Keypoints
Educational Services For Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
¬ Children who are blind or visually impaired, like others with disabilities, are entitled to special education and early intervention services from birth through age 21.
¬ Local school districts have primary responsibility for carrying out federal and state special education mandates for all students with disabilities; the state education department distributes funding and monitors local district compliance.
¬ The Board of Education and Services for the Blind (BESB), the state lead agency for persons with vision-related disabilities, provides technical and financial assistance to local districts for special education for students who are blind or visually impaired.
¬ By law, BESB is authorized to reimburse districts for special education costs related to students who are blind or visually impaired up to $6,400 per child per year and up to $11,000 for children who have vision-related and other disabilities; no other disability category receives similar state assistance for special education expenses.
¬ Blindness and visual impairment is a low incidence disability; about 1,200 children in Connecticut receive vision-related special education services and many (55 percent) have multiple handicaps.
¬ Educational needs of students with vision-related disabilities are diverse; instructional services and materials are highly specialized and can be expensive.
¬ Braille instruction is a controversial issue; the literacy of children with visual impairments is the focus of a recently established statutory advisory council.
¬ In Connecticut and nationwide, there is a shortage of qualified teachers of the visually impaired.
¬ It is generally agreed the elements critical to quality vision education services include:
· a supportive administration structure;
· a comprehensive array of services;
· an adequate supply of specialized teachers; and
· ready access to services, materials, equipment, and technology.
¬ Each of these elements within Connecticut's system for providing educational services to children who are blind or visually impaired needs improvement.