VIDBE-Q 2026 Volume 71 Issue 3
Arizona through 19 programs that span from early intervention through adulthood.
For more than 15 years, FBC has operated summer residential transition programs
for high school students with vision loss. The purpose of this article is for
administrators to read our lessons learned, ideas, and practical examples that may
be helpful so that more summer residential experiences can be made available for
students with visual impairments.
Research suggests that students with visual impairments benefit from
inclusive educational settings that provide opportunities to learn and build
relationships with nondisabled peers while also maintaining access to disability-
specific supports and communities that foster belonging, identity development, and
shared learning experiences (Miyauchi, 2020). Because most students with visual
impairments are educated in neighborhood schools rather than residential schools,
supplemental programs can provide meaningful opportunities for students to
connect with peers who share similar experiences while continuing to benefit from
inclusive education. Residential summer programs can help bridge this gap by
offering concentrated opportunities for community building, mentorship, expanded
core curriculum instruction, and independent living practice ("School Experience,"
n.d.).
At FBC, these principles have guided the development of summer residential
transition programs for high school students with vision impairments across
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