The National Agenda: Challenges and Opportunities for 2000

Hosted by Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Kathleen M. Huebner, Ph.D.
Pennsylvania College of Optometry

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What is the National Agenda ?

• A set of common goals designed to improve the QUALITY and QUANTITY of educational opportunities for children who are blind or visually impaired including those with multiple disabilities.

Why a National Agenda ?

• A realization that our children were not all receiving the QUALITY and QUANTITY of education services specific to their needs -- and that
• Parents, Professionals and Persons with visual impairments TOGETHER have the power to create positive change

A Quick Review of the 8 Goals

• REFERRAL of appropriate program --30 days
• Full PARENTAL PARTICIPATION and partnership
• Universities prepare sufficient specialized PERSONNEL
• SERVICE DELIVERY-caseloads based on needs of students-on-going professional development
• Full array of service PLACEMENT OPTIONS
• ASSESSMENT- with appropriate expertise
• INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS available in appropriate media and at the same time as sighted peers
• EXPANDED CORE CURRICULA

Relevant Publications

The National Agenda for the Education of Children and Youths with Visual Impairments, Including Those with Multiple Disabilities. Corn, Hatlen, Huebner, Ryan, & Siller, 1995, AFB Press.

The Report to the Nation, Corn & Huebner, (1998), AFB Press.

A Call to Action: Practical Suggestions for the Achievement of the National Agenda Goals, Stryker, Huebner, Hatlen, 1999. TSBVI

The National Agenda
"little blue book"

• Brief History of Development
• The National Goal Statements
• Importance of Statements
• Strategies for Achievement
• National Committees and Endorsements

The Report to the Nation
"bigger blue book"

• National baseline data on each goal
• Reports of 28 state-level activities
• Vehicle for communicating about the status as of 1997
• Appendices on caseload policies
• Resource information
• OSERS Policy Statement

A Call to Action
A Dynamic Document

For each goal the following is presented:

• Major issues
• How to determine current status
• How to develop a plan of action for your state

Locate it on the Call to Action page.

National Agenda: Replications

• NA in Australia, New Zealand, and England
• National Agenda on Vision and Aging

Significant National Off-Shoot Activities

NTPT - National Plan for Training Personnel to Serve Children with Blindness and Low Vision, 2000,Council for Exceptional Children.

NASDE Guidelines - Blind and Visually Impaired Students Educational Service Guidelines, Pugh, & Erin, 1999. Perkins School for the Blind.

National Plan for Training Personnel to Serve Children with Blindness and Low Vision--NTPT

3 Goals

• Personnel Preparation and Development
• Leadership Development
• Recruitment and Retention

Cross-Goal

• National Personnel Preparation Coordinating Council

Personnel Preparation/Development

• Establish a Personnel Preparation Technical Assistance Network (PPTAN)
  • to facilitate and support collaboration
  • facilitate the application of national program standards
  • provide technical assistance to new and existing programs
• Extend OSEP program support
  • 5 years
  • increase the award size

Leadership Development

• Establish a Leadership Development Institute
  • Doctorates
• Establish a Research to Practice Institute
  • design, collect, analyze, and disseminate data affecting personnel needs in blindness and visual impairment
  • validate practices
  • conduct outcome studies
  • collect accurate counts of children and service providers

Recruitment and Retention

• Establish a Recruitment and Retention Project
• We all need to recruit

Cross-Goal
National Personnel Preparation Coordinating Council

• Comprised of representatives of each of other components and other stakeholders
• Mission is to guide and provide formative evaluation to facilitate implementation and outcomes of the National Plan

NTPT and NA Goals

Addresses Goals

• 2 Parent Participation
• 3 Personnel Preparation
• 4 Caseloads-Recommends 8 :1 Student:Teacher Ratio
• 5 Full-Array of Service Options
• 6 Assessment
• 8 Expanded Core Curriculum

NASDE Guidelines

• Over 70 stakeholders including parents involved
• 13 Participating organizations, including professionals, parents and consumers
• Intention: Present best practices without value judgements of existing programs or personnel

NASDE Guidelines Content

5 Chapters

• Foundations
• Supportive Structure and Administration
• Assessment
• Program Requirements and Placement Options
• Personnel

NASDE Guidelines-Chapter Structure

• Foundations
  • 10 unique needs, policy/legislation, philosophies, array of options, diversity, multiple disabilities
• Supportive Structure and Administration
  • 8 roles of personnel and supportive LEA/SEA administration
• Assessment
  • 6 comprehensive, formal, informal, clinical, expanded core
• Program Requirements and Placement Options
  • 11 families, options, mentors, extracurricular, equal access, technology, multiple disabilities
• Personnel
  • 12 specialized training, parent-professional relationships, diversity, O&M, expanded core curricula, certifications

NASDE Guidelines and NA Goals

Addresses All Goals

• 1 Referral
• 2 Parent Participation
• 3 Personnel Preparation
• 4 Caseloads
• 5 Full-Array of Service Options
• 6 Assessment
• 7 Instructional Media
• 8 Expanded Core Curriculum

Textbook and Instructional Materials Forum

Addressing:

• Lack of standardization of electronic file formats provided by textbook publishers
• Inaccessibility of multimedia textbooks
• Variation in sate textbook regulations
• Inconsistent interpretation of copyright law
• High expense of producing specialized materials and lack of fiscal incentives to develop new technologies
• Shortage of qualified braille transcribers and production resources
• Communication and collaboration barriers

5 Workgroups

• Electronic Files
• Legislation
• Production
• Training and Other Needs
• Communication and Collaboration
• WWW.AFB.Org or www.nfb.org or www.tsbvi.edu

Solutions Forum and NA Goals

Addresses Goals

• 2 Parent Participation
• 3 Personnel Preparation
• 7 Instructional Media
• 8 Expanded Core Curriculum

NA Reported Challenges

• Full Inclusion prevailing philosophy
• Special schools/services threatened
• Too few qualified staff/emergency credentialing
• Loss of staff at all levels, state level leadership to direct service
• Lack of time
• Lack of outcome research

NA REPORTED

NA Reported Effective Strategies

• Partnerships
  • Parents, Teachers, Administrators, Legislators
• Infusion into many activities
• Development of best practice guidelines
• Grass roots infusion of philosophies and actions
• Increase and/varied tools for communication
• Adoption of new policies
• Everyone thinking "expanded core curricula"
• National backing opens doors/gives backbone to efforts

NA Predominant Positive Responses

• Feeling of working on common goals--across the country, within the state, within an LEA, within a special school
• Feeling of HOPE for the future
• Not alone
• So many working on so many different aspects toward a common good
• Family involvement growing
• Encourages holistic view of our students/services

NA NEXT NATIONAL STEPS

• Recognize need for more effective advocacy and tools
  • Spanish NA booklet (TSBVI)
  • Mentoring program between NGLs and State Coordinators
  • Parent document about NA by parents
  • Teacher document about NA by CEC-DVI
  • Data for State and local administrators-handy and persuasive

What Else Can YOU Do?

• Commit yourself professionally to the philosophy and let it show in all of your efforts
• Stay on top of what your state, your colleagues in state and in the nation are doing
• Familiarize yourself and USE the NA and related materials such as Solutions Forum, NASDE guidelines
• Be an active advocate and support your colleagues
• Teach your students and help their parents become strong self-advocates
• Believe in quality services and let that belief drive your actions
• Take pride in what you and your students do
• Recruit others into the field

And Most of All

Believe and have high expectations for your students, their families and yourself!