"Life-Changing Outcomes for Exceptional Kids"

Instruction for Students Who are Visually Impaired

First Children School offers specialized services for students who are blind or visually impaired.  We two full-time teachers of the visually impaired (TVI) on staff which has broadened our ability to provide individual and consultative sessions to our students registered with the Commission for the Blind.  In addition to providing support to our teachers and therapeutic staff regarding the selection, position and illumination of materials, our TVIs are able to assist with the design of classroom environments that are conducive for students with cortical and other visual impairments.

An eye gaze system has been introduced by our occupational therapy department in conjunction with our TVIs.  Our speech and language pathologists and physical therapists have also been involved with regard respectively to communication and positioning.  The eye gaze system offers training for looking, tracking, and activation, as well as other purposes such as communication.

 

Elizabeth Clark is a school supervisor and a Teacher for the Visually Impaired (TVI) at First Children School.  Elizabeth has been within the Special Education field for ten years.  She received her Bachelor of Science Degree Criminal Justice from New Jersey City University.   She earned a Masters in the Arts of Teaching with a concentration and certification in Special Education and Early Childhood Development P-3 and a Master’s in Education with a certification from the College of New Jersey (TCNJ).  Currently, Elizabeth is furthering her education at Seton Hall University’s Executive Cohort program where she will be pursuing her K-12 supervisor certification, principal administrator, and Ed.S/Ph.D.  Her philosophy is to become a voice of advocacy, to educate all students who are blind/visually impaired, and to inform and educate families in order to provide educational support for their children’s future.

Rachael Schupak is a teacher of the blind and visually impaired (TVI) at First Children School.  In this role, she provides direct vision instructions to students, applies consultative measures with teachers for all material visual modifications and environmental adaptations, and adopts visual assessment driven reports during annual IEP meetings.  She received her early childhood education P-3 degree and reading endorsement/specialist from Rowan University and earned her master’s degree in TVI at Dominican College.  Miss Schupak is an enthusiastic practitioner of the visually impaired and a lifelong learner who continues to educate herself and others in the field of vision.

 

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Specialized Services for Students Who are Blind or Visually Impaired

  • Direct Educational Services

    Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) Instruction including Braille, assistive technology skills, and independent living skills

    Services delivered by a teacher of the visually impaired  (TVI) in the most appropriate environment including resource room, pull-out, and push-in

     

  • Specialized Classroom Design

    TVI support for our teachers and therapeutic staff regarding the selection, position, and illumination of materials

    Classrooms designed to meet each student’s accessibility and safety needs

     

  • Specialized Therapy

    Occupational therapy

    Use of eye gaze system for training in looking, tracking, and activation

    Speech therapy assisting with communication

    Physical therapy

    Care coordination across our multidisciplinary team

  • Assessment Services

    All assessments conducted by a TVI to determine each student’s visual abilities and needs

    VISSIT: Visual Impairment Scale of Service Intensity of Texas

    Functional Vision Assessments

    Pre Braille Assessments

    Learning Media Assessments

    Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) Scale Assessments

  • Consultative Services

    Collaboration between our multidisciplinary team and each student’s child study team to create a comprehensive IEP that includes academic, social and emotional, and functional activity goals

    TVI participation in child study team meetings

    TVI training and consultation for teachers, therapists, teaching assistants on effective strategies for working with students with VI

    Parents/caregiver education and consulting to forge a continuum of care at home and at school

  • Accessible Learning and Assistive Technology

    Implementation of the ECC educational modifications, materials, and techniques to meet each student’s individual needs coordinated by a TVI

    Use of closed caption television (CCTV) for viewing text and images in a larger platform

    Partnership with the Commission for the Blind to provide learning materials

Vision Skills Tutorials for Families by Rachael Schupak, Teacher of the Visually Impaired

  • Maintaining Visual Attention

    Maintaining visual attention is an essential visual skill that all children should practice. In this video, families will learn what visual attention is, what the four quadrants are, and what strategies they can use to practice maintaining attention.

  • Shifting Gaze

    Shifting gaze also plays a role in getting children to build on communication skills such as making choices. In this video, families will learn about what shifting gaze is and how it ties in with maintaining visual attention and tracking.

  • Tracking

    Tracking is an important life skill that is needed to help children engage and respond to their surrounding environment. In this video. families will learn how to practice tracking with a child and what strategies can be used when working on this visual skill.