Tips for Families

In the words of other parents:

“I’ve become an advocate, it’s my job to make the world accessible until he can do it himself. I’ve developed a great deal of anger, I’m just done. The ADA’s been law for 30 years and some people don’t care.” —Family member of a 12-year-old blind child with other disabilities

“I feel like the pandemic has made my children stronger. They have built their tech skills. It’s given them time to delve into their interests.”—English-speaking parent of an 11-year-old and an 8-year-old with low vision and additional disabilities

Wherever you may fall on the spectrum of responses to virtual instruction, you are in good company. Whether you’re fighting for solutions to accessibility hurdles, or trying to keep the successes uncovered through the pandemic, your advocacy alongside your child will help build a world of no limits. Digital content has been a source of frustration, but it’s also a powerful opportunity for barrier-free access to the same content as peers. Know that your child has the right to be able to fully use these educational materials. Appropriate accommodations should be available to your student across environments, and should be as consistent as feasible from learning activities to the assessments that measure them.

Advocacy Strategies Shown to Work

Focusing the team on the shared goal can build a helpful base for problem solving. Remember and remind: everyone wants the student to have access to learning.
Keep organized lists of accessibility shortfalls, when did they occur and how did they impact learning. Identifying technology that is working well can also be very helpful to the team in finding the best solutions.
Ask about contingency plans if educational environments will change.
You have the right to bring an advocate with you. Parents and consumers groups may be able to recommend an advocate in your area. For more on rights during the IEP process, find an explanation of your procedural safeguards from the Parent Center Hub.
Ask for meetings as needs arise. Your child does not need to struggle until next year’s IEP meeting rolls around.
Prepare for meetings by reviewing documents. Make notes for yourself about key points you want to address with the team.
Be assertive rather than aggressive. It is easier to find collaborative solutions if no one at the table is feeling defensive.
Be sure to read documents carefully before you sign them. If asked to sign a document during the same meeting it was created, you can ask to take it home and review it, and agree on a date where you will return a signed copy or a response.
Conclude meetings by confirming agreements and action items to keep everyone on the same page. Send a follow up email with the same information.

Involvement

A silver lining to the fluctuations in educational environment seen throughout the COVID-19 pandemic was many families getting more detailed insights into their child’s school experiences. If you feel like you have seen a new window into how your child accesses curriculum, you are in good company. Many teachers have found this experience inspiring them to continue improved collaborations with families as they come back to the in-person classroom.

Expanded Core Curriculum for Visual Impairment (ECC)

The ECC includes a range of skills commonly impacted by blindness or low vision. The ECC is usually represented by nine domains: assistive technology, career education, compensatory skills (including braille), independent living skills, orientation and mobility (O&M), recreation and leisure, self-determination, sensory efficiency, and social interaction skills. Not all areas of the ECC can be robustly addressed across educational technology media. Orientation and mobility is a commonly given example of a domain of the ECC that suffered under the transition to online. Students may need additional in-person instruction in the ECC in coming years to catch up on lost learning.