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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016
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peers) and have fewer choices in their lives (Wolffe, Sacks &
Tierney, 1998, p. 477). As it turns out, self-determination was not
even officially listed
as a part of the ECC for visually impaired
students until 2003 (Allman & Lewis, 2014, p. 26).
Part of the issue is that when self-determination is taught, the
implementation is often painfully ironic. Yes, self-determination
is
the amalgamation of several interrelated components
(assertiveness, self-advocacy, empowerment, problem-solving,
goal-setting, etc. (Allman & Lewis, 2014, p. 26))
that need to be
overtly taught, modeled, and practiced with visually impaired
students (who are less likely to learn these nuanced social skills
through casual observations (Sapp & Hatlen, 2010)). However, one
of the most common pitfalls of teaching self-determination is that as
soon as the lesson on "empowerment" or "goal-setting",
(for
instance), is over, students return to their desks- to worksheets, to
multiple choice tests, to standardized writing prompts, and to
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