Chapter I
Roles and Responsibilities
Like public education in general, providing education services to children who are blind or visually impaired involves federal, state, and local levels of government. Ensuring children receive appropriate educational services is a state government responsibility, although states must comply with a variety of federal education mandates. In all states, local education agencies (LEAs) actually carry out education programs for all children including those with disabilities.
Connecticut was one of the first states to mandate special education for children with disabilities with passage of Public Act 627 in 1967. Federal legislation enacted in 1975 required all states to provide children with disabilities a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive setting possible. Both the state and federal laws require a comprehensive continuum of special education and related services be available to meet the needs of children with disabilities from preschool through high school graduation or age 21. Comprehensive early intervention services for infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities were mandated under federal legislation enacted in 1986.
Many agencies -- federal, state, and local, and public and private -- are part of Connecticut's system for providing this continuum of educational services to children who are blind or visually impaired. Their roles and responsibilities are outlined below. An overview of some of the interest and advisory groups concerned with educational services for visually impaired children in Connecticut is also included in this chapter. The chapter additionally contains information on how services are structured in other states and descriptions of several national initiatives on educational services for students who are blind or visually impaired.
Federal Special Education Role
In all states including Connecticut, the main policies governing special education, including educational services to children who are blind or visually impaired, are contained in the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and its accompanying regulations. The U.S. Department of Education (U.S. DOE) oversees state implementation of IDEA requirements, distributes federal funding for special education programming as well as grants for research and special projects, and provides policy guidance and technical assistance to state and local education agencies. In general, U.S. DOE relies on the state education department to monitor and report on local district compliance with federal special education provisions.
IDEA provisions. The main provisions of IDEA require state and local education agencies to create a system that:
These and other provisions of the federal act are described in more detail in Appendix B. In essence, the goal of the law is to ensure all children with disabilities receive appropriate education services based on their individual needs and not their disability, in a setting with children who are not disabled, to the maximum extent possible.
Significant amendments to IDEA were adopted by Congress in 1997 and several apply specifically to the education of children who are blind and visually impaired. One change requires teams that prepare students' Individual Education Programs to make provisions for instruction in Braille and the use of Braille for children who are visually impaired, unless they determine, based on relevant evaluations, such instruction is not appropriate. Another revision adds "orientation and mobility services" to the list of examples included in the statutory definition of special education related services.
Early intervention services. The special education provisions described above cover children from age three through high school graduation or age 21. Another part of the IDEA, Part H, requires states to establish a system of early intervention services, commonly known as Birth to Three, for families with children under age three who have significant developmental disabilities or delays. Blindness is one of the conditions that makes children eligible for the program and vision services are among the program's mandatory early intervention services.
The Birth to Three program is like special education in that:
Birth to Three programs must also incorporate outreach and referral efforts and a "child find" system that includes a method for hospitals, physicians, parents, day care providers, and others to refer infants and toddlers for evaluation and assessment. Early intervention services must be
family-centered and, whenever possible, provided in community settings where a child normally spends his or her day (e.g., at home or a child care center).
Federal law does not specify an administrative or service delivery structure but states must: 1) designate a lead agency to be responsible for comprehensive program planning and oversight; and 2) establish an Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC) composed of parents, service providers, legislators, and representatives of state agencies involved with children, to advise and assist the lead agency. In Connecticut, the Department of Mental Retardation (DMR) is the Birth to Three program lead agency. The Board of Education and Services for the Blind is one of the state agency members of the coordinating council.
As of FY 01, DMR contracted with 38 public and private agencies statewide that were part of the Birth to Three service delivery system. All referrals and requests for services are handled by INFOLINE, a nonprofit phone-based information and referral service under contract to the Department of Mental Retardation. Each provider agency serves clients from a specific set of towns and either directly provides or arranges for the early intervention services and supports called for in a child's individualized plan. Four of the Birth to Three providers specialize in serving the families of young children with sensory disorders and have statewide jurisdiction. Three provide services related to hearing impairments and one, operated by BESB, serves families whose young children have visual impairments.
