VIDBE-Q Volume 67 Issue 2
participate). After collecting the information from each state, we estimated the
number of TSVIs in the United States to be between 4,705 and 5,015.
Survey Instrument
The survey included 100 questions covering 1) TSVI caseload, 2) general
adaptations and accommodations for writing, 3) preparation to teach writing, 4)
preparation to teach students with VI, 5) beliefs/expectations about the writing of
students with VI, 6) collaboration with general education teachers. We planned for
the survey to take 15-20 minutes to complete.
Results
We sent the survey to TSVIs in 48 of the 50 states using each state's
preferred mode (i.e., listservs, individual TSVI emails, or Facebook groups). We
received a total of 457 completed responses. TSVIs' caseloads ranged from 1 to
76, with an average of 17 students.
Research Question 1: Preparation to Teach Writing
When asked about their preparation during college, after college, and in
professional development, teachers indicated minimal to adequate preparation
using a scale of 1 to 4 (1-none, 2-minimal, 3-adequate, 4-extensive). The results
are presented in Table 1. This finding is worth taking note, but not surprising
because this is a trend across all teachers of writing.
