Instruction for Students Who are Visually Impaired

First Children School offers specialized services for students who are visually impaired or have deaf-blindness.  We have a  full time Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI) who 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 classroom and therapeutic staff regarding the selection, position and illumination of materials, the TVI is 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 TVI.  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 our  Teacher for the 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.  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).  Elizabeth was recently accepted to Seton Hall University’s Executive Cohort program where she will be pursuing her K-12 supervisor certification, principal administrator, and Ed.S.