Related federal laws. Two other federal laws have an impact on educational services for blind and visually impaired students: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Section 504) and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Title II of ADA). Both are civil rights laws intended to protect persons with disabilities from discrimination on the basis of their disability and apply to more than education matters (e.g., employment, physical accessibility). The U.S. DOE Office of Civil Rights is responsible for overseeing and ensuring state and local education agencies comply with Section 504 and Title II of ADA.
Under Section 504, school districts are required to provide students who have qualifying disabilities such as blindness a comparable opportunity, as compared with students without disabilities, to participate in school activities and receive school benefits and services. Districts must develop and implement special accommodations or services to meet the educational needs of eligible students. A written educational accommodation plan describing the placement and services to be provided is also required. Students covered by Section 504 provisions may also qualify for special education services but often are served by general education programs with accommodations to meet their individual needs.
Title II of ADA also prohibits discrimination on the basis of a person's disability and its provisions applicable to schools are consistent with the requirements of Section 504. In essence, schools cannot exclude students with disabilities from district programs or activities and when necessary must make reasonable policy changes to provide them with services, facilities, or accommodations.
State Education Department
State statute requires the state board of education to provide for the development and supervision of educational programs and services for all children requiring special education, including students who are blind or visually impaired. As the board's administrative arm, the state Department of Education (SDE), carries out the following functions:
The department is additionally responsible for administering state requirements concerning licensure and certification of teachers and other education professionals. Except for the state vocational-technical school system, however, the education department does not operate educational programs or provide direct instruction services to regular or special education students.
Education consultants within the department's Bureau of Special Education and Pupil Services have primary responsibility for overseeing and assisting local school districts on special education matters. Bureau staff also respond to complaints, both informal and formal, regarding special education procedures and services. Through the Special Education Resource Center, the bureau provides training and professional development opportunities to education professionals throughout the state. Bureau staff work with other state agencies such as the Department of Mental Retardation, the Commission on the Deaf and Hearing Impaired, and BESB, to get advice and input on education issues related to disabilities that come under their jurisdiction.
Local School Districts
In Connecticut, local school districts have primary responsibility for providing a free and appropriate public education to all children including those with disabilities like blindness. In accordance with state and federal law, districts must arrange for the services of any specialized teachers and other educational professionals needed by a student who is blind or visually impaired, hire support staff such as paraprofessionals or teacher's aides, provide texts and other instructional materials or equipment, and obtain related services necessary for the child's educational program. For children who are blind, related services may include training from an orientation and mobility instructor or consultation with an adaptive technology specialist.
Regional Education Service Centers (RESCs). Legislation enacted in 1972 (P.A. 72-117) authorized local boards of education to establish Regional Education Service Centers "... for the purpose of cooperative action to furnish programs and services." RESCs are intended to help schools improve learning and deliver quality customized educational services with more efficiency than is possible within an individual district. Regional cooperative education programs are common in many states and are viewed as effective models for providing comprehensive special educations services, particularly to low incidence disability populations.
In Connecticut, each regional center is operated and managed by a board made up of members from each participating local board of education. The RESC boards have the authority to establish policies, determine what programs and services to provide, employ staff, and prepare and expend a budget. Financial support comes from fees paid by participating members, and state, federal, and private funding.
Currently, local and regional school districts in Connecticut are served by six RESCs - Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES), Capitol Region Education Council (CREC), Cooperative Educational Services (CES), Eastern Connecticut Regional Education Service Center (EASTCONN), Education Connection, and LEARN. The array of education and related services each provides vary, depending on the needs of the participating members, although all offer a wide range of special education programs and services. Several offer vision-related services to their members and in the eastern portion of the state, most districts obtain specialized teacher services for their students who are blind or visually impaired students from EASTCONN.
