra-curricular activities?
If the answer to all or most of these
questions is no, then your child's current educational placement is
restrictive to his normal development and his opportunity to acquire a
free, appropriate, public education. If you would like further
information on determining the educational environment which is least
restrictive to your child, please contact Sharon Berry, (501) 296-1810,
or Email Sharon Berry.
Services Which Are Essential
The services which a school should
provide depend on the specific needs of the individual child. However,
there are many services which are essential to the growth and
development of all children, and must be provided. These are:
- Daily instruction in the appropriate reading
media.
- Instruction in orientation and mobility at least one period per
week.
- Instruction in the use of appropriate adaptive computer technology.
- A physical education program which facilitates full participation.
Parental rights
Federal Law 94-142 guarantees the
rights of parents of children who are visually impaired to
participate totally in decisions which concern programming for their
children and their educational placement. You, as a parent,
have a say in your child's educational placement and what services
he receives. However, parents must fully comprehend and
exercise their rights in order to optimize the chances for their
children to become independent, productive citizens. If you would
like further information as to your rights as a parent, contact
Sharon Berry, (501) 296-1810, or Email
Sharon Berry
What Does ASB Provide?
- The opportunity for students to
participate fully in school activities;
- Teachers certified in teaching
visually impaired children to facilitate children's ability to
function at grade level in reading and math;
- Specialists in teaching Braille to
augment classroom instruction and to provide additional instruction
to further facilitate children's functioning at grade level;
- Daily instruction in the appropriate
reading media by teachers certified in teaching Braille and reading
large print;
- Orientation and mobility specialists
who provide a minimum of 1 period per week of instruction to
facilitate independent travel;
- Technology for producing all books,
hand-outs and other materials in print, large print and Braille;
- An adaptive physical education
program which allows for full participation by all students;
- Three computer labs and computers in
all classrooms equipped with speech and display enlarging software
which allows all students to utilize computers and access the
internet;
- Opportunities for all students
to interact informally with peers at recess and during scheduled
recreational activities;
- A vast array of extra-curricular
activities which includes: choral music, band, student council,
swimming, wrestling, track, gymnastics, and numerous clubs which are
available to all students at no charge.
You are welcome to visit us. To schedule
a visit to ASB, contact Sharon Berry, (501) 296-1810 or Email
Sharon Berry
At ASB, learning is lots of fun! We have
eager, enthusiastic, curious children who enjoy school and are quick to
learn. We have dedicated, qualified teachers who understand how
children learn. The Arkansas School for the Blind utilizes experience,
the latest research, proven methodology and the most up-to-date
technology to provide a quality, total educational experience for
children who are visually impaired. If you are seeking an alternative
educational environment for your child, visit us. See what we have to
offer. We have the answers. You are welcome to visit or call for further
information.
