AE - Educational Philosophy/Mission Statement:

MISSION

The mission of the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) is to provide opportunities for children and youth who are visually impaired, including those with additional disabilities, to develop the skills necessary to lead vocationally, personally, and socially satisfying and productive lives.

PURPOSE

The Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired is a state agency established to serve as a special school in the continuum of statewide alternative placements for students who are 21 years of age or younger on September 1 of any school year and who have a visual impairment and who may have one or more other disabilities. The school is intended to serve students who require specialized or intensive educational or related services related to the visual impairment. The school is not intended to serve:

1. students whose needs are appropriately addressed in a home or hospital setting or in a residential treatment facility; or
2. students whose primary, ongoing needs are related to a severe or profound emotional, behavioral, or cognitive deficit.

The School shall conduct supplemental programs, such as summer programs and student exchange programs, and shall consider information from sources throughout the state regarding the nature of those programs and students to be served.

The School shall provide statewide services to parents of students with visual impairments, school districts, regional education service centers, and other agencies serving students with visual impairments, including students who have one or more disabilities in addition to the visual impairment, such as students who are deaf-blind. Those services must include:

1. developing and providing local, regional, and statewide training for parents of students with visual impairments and professionals who work with persons with visual impairments;
2. providing consultation and technical assistance to parents and professionals related to special education and related services for students;
3. developing and disseminating reference materials in the areas of curriculum, instructional methodology, and educational technology;
4. providing information related to library resources, adapted materials, current research, technology resources, and teaching, assessment, and transition of students with visual impairments; and
5. operating programs for lending educational and technological materials to school districts and regional education service centers; and.
6. facilitating the preparation of teachers for visually impaired students by providing assistance to colleges and universities as well as other teacher preparation programs.

The School shall cooperate with public and private agencies and organizations serving students and other persons with visual impairments in the planning, development, and implementation of effective educational and rehabilitative service delivery systems associated with educating students with visual impairments. To maximize and make efficient use of state facilities, funding, and resources, the services provided in this area may include conducting a cooperative program with other agencies to serve students who have graduated from high school by completing all academic requirements applicable to students in regular education, excluding satisfactory performance on the exit-level assessment instrument, who are younger than 22 years of age on September 1 of the school year and who have identified needs related to vocational training, independent living skills, orientation and mobility, social and leisure skills, compensatory skills, or remedial academic skills.

Education Code 30.021(a)(c)(d)(e)

PHILOSOPHY

The Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) is committed to providing excellent educational services to blind and visually impaired children and youth of Texas. TSBVI welcomes the challenge to develop and deliver educational services and facilities which will result in productive, fulfilled blind and visually impaired adults who will enjoy the same responsibilities and privileges as all citizens of Texas. These services will be provided to our students in a safe, creative, flexible, comprehensive, and cost-efficient manner.

Adopted: 5/8/81
Amended: 9/26/86, 1/29/93, 1/24/97, 11/22/02
Reviewed:

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