Board of Education and Services for the Blind
The Board of Education and Services for the Blind was created in 1893 to assist children "... unable to obtain education in the ordinary public schools by reason of blindness or defective sight." Initially, its main responsibility was to identify children in need of educational services and to provide state funds for the costs of board and tuition at schools for blind and partially blind children. Later, the board was also mandated to maintain a confidential registry of blind persons in Connecticut. Over the years the board grew into a comprehensive social service agency providing educational, vocational, rehabilitation, living skill and other support services to legally blind persons of all ages and to children who are visually impaired.
Most of its role in educational services for children has been superceded by the state's special education system. However, state statutes still authorize BESB to provide state financial assistance to local districts for costs of specialized instructional services and materials for children who are blind or visually impaired. Although not called for by statute, the agency also supplies at no charge the services of its staff of certified teachers of the visually impaired to some districts. BESB additionally serves as a statewide resource center for instructional materials (e.g., Braille and large print textbooks, etc.) for children who are blind or visually impaired statewide. The board's organization and operations related to educational services for children are described in detail in Chapter III.
Statutory provisions. By law, any child whose vision meets the statutory definitions of blind or visually impaired presented below is eligible to be a client of the Board of Education and Services for the Blind. Under board regulations, eligibility for the agency's educational services additionally requires the child to be a special education student with a valid individualized education program .
BESB is authorized under current state statutes to reimburse local school districts for the special education costs of students who are blind or visually impaired up to $6,400 per student per fiscal year. Further, the board may pay up to $11,000 per student per fiscal year for children who are blind or visually impaired and have other disabilities.
Statutory Definitions
Blind = central visual acuity is no greater than 20/200 in the better eye with correcting lenses OR, if greater, is accompanied by field of vision limitations such that the widest diameter subtends to an angle no greater than 20 degrees
Visually Impaired = central visual acuity does not exceed
20/70 in better eye with correcting lenses
Systems for Other Disabilities
The state's role, through the Board of Education and Services for the Blind, in providing additional financial support for special education services to children who are blind or visually impaired is unique. Local school districts are not reimbursed for special education expenses (beyond their standard state education grant funding) for students with any other type of disability. Further, BESB's teachers of the visually impaired are the only teaching personnel the state supplies to districts to work directly with students.
In many ways, BESB carries out the same special education functions - direct instruction, related services, technical assistance, early intervention, professional development, parent support -- as regional education service centers. The main differences are local school districts pay fees for the services their special education students receive from a RESC and, as members of the center's board, participate in its management and operating decisions.
The system for providing educational services to children who are deaf or hearing impaired, another low incidence population with a sensory disability, is representative of current state and local roles in special education for most students with disabilities. For students who are deaf or hearing impaired, local districts either establish their own programs and employ their own teaching staff or rely on RESCs to provide teachers and related services. Several RESCs offer direct instruction, consultation, and early intervention services for children with hearing-related disabilities. One, CREC, has established a comprehensive auditory-oral education program (Soundbridge) that includes: Birth to Three services, consulting teacher services; assessment and diagnosis services; hearing impaired day programs at the preschool, elementary, and secondary levels; and a parent education and support system.
The American School for the Deaf (ASD), a nonprofit residential and day school offering a total communication education program, is another resource for hearing-related disability services for local school districts. In addition to its education programs, ASD offers parent training, professional development activities, and related services such as comprehensive student evolutions.
Local districts are responsible for buying instructional materials or equipment included in the IEP of a child who is deaf or hearing impaired as well as tuition and other costs of an out-of-district placement, if required.1 Technical assistance and training on special education services for children with hearing-related disabilities is available through the state Department of Education. One of the education consultants in the agency's special education bureau has primary responsibility for providing expertise and guidance to parents and school districts on matters related to educational services for children who are deaf or hearing impaired.
The state Commission on the Deaf and Hearing Impaired also provides general advice and expertise on issues related to deafness and hearing impairment. (By statute, the department's consultant for the education of deaf and hearing impaired children serves as an ex officio member of the commission.) In addition to its advocacy functions, the commission provides some direct interpreting and counseling services to its clients, including children who are deaf and hearing impaired and their families. However, unlike BESB, it does not provide any direct instruction services or financial support for special education expenses.
