EnVISION a Collaborative Approach to Service a Student with Vision and

Complex/Comprehensive Need

Sammi ZaunerTracy Parent

Charyn Beaumont

Consider This:

For students who have vision issues, the Vision and/or the Orientation/Mobility teachers will be the most consistent teachers that a child will see throughout their school career, often years in succession…..

Consider this:

Yet they are often not considered or are an after thought during the common or central planning times to collaborate with other teachers.

Question One

What challenges have you overcome to provide inclusive education and materials for your students?

Question Two

What are some example of ways you have found to communicate effectively with teachers/teams?

Question Three

How do you collaborate/co-plan with teachers for using paraprofessionals, materials and resources in your students’ classrooms?

Question Four

What are some examples of materials/differentiated strategies that you use?

For example:-tactile object schedule, modified activities, etc.

Steps to Promoting Collaboration

● Create a culture for collaborative and cooperative conversations. -Structure and streamline consistent planning and communication methods -Discuss Shared Leadership and Responsibilities -Common goals, values and mission -Equality and Role Release (sharing the load)

-Shared IEP goals/lesson plans/accommodations/modification

● Create ways to support educational team so they see you as valuable and accessible resource!

Scheduling Collaborative Meetings

● Nothing breeds collaboration as much as being present during planning!

● Find a common time! SCHEDULE that time in!● Relationships will develop given time and lots of

practice● Meetings need to be well organized, orderly,

productive.● Set an agenda prior to the meeting to maintain

focus● Ongoing log should be maintained to see what

has been done and where the next meeting needs to start

Collaboration and Cooperation Questions● Who are team members? Who is lead administrator on

team?

● When/where/how will we meet?

● How can team work collaboratively ?

● How will roles and responsibilities shift?

● Discuss wh? of communication: What to add? When/How often to update? Schedule out important times (IEP, SRC)

Communication and Planning Methods

● Discuss/set up options to open up lines of communication.

-Google Docs & Google student website -SAT team meetings/Grade level -Lunch meetings -Dialog notebook -”Stolen” meetings (back of room/on the spot) -Make and Takes -Lesson plan binders (or electric versions - live binders, website, etc.) -Comprehensive Classroom (mini team) -Email & Electronic Discussion tools

Informal Planning and Evaluation Tools:

Survey: On a scale of 1-10 o How well do you think IEP objectives are being met?o How well do you think you are meeting needs of all students?o How do you feel about the amount of para support student

receiving?o How is support for materials, instructional strategies?

Questionnaire:o Details of gains made by student?o What is working?o What is not working?o What are your needs?o What is the priority?

Sharing Responsibilities for StudentsTeachers may feel they “Own” certain students“Yours” and “Mine” language Working together and sharing responsibilities can change language to “Us” and “Ours”

Image says keep calm because we are a team with color swirls

Shared Leadership: Distributed Functions

-Change task and relationship of traditional “lone leader” and spread among all group members

-Team members can rotate completing certain tasks-All participate in discussion & decision: shared

expertise

-Facilitate transition -Delegate specific roles to members-Systematically switch roles

Sharing Responsibilities for Students

Show how you can help and make it better!!!Help increase expertise and awareness for all: -Academy 39 classes for teacher training -Para trainings (Planned and on the spot)

-Appy hour- Family/team all invited!-Promote student involvement (show how)-Team members can co-create activities/materials, co-treat, co-plan, co-observe-Shared Lesson Plans and provide materials, etc.

Ways to Share Roles/Work Together

Resource Provider- share instructional resources

Switch off who is being the lead and who is doing the supporting

Data Coach- How to use the data collected, explain the data you take for the student and what the outcome will look like for the students.

(Kluth and Caffero)

The Team: Student Involvement

Families often marginalized or feel intimidated. Get their input!!!

Don’t forget importance of student!

Students in Wilmette are formally/informally involved in participation of IEP meeting

Paraprofessionals: Keys to Success

● Resources: Para handbook● Include in meetings when

possible● Train and provide them access

to all info, adaptations,lessons, etc.

