Transcript Growth - Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

The National Agenda: Challenges
and Opportunities for 2000
Kathleen M. Huebner, Ph.D.
Pennsylvania College of Optometry
What is the National Agenda ?
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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.
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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
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A Quick Review of the 8 Goals
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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
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Relevant Publications
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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
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The National Agenda
“little blue book”
Brief History of Development
 The National Goal Statements
 Importance of Statements
 Strategies for Achievement
 National Committees and
Endorsements
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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
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A Call to Action
A Dynamic Document
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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 “WWW. TSBVI.EDU”
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National Agenda
Replications
 NA in Australia,
New Zealand, and
England
 National Agenda on Vision and
Aging
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Significant National Off-Shoot
Activities
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NTPT - National Plan for Training Personnel to
Serve Children with Blindness and Low Vision,
2000,Council for Exceptional Children.
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NASDE Guidelines - Blind and Visually
Impaired Students Educational Service
Guidelines, Pugh, & Erin, 1999. Perkins School
for the Blind.
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Textbook and Instructional Materials
Forum WWW.AFB.org/solutionsforum.testsolutions or
WWW.TSBVI.edu or WWW.nfb.org/copy99
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National Plan for Training Personnel to
Serve Children with Blindness and Low
Vision--NTPT
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3 Goals
– Personnel Preparation and Development
– Leadership Development
– Recruitment and Retention
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Cross-Goal
– National Personnel Preparation
Coordinating Council
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Personnel Preparation/Development
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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
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Leadership Development
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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
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Recruitment and Retention
 Establish
a Recruitment and
Retention Project
We
all need to recruit
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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
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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
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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
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NASDE Guidelines Content
5
Chapters
- Foundations
- Supportive Structure and
Administration
- Assessment
- Program Requirements and
Placement Options
- Personnel
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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
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NASDE Guidelines and NA Goals
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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
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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
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Textbook and Instructional Materials
Forum 5 Workgroups
Electronic Files
 Legislation
 Production
 Training and Other Needs
 Communication and Collaboration
 WWW.AFB.Org or nfb.org or
TSBVI.EDU/textbooks/afb
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Solutions Forum and NA Goals
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Addresses Goals
– 2 Parent Participation
– 3 Personnel Preparation
– 7 Instructional Media
– 8 Expanded Core Curriculum
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NA Reported Challenges
Full Inclusion prevailing philosophy
 Special schools/services threatened
 Too few qualified staff/emergency
credentialling
 Loss of staff at all levels, state level
leadership to direct service
 Lack of time
 Lack of outcome research
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NA REPORTED
Deterrents
Facilitators
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Loss of Personnel
Lack of mutual goals
Lack of information
Lack of funding
Lack of state adopted texts
Lack of leadership
Lack of planning
NA not on state conference
agendas
LEA Control
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Additional Personnel
Mutual goal setting
Widespread understanding
Financial support
Statewide textbook adoption
Strong leadership
Strong action planning
NA on conference agenda or
special conferences
LEA Control
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NA Reported Effective Strategies
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Partnerships
– Parents, Teachers, Administrators, Legislators
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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
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NA Predominant Positive Responses
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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
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NA NEXT NATIONAL STEPS
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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 CECDVI
– Data for State and local administratorshandy and persuasive
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What Else Can YOU Do?
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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
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…And Most of All
 Believe
and have high
expectations for your
students, their families and
yourself!
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