VIDBE-Q Volume 65 Issue 4
Incorporating skills and expectations into their regular schedule is vital. Pull-out
services for specific skills continue to be valuable. In many schools, at all ages, it
has become increasingly difficult to find the time and the willingness of
administrators and teachers for release time to meet the ECC needs of our students.
Explaining the purpose of the ECC and how it can impact the student in the
classroom continues to be an important part of the process.
An opportunity came about to team-teach in a self-contained classroom for
students with visual impairments. The class was for forty-five minutes once a week
throughout the year. The class consisted of six students: two who were totally blind
and four who had low vision, including one student who used a wheelchair and a
communication device. The goal was to incorporate ECC skills into their work
activities, which included counting skills. To incorporate ECC skills into the
program, an activity was developed to engage the students in counting during a
functional activity. The students were given the task of putting three pieces of
candy and a friendly note into a baggie to deliver to staff in their school pod. For
some students, counting was involved. For others, the activity was designed as an
assembly line to complete the task. For the remaining students, the items for each
bag were placed in their work areas one at a time. The students were given a set
amount of time to make the bags (the number was individualized for each student)
to allow enough time for delivery. Before leaving the room, the students practiced
