_____ Annual ARID within last year (to include VI ARD/IEP or IFSP Supplement)
_____*Parent's Explanation of Safeguards
_____*Parent's Release of Confidential Information
_____ Parent's Resource Sheet each year
_____*Parent's Permission to Test
_____ Parent's Release for information to Texas Education Agency, etc.
_____*Notice of ARID
______Ophthalmologist Report (with CIA Eligibility Report, Part A attached)
indication of no vision or serious vision loss
_____ Functional Vision and Learning Media Assessment (with CIA Eligibility Report, Part B: Functional Vision Report attached)
an evaluation of performance of tasks in variety of environments using near and far vision
recommendation concerning low vision evaluation
recommendation concerning need of O & M evaluation
_____Learning Media includes:
appropriate learning media
statement of need for ongoing assessment to determine learning media
determination if student is "functionally blind"
if student is "functionally blind", documentation of strengths/ weaknesses in braille skills.
_____ARD summary addresses (when appropriate)
low vision evaluation (every 3 years)
orientation and mobility evaluation (every 3 years)
_____*Modification sheet/ coordinate with IEP
______Orientation and Mobility Report (if applicable)
learning competencies which identify the need for the related service
documentation that the service will enable the student to benefit from instruction
a recommendation for the specific service(s) to be offered
_____"Statement of Need for Transition Services" (on or before age 14)
_____*'Individual Transition Plan (16 years or older)
_____*Vocational Testing (14 years or older)
* = General District Requirements (not VI specific)
For Further Clarification: Visual Impairment
On the eye report if exact measures could be not be obtained, an eye specialist must so state and give best estimates.
On the eye report "Prognosis when possible" refers to the doctor's ability to determine a prognosis. If the doctor is unable to report a prognosis then that inability should be noted. No information about the prognosis constitutes a discrepancy.
Documentation should ensure that the functional vision evaluation reflects visual functioning in the environments in which the student functions. These may include, but not be limited to, the classroom, cafeteria, gym, hallway, school grounds, job site, and home. Although the FVE should include data from the medical reports, that information alone is not sufficient. The FVE should include information which can be used as the basis for educational decisions.
There should be a variety of recommendations including modifications to the environment, supplemental aids and equipment, adaptive technology, teaching strategies, physical education, vision related services, assessment strategies, testing strategies, and areas of needed instruction in compensatory skills areas. (These recommendations can be combined with those from the Learning Media Assessment.)
An FVE which (a) does not clearly indicate the student's visual functioning in a variety of environments, or (b) is a restatement of the medical information, or (c) otherwise does not include information designed to assist in educational decisions is out of compliance.
If a clinical low vision evaluation and/or an orientation and mobility (O&M) evaluation was recommended, there should be documentation that the evaluation occurred within a reasonable time frame. Reports should be included in the student's eligibility folder.
In the LIVIA, a statement of need for ongoing assessment to determine appropriate learning media is necessary in this report only if the evaluator is unable to determine a learning media. Typically this occurs when evaluating a very young child, a child with severe and profound disabilities, or when there is a borderline vision determination.
A learning media assessment evaluates:
the efficiency with which the student gathers information through the use o vision, touch, and hearing.
the appropriate learning media and the variety of methods and materials the student uses to accomplish learning tasks
the primary literacy medium the students will use for reading and writing (such as print, large print, Braille, and/or auditory tapes.)
There should be a variety of recommendations including what the learning media should be, modification to the environment, supplemental aids and equipment, adaptive technology, teaching strategies, physical education, vision related services, assessment strategies, testing strategies, and areas of needed instruction in compensatory skill areas.
The LMA may be combined with the functional vision. evaluation. However, the LMA should be labeled as such. Only a teacher holding a valid certificate to teach students with a visual impairment is qualified to perform a learning media assessment.
For Functionally Blind, "Braille skills" include pre-Braille and/or Braille readiness activities which develop the skills required for Braille reading and writing. These skills may include tactual exploration and discrimination, fine motor coordination, and hand strength. Pre-Braille and/or Braille readiness activities may be appropriate for:
infants and preschoolers
students with multiple disabilities
students who are blind and in the primary grades
older students who are learning Braille due to trauma, deteriorating vision, and/or severely limited visual efficiency.