● Meet with them weekly ● Keep in “Loop”● Solicit their info, feedback,

suggestions● Show appreciation and validate

their work!

Image is of handout provided to Paraprofessionals

Paraprofessionals: Keys to Success

● Teach paras to fade support!!!● Key is to teach independence● Hovering paras can have negative effect

o (Giangreco et.al 1997) Decreased peer interaction Interference with instruction Dependence on adults

● Answer: Create a FADING plan!

Image of the word communication and picture of a key

Fading Adult SupportWork together to get ideas from team on areas to fade.

-Presume Competence-USE PEERS!!!!! ie: walk with peer to class,Sit with peers at lunch, have peers help problem-

solve-Provide adapted materials promoting

Independence -Teach student to ask teacher to clarify directions -Others?

Lesson Plan Ideas to Collaborate On

Functional and Community-Based Objectives in General Education

-Create co-teaching opportunities-Teacher and Vision Itinerate/O&M,

- LBS and Vision, Related Services and Vision. Paras!-Identify IEP Objectives-Identify Curriculum Content, Environment -Create activities that support both curriculum and IEP

objectives to support student with visual needs-Shared lesson plan with grid of accommodations,

modifications, tools, materials, environment, teacher support, peer interaction.

-SETT

Working Together: Integrating Functional or Community based Objectives into General Education

Examples:-Will follow a schedule using tactile objects/

braille/modified visuals/auditory device-Will initiate a conversation with a peer-Will increase time-on-task-Will initiate, sustain and complete a task-Will ask for a break when over stimulated-Will use guided reach -Will explore tactually to prepare for pre-braille skills Image of a sensory

activity that has red and white balls to demonstrate blood cells

Functional Cooking Curriculum Mixed With Vision Instruction

Expanded Core Curriculum anyone?Explain to the team the adaptions your student needs so that they can implement and teach the proper vision accommodations inside of their already planned lesson.

-Provide or inform the team about the variety of cooking utensils that would be beneficial to make the student more independent.

Image of ScrapTrapper and Nylon Knife

Full Team Approach On Communication

Collaborating with your student’s speech pathologist and classroom teacher to learn how the student’s uses his/her communication system or device. This could include a variety of different communication modes.

-Provide your expertise to customize their speech output device to make sure it is visually appropriate

Image of PEC binder, PEC symbols and audio choice board as communication devices

Social Stories Supply ideas for tactile images to enhance social stories.

Provide information on how the child’s visual impairment may affect social situations and how to best address these concerns with the child and family.

Two images of colorful social stories with tactile graphics

Orientation & Mobility

Collaboration

Image of man with white cane

Open Line Of Communication

Inform team of any changes in students vision

Take note of errors that are observed during the school day to inform O&M to be addressed in next lesson

Image of Cell phone with contacts with text opening the lines of communication

Combined Lessons

Field trips can often be mixed with ECC instruction

General Education Many lessons can link to social studies, math and science curriculums

Comprehensive Field TripsECC and Life skills field trips go hand in hand

Image of student working on orientation and mobility skills walking down a nature path.

Professional Development

Combined lessons to teach to general education staff

For example:Sighted GuideSafety and Environmental

AwarenessClassroom Modifications

Transportation Issues

Combined effort to ensure proper transportation needs and accommodations are addressed

Such as:-Contrasting bus signs-Communication with bus company -Communication with teachers that provide bus

duty-Parent communication-Routes to and from school, in and out of buildings-Crossing Guards

Image of yellow school bus

Team Approach-United Front!

Always support each others decisions in front of student and parents

When communicating possible changes in vision or needs:

Collaborate on message to be sent to parents Send message or hold meeting together

Collaborating with Behavior Specialist

-Work together to figure out whether lack of progress because of behavior or vision

-Create vision lessons that also take into considerations best behavioral instructional strategies that mesh with vision teaching.

Collaboration With Technology Specialist SETT

Figure out best apps, devices, educational technology that is being used across districts