HANDICAPPED; EXECUTIVE AGENCIES;

HANDICAPPED;

You asked how other states administer educational services for blind children up to age 21. You were especially interested in whether the programs are provided through a separate agency, as in Connecticut, or through the state’s education agency.

SUMMARY

There is no state-by-state compilation or other readily available method of answering this question. We did extensive computer searching and talked with the Education Commission of the States and with Jill Jensen of the Program Review and Investigations Committee staff, who was the lead staff member for the committee’s 2000 study of Educational Services for Blind and Visually Impaired Students.

According to best available information, Connecticut is unique among states in having a separate agency charged with education of blind students, providing teachers for the blind to school districts without charge, and in giving money for education for blind students in addition to regular special education funding. Several other states, including Alaska and New Jersey, provide specially trained teachers but charge local school districts for their services. Most states administer these

services through their state education departments rather than through a separate agency like Connecticut’s Board of Education and Services for the Blind (BESB). Many states also provide centralized educational services for blind children through state schools for the blind.

The main basis for this report is an educational resources directory published by the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), which lists 229 agencies in various states providing educational services to blind people of all ages. Working off the AFB list, we used agency websites to develop the information shown below.

AFB’s directory shows 41 states and the District of Columbia administering services for blind children through their state education agencies. We also found three states that have special divisions for blind and visually impaired children as part of their education departments. In each case, these divisions appear to provide only non-school-based services, such as family support, life skills training, and technical assistance. We also found three states that provide at least some school-based educational services for such children through independent agencies. The state that appears to be most like Connecticut in this respect is New Jersey.

Finally, according to the AFB list, 33 states have state schools for the blind that provide centralized educational services for blind and visually impaired children.

MAJOR OPTIONS FOR EDUCATING BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED STUDENTS

According to the Program Review report, the array of options for providing special education services to children who are blind or visually impaired includes:

1. residential schools designed for children who are blind or multiply handicapped,

2. special classes and day programs,

3. resource rooms, and

4. itinerant teaching services in regular education classrooms.

According to the AFB, most blind and visually impaired students are educated in their local schools as part of special education programs and most receive the specialized instruction they need from itinerant teachers of the visually impaired.

STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENTS

Special Education Divisions

A comprehensive list of educational resources for the blind published by the American Foundation for the Blind lists state education agencies and their special education divisions as the primary educational resource for blind and visually impaired students in the following 41 states and the District of Columbia:

Education Departments with Special Divisions for the Blind and Visually Impaired

The following three state education departments have special divisions devoted to the needs of blind and visually impaired children. The services offered appear to consist of life skills support and training and technical assistance.

Florida Department of Education: Division of Blind Services - Blind services specialists serve eligible children who are blind or visually impaired so that they may reach educational and independent living goals.   Successful outcomes enable the children to make transitions from preschool to school and from school to work or other appropriate community programs.

Minnesota Resource Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired - A statewide technical assistance resource addressing special education and services for students who are blind or visually impaired.

Wyoming Department of Education - Services are provided through six outreach offices to children, adults, and other service providers throughout the state. Services include consultation services to the client, client’s family, service providers, and agencies and businesses; direct instruction in Braille, orientation and mobility, independent living, and the use of low vision aids; resources for the blind and visually impaired for high-tech and low-tech devices; dissemination of information, including best practices in the field of visual impairments; and referral services to other agencies.

SEPARATE AGENCIES

Three states provide examples of separate state agencies that provide some educational services to school-aged and preschool children, along with other services to the blind and visually impaired of all ages.

New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired

The New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBVI) provides educational services for children from birth through age 21 whose vision loss is severe enough to make them eligible for the program. Children can be referred or apply directly to CBVI to receive these services, which are provided in the children’s home or at their school. Once a child is accepted into the program, CBVI works closely with the child, family members, and local school officials. Certified teachers of the blind or partially sighted provide three levels of educational instruction.

Early Childhood Services (birth to age 3). CBVI staff assesses a child’s vision and, if needed, offers specialized instruction tailored in the home to his or her needs. CBVI staff also works closely with family members and school staff to help the child make a smooth transition to preschool at age three.

School Age Services (ages 3 to 21). CBVI works with local school districts to provide comprehensive services to children in the schools. These services include assessment and evaluation of a child’s visual abilities; instruction in Braille and related skills; and provision of information and assistance to family members, child study teams, teachers, and other school personnel. CBVI also loans local school districts appropriate adaptive equipment and makes aides and special educational materials available.

Deaf-Blind Services (birth through 21). CBVI offers special services to help meet the special needs of children who have difficulty with both vision and hearing. These include assessing the level of the child’s impairment, consulting with family members and teaching staff, and loaning the district special adaptive equipment and materials.

The following special services are also available to all students when appropriate:

• training in how to travel independently

• social casework services

• eye health nursing services

• vocation rehabilitation services support in making the transition to adulthood

Texas Commission for the Blind

The commission’s Blind Children's Vocational Discovery and Development Program provides support for children to get the greatest benefit from school, learn to be as independent as possible, and provide family resources. The program also offers early detection and intervention to prevent blindness and conserve eyesight. Children between the ages of birth and 15 years are eligible for services, which include:

• assistance in developing the confidence and competence needed to be active in the community

• educational support

• training in areas like food preparation, money management, recreational activities, and grooming

• assistance to families in coordinating medical services

• information for families about additional resources

Virginia Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired

The department provides technical assistance and support to families and teachers of infants and children with visual disabilities to help them during the child's developmental and educational process. Staff provides technical assistance for evaluation, program planning, curriculum modification, transition programs, information about blindness, and adaptive equipment.

STATE SCHOOLS FOR THE BLIND

Before children with disabilities were included in regular education programs (during the 1970s with the passage of special education laws), most legally blind students attended residential schools for the blind. Many states still have such schools, which typically provide specialized educational services, often on a residential basis and often to children with multiple handicaps that include blindness or vision impairments.

Connecticut children who require the services of a residential school for blind and visually impaired students must go out of state. The Connecticut Institute for the Blind/Oak Hill, formerly a residential school for the blind, now only provides community-based services to children and adults with multiple disabilities, which may include mental retardation, blindness, visual impairments, physical disabilities, deafness, hearing impairments, and severe health impairments.

The American Foundation for the Blind lists the following 34 state schools in its resource list:

Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind

Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind

Arkansas School for the Blind

California School for the Blind

Colorado for the Deaf and the Blind

Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind

Idaho School for the Deaf and the Blind

Illinois School for the Visually Impaired

Indiana School for the Blind

Iowa Braille and Sight-Saving School

Kansas State School for the Blind

Kentucky School for the Blind

Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired

Maryland School for the Blind

Michigan School for the Blind

Minnesota State Academy for the Blind

Mississippi School for the Blind

Missouri School for the Blind

Montana School for the Deaf and Blind

New Mexico School for the Visually Handicapped

New York State School for the Blind

North Dakota Vision Services/School for the Blind

Ohio State School for the Blind

Oklahoma School for the Blind

Oregon School for the Blind

South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind

South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Tennessee School for the Blind

Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Utah School for the Blind

Virginia School for the Blind at Staunton

Virginia School for the Deaf, Blind and Multi-Disabled at Hampton

Washington State School for the Blind

West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind

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