Division on Visual Impairments

VIDBE-Q.63.3.Summer.2018

A quarterly newsletter from the Council for Exceptional Children's Division on Visual Impairments containing practitioner tips for Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments, Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialists, and other professionals.

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25 VIDBE-Q Volume 63 Issue 3 Figure 1. Teachers participating in a make and take workshop. extensive database. Processing times have dropped quite a bit too; for the approximately 6,000 orders received in 2017-2018, 99 percent of large print orders were delivered within 60 days of receiving the order, and 90 percent of braille books were delivered within 60 days or less. FIMC-VI has approximately 3,000 students from birth through age 22 registered for our services. There are nearly 280 teachers of the visually impaired (TVIs) and orientation and mobility (O&M) instructors serving students in Florida public schools and at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. However, just like many other states across this country, Florida is experiencing a critical teacher shortage of TVIs and O&M instructors. (Shameless plug … call us if you are interested in teaching in Florida and being a part of this awesome network!) FIMC-VI provides extensive professional development to all teachers, family members, agency personnel, and district staff who are involved in the education of students with visual impairments. Staff at FIMC-VI have provided training specifically for families and parents at various workshops and conferences, on topics such as facilitating independence and the role of the teacher of the visually impaired. We have implemented the Quality Programs for Students with Visual Impairments (QPVI) with 15 school districts in Florida. In order to provide all TVIs with the foundations of QPVI, FIMC-VI created a QPVI-Building Local Capacity workshop. This mini-QPVI trains teachers on how to establish a data system of students; conduct rigorous assessments of functional vision, learning media, and expanded core curriculum; and use data-driven

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