VIDBE-Q Volume 67 Issue 1
One standard of practice, or "essential assessment" that has been a mainstay
in the field of visual impairments is the Functional Vision Assessment or
Evaluation (FVA/FVE). First established in the 1960's, the FVA has served to
determine what a student sees, how their vision affects their ability to complete
daily tasks, and what accommodations or interventions are needed to address the
individual student's visual needs. (D'Andrea & Farrenkopf, 2000; Lueck, 2004).
Over the years, the FVA has stood the test of time, however, as our profession has
evolved and our recognition of the importance of critical literacy and life skills has
grown, so has the need for an assessment that recognizes these additional
competencies. Our singular assessment, known as the FVA grew to include:
learning media/literacy modalities (Learning Media Assessment or LMA) and
Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) which includes Orientation and Mobility
(O&M) and Assistive Technology (AT) skills. Many states have expanded their
eligibility requirements to include some or all of these assessments for student
eligibility as blind or visually impaired. Additionally, some of these assessments
require professionals other than the TVI to complete the corresponding skill sets,
such as an O&M or AT Specialist. So how does a TVI go about assuring that they
are addressing the totality of their student's needs? We, as vision professionals,
have an obligation to monitor and identify our students' strengths and weakness.
Sometimes we require expertise outside of our personal or professional knowledge
