VIDBE-Q Volume 67 Issue 4
student like Ivey should be able to provide consistency and bridge gaps when
transitioning, so that her educational programming is seamless and not affected
with a loss of momentum while the adults around her are learning how to meet her
needs. For Ivey, that person was determined to be her teacher of the visually
impaired. I was chosen because, as her teacher of the visually impaired, I would
follow her from classroom to classroom or campus to campus and would thus be a
consistent team member familiar with her IEP and educational needs. Given the
training and support that I had received as her classroom teacher, I also had
knowledge of deafblind practices. For other students and teams, this case manager
may be a teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing or another team member who is likely
to be consistent across setting and placements.
Having one designated person to oversee the IEP makes it easier for team
members to know their roles and expectations. It is important for the case manager
to have knowledge of deafblind practices, because other disciplines, even sensory
loss programs including Visual Impairment (VI) specific or Deaf Hard of Hearing
(DHH) specific, do not adequately address the needs in deafblindness. There
simply is not enough coursework embedded in these VI or DHH programs for this
low incidence area. Each of these disabilities separately impacts the child's
development in a fairly typical pattern when they are the ONLY disability
affecting the child. For example, a child with a visual impairment may experience
