Resources

Introduction

This section includes various resources which may be of interest to special education administrators; materials which may not already be available, or may not be in one place.

Assumptions

The resources included herein are not to be considered final or complete, but rather, to add to existing resources available.
Directors have access to additional resources via their district, the regional service center and TSBVI. One of the most recently published resources, which may be of interest to administrators is: Blind and Visually Impaired Students: Educational Service Guidelines, published by the National Association of State Directors of Special Education.
The use of these resources is within the context of a VI program.
VI professionals in each district are knowledgeable of free sources of materials, including those materials available through the Texas Instructional Materials Center, the Technology Loan program, both at TSBVI, and regional service centers.

What resources are included?

National Agenda for the Education of Children and Youths with Visual Impairments, including those with Multiple Disabilities

The National Agenda was developed in response to concerns expressed in the Policy Guidance on Educating Blind and Visually Impaired Students issued by OSERS in 1994. This grassroots effort is a way to coordinate efforts and inform others of the disability specific needs of children with visual and multiple impairments. Priority areas were developed, field analysis was conducted, and eight goal statements were adopted. Since that time, hundreds of universities, educational, professional, and consumer organizations, businesses and agencies have endorsed these goals.

Included are an overview of the Goals and an article about the expanded core curriculum for students with visual impairments. For more information, please visit the home page for the National Agenda on the TSBVI website

Quality Programs for the Visually Impaired (QPVI)

QPVI is a guided self-study for district and coop. This is a three phase process which allows districts to perform an analytical review of their program, identify their strengths, areas for improvements and develop solutions which meets the needs of the district or coop. This process is facilitated by a VI consultant from the ESC or the Outreach program at TSBVI. As a result of the review, VI programs become more process driven, and less personality driven.

TSBVI Publications

The Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired is proud to be one of the leading publishers of materials for teaching students with visual impairments. All of the materials (printed and videotapes) are developed by practitioners. The topics range from providing information for assessing a broad array of areas to the Paraprofessional's Handbook. Given the not-for-profit nature of the school, the publications are priced very reasonably.

VI Consultants at Regional Service Centers, Universities, the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (formerly known as Texas Commision for the Blind) and the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

This is a listing of the various VI professionals at all of the regional service centers, Texas Tech and Stephan F. Austin universities, the Outreach Department at TSBVI, TEA, and the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (formerly known as Texas Commision for the Blind) .

Position papers adopted by the Council for Exceptional Children - Division of Visual Impairments (CEC-DVI)

Over the years CEC-DVI has developed and adopted multiple position papers. Three are included here. These are

The remaining position papers are available by contacting CEC staff via the website at www.cec.sped.org.

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This page last modified: 30 Jul 2002