This week, we pay homage to teachers and the tireless work they perform and the meaningful impact they have on our children's lives. Teachers of students who are visually impaired work with a wide variety of students every day. They provide educational services to students of all ages and ability levels who are learning academic skills, as well as skills needed for success outside of the classroom.
AFB CareerConnect has developed a wide variety of resources for teachers working with students who are blind or visually impaired. These CareerConnect lesson plans provide teachers of students with visual impairments (TVIs) and specialists with plans, ideas, and activities relevant to career exploration, preparation for employment, and navigating the employment process as a blind jobseeker.
Our online Professional Development pages offer education resources for professionals. Teachers, educators, and other professionals will find books and electronic materials in the AFB Store.
Not all educators teach in schools. Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapists (CVRTs) teach adaptive independent living skills, enabling adults who are blind or have low vision to confidently carry out a range of daily activities. CVRTs work with individuals in their homes, rehabilitation facilities, and employment settings. Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialists (COMS or O&Ms) teach the skills and concepts that people who are blind or have low vision need in order to travel independently and safely in the home and in the community. O&Ms teach safe and independent indoor and outdoor travel skills, including the use of a long cane, electronic travel devices (such as GPS), public transportation, and sighted guides.
A TVI is the central figure on the educational team for your child with a visual impairment. TVIs demonstrate adapted ways of doing everyday activities and methods of participating in the school curriculum, conducting various assessments of your child to determine abilities and needs, using a low vision device, or independent living skills. These skills are often known as the expanded core curriculum (ECC).
The ECC is most frequently taught in specialized schools for students who are blind, and is not yet fully incorporated into the curriculum of mainstream schools. Due to lack of funding, however, many teachers are not prepared to help children who are deafblind, deaf or hard of hearing, blind, or visually impaired develop to their full potential. To ensure that educators have the resources necessary for providing the education their students deserve, the Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act (H.R. 1120) was re-introduced in Congress in February 2017.
The Cogswell-Macy Act is the most comprehensive special education legislation for students with sensory disabilities to date. This act seeks to expand the resources available to these students, and their parents and educators, through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Teachers play a critical role in educating and shaping our children: the future leaders of our country. They are kind, patient, hard-working, dedicated and understanding professionals that mold our children’s lives in a positive direction. We entrust our children with the teachers, and they affect their lives on a daily basis.
For all that you do, teachers, we salute you!