Advocacy and Advisory Groups
There are numerous public and private groups that advocate for persons with vision-related disabilities. Many provide support, advice, and assistance for various segments of the blind and visually impaired client population. Some of the major organizations in Connecticut concerned with educational services for blind and visually impaired children are the National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut (NFB), the Connecticut Council for the Blind (CCB), the Connecticut Parents' Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CPABVI).
Braille Literacy Advisory Council. Legislation enacted in the 2000 regular session of the General Assembly (P.A. 00-127) established a nine-member advisory council responsible for making annual reports and recommendations to the legislature about Braille services and the literacy of children who are blind or visually impaired. The members, who are appointed by legislative leaders and the governor, include the education commissioner, the BESB executive director, representatives from NFB and CCB, several professional educators, a parent of a student who is visually impaired student, and a high school student who is visually impaired and a Braille reader.
The council is required to review and annually report on a number of issues related to the ability of children who are blind or visually impaired to read and write. Some of the specific areas the council must examine, in addition to assessing student literacy, are:
The Braille Literacy Advisory Council's first report to the General Assembly was due in January 2001. However, delays in the appointment process have postponed the council's timetable. The initial organizational meeting is anticipated to occur ind mid -February 2001.
Other States and National Initiatives
States can provide educational services to blind children and visually impaired children through a variety of organizational models. In all cases, local education agencies have primary responsibility for special education but state agency functions differ. Program review committee staff complied information on administrative structures for vision-related education services in other states. Based on these data, it appears there are at least three different ways states structure their systems.
In some states, responsibility for program development, technical assistance, expert advice and consultation on vision-related educational matters rests with the state education department while in others, the state agency for the blind carries out these duties. Residential schools for the blind seem to serve as a hub for educational services for visually impaired children in a number of states. In Texas, for example, the state school is responsible for statewide professional development, outreach, public information, and research related to educational services for children who are visually impaired in addition to operating direct instruction programs.
There appears to be considerable diversity in the amounts and types of financial and technical support states provide local school districts for vision-related educational services. However, most states assist districts with the costs of specialized instructional materials like Braille textbooks. Many also help fund consultative services and technical assistance to local schools, often through a regional education service structure.
National initiatives. On a national level, two major initiatives concerning educational services for blind and visually impaired children have been undertaken in the past five years. One is an educational reform effort called "The National Agenda." The other is a project sponsored by the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) that resulted in a set of guidelines for education services for blind and visually impaired students.
The National Agenda is an action plan aimed at achieving eight goals for the education of children with visual impairments, including those with multiple disabilities. The planning process began in the early 1990s and is a collaborative effort of representatives of parent groups, schools for the blind, private agencies, universities, state education agencies and professional educators throughout the country. The national agenda goals, in brief, are:
Implementation strategies have been developed and are being carried out by a national advisory board and eight goal leader groups, each of whom is a major organization in the field of visual disabilities. At present, state coordinators, who generally are officials from a state's lead agency for vision education, are also in place in 45 states to oversee implementation of action plan strategies under the direction of the national board. Connecticut, Hawaii, Montana, Nebraska, and Nevada do not have state coordinators.
In 1999, NASDSE, in cooperation with the Hill/Perkins Program of the Perkins School for the Blind, issued an education guidelines document for programs serving students who are blind and visually impaired. The guidelines were developed and reviewed by a number of organizations and individuals involved in vision-related education matters throughout the country. Areas covered by the guidelines include: fundamental principles; administrative roles of state and local education agencies; assessment procedures; education programming requirements and placement options; and personnel.
1 The state does provide an annual appropriation to the American School for the Deaf to cover the tuition costs of the regular education program for Connecticut students placed at the school. Until September 1980, the state also operated a residential school, the Mystic Oral School, for children who are deaf or hearing impaired. Further, under state education funding provisions, local districts can receive grants for certain extraordinary special education costs, such as expenses related to student placements at out-of-district facilities.