Students with Vision Loss Initiative

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• Students with Vision Loss Initiative

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Students with Vision Loss In Alberta

• 645 students registered with the LRC
• 163 students who are blind
• 482 students with low vision
• 475 registered for audio
• 131 registered for braille
• 422 registered for large print
• 495 registered for special equipment

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In the Field

• 3 Vision Resource Centres (Edmonton, Calgary,
  Lethbridge)
• CBE, CSSD, EIPS, have TVIs on staff
• Other students served by ERECS, REACH, CASE and 1
  private vision consultant
• Have about 18.2 FTEs for all province
• Orientation and Mobility services offered by
  RECS, CNIB and private (by individual contracts)
• Mostly consultative modelsome itinerant

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Students with Vision Loss Initiative

• May 2008, Minister Hancock announced over 9
  million (over 3 years) in new funding to enhance
  supports and services for students with vision
  loss.

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Key Recommendations

• Improve student access to teachers for the
  visually impaired in schools especially those in
  rural areas.
• Provide sustainable funding and improve student
  access to the special equipment loan service.
• Department provide accommodations at the
  development stage, for student resources and
  provincial examinations.

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Key Recommendations

• Improve students access to learning resources in
  alternate format.
• Establish a provincial coordinator position to
  build capacity and collaborations in the
  education system.

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Staffing

• Provincial Coordinator seconded
• Vision Specialist Accommodations and Accessible
  Technology seconded
• LRC Specialized Equipment Loan 1 FTE for a
  School Assistive Technology Coordinator
  (Currently vacant)

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Project Updates

• Work with Learner Assessment (Vision Specialist
  Accommodations and Accessible Technology)
• Group presentations to exam managers on general
  awareness of the needs of students with vision
  loss and scripting notes.
• Working closely with LA exam managers to review
  Provincial Achievement Tests and Diploma Exams.

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Project Updates

• Improve Student Assistive Technology Loan Service
• With input from the schools, vision consultants
  (via online survey) and waitlist information, a
  2008-09 equipment purchase was prepared and
  awarded. This purchase eliminated LRC student
  waitlists. 2009-10 purchase is in final stages.
• LRC Student Assistive Technology Advisory
  Committee has meet three times to date. This
  working committee will develop new loan service
  handbook and review Alternate Format policy.
• Will provide ongoing advice on annual equipment
  purchase and service.

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Project Updates

• Improve Students Access to Learning Resources
  in Alternate Format.
• Two new braille transcribesr hired by LRC. Number
  of braille transcribers at LRC (7.5). LRC has
  retained independent braille transcribers on
  contract and four production houses to meet the
  requests for alternate format materials from
  schools to produce provincial examinations in
  braille.
• Cost over above existing budget for braille
  production- 2008-09 -480,000.00.
• Independent review of LRCs braille production
  processes and practices to improve timely
  delivery of materials to students.
• A training inservice focusing on improving and
  enhancing the skills of braille staff and
  contractors took place on Feb. 5 2009.
• LRC and the Learning and Teaching Resources
  branches have jointly developed a protocol to
  enhance students timely access to learning
  resources in alternate format. This protocol will
  request timely access to digital files from
  publishers to improve timely production of
  alternate format materials.

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Project Updates

• Improve Student Access to Teachers of the
  Visually Impaired (especially rural areas)
• 200,000 has been provided to school
  jurisdictions to support the work of the Vision
  Resource Centres and CASE team in Grande Prairie
  region.
• Funding is for providing professional development
  for learning teams and student programs. Pilot
  project on supporting the Northern Tier through
  video conference.
• Funding has been provided to support the
  production of locally authorized materials in
  alternate format.
• Workshops have taken place in Calgary, Edmonton,
  Lethbridge and Medicine Hat. Workshops are
  planned for Red Deer and Grand Prairie. Some have
  been made available by Video Conference.
• Provincial professional development on improving
  the access and participation of high school
  students in the sciences took place in March. LRC
  has purchased specialized science equipment kits
  for each of the Vision Resource Centres.

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Project Updates

• Provincial Coordination to Build Capacity and
  Collaborations
• Provincial Advisory Committee broad range of
  stakeholder representation, advising on the
  outcomes of the project.
• Coordinates the work of the Vision Resource
  Centres
• Coordinating the organization of the Canadian
  Vision Teachers Conference 2009, October 18-20,
  2009, Banff Alberta.
• Meet with managers from SET/BC and PRCVI to
  discuss coordination and sharing of resources.
  Discuss sharing WNCP resource production.
• Ongoing presentations to outside agencies and
  other Alberta Government Departments, Alberta
  Education branches on the SVLI and issues related
  to education for students who are blind or
  visually impaired.
• Total of 11 projects submitted by the field were
  funded- 534 000

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Travelling Low Vision Clinic Objectives

• Provide low vision evaluation (including an
  Ophthalmological assessment), device
  prescription, and classroom adaptation
  recommendations.
• Provide Orientation and Mobility Evaluation and
  recommendations.
• Provide a lending library of low vision devices
  and related visual aids.
• Provide recommendations for Assistive Technology.
• Provide training suggestions and resources to
  special education and regular education teachers,
  vision consultants and parents.
• Bring the services closer to children and
  families in their own communities.
• 3 clinics completed4 more planned for 2009-10

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Travelling Low Vision Clinic

• Acuity Near Distance
• Contrast Sensitivity
• Varied Print size
• Lighting

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On the Road Medical Eye Exam
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Travelling Low Vision ClinicAssistive Technology
TrialsTechnology available for loan from
Learning Resources Centre
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Travelling Low Vision Clinic
Low Vision Device Trials (Lending Library)

• Near devices latest magnifiers and near
  distance aids
• Distance devices latest monocular and distance
  viewing aids.
• Non Optical devices lamps, sunglasses
• All devices are student oriented to make them
  interested and motivated to use them.

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Vision Education Alberta Website

• Highly accessible website that will act as a
  communication tool for the Initiative as well as
  a one stop shopping site for all issues dealing
  with education for students with vision loss.
• http//vision.alberta.ca/

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Next Steps

• Final stages of Handbook for Student Assistive
  Technology Loan Service
• Continued and increased support to the field.
• Research on outcomes for student with vision loss
  on outcomes of the Program of Studies Transition
  and Life after High School achievement of
  outcomes of the Expanded Core Curriculum.
• Review of the Alternate Format Policy
• Expand the Low Vision Clinic to a provincial
  program
• Address the issues around Orientation and
  Mobility
• Expand the content of the Vision Education
  Alberta Website
• Plan for the future! What happens after 2011?