Donna: My son has a visual impairment. What materials do you suggest I get to best advocate for him and receive the services he needs? Right now he is in a private school and receiving vision services only quarterly, no O&M, no braille though we have requested it and the district knows IDEA requires it. We are moving to a different state in June & will likely do another year of private preschool followed by public kindergarten. In the meantime, I am teaching him braille at home and already have the materials to do so. Interested mainly in better understanding the law and procedures to prevent this situation in the future. Any help is much appreciated. Thank you.
I have a visual impairment myself, and I am a freshman in high school. Through having albinism and hearing about my parents struggles with the school, I have a few answers. If he can do large print, I would advise that for a lot of things. It all depends on where he’s at on the scale, closer to print or Braille. Starting early on Braille, even if you’re going slow, is awesome and a definate thumbs up. Though I didn’t personally get involved with Braille until I was older, I can say starting early is THE BEST even if he protests. I remember arguing with my dad for hours while sitting at the kitchen table, finally reading my Grade 1 flash cards at 12 years old. This is more of a “yes you’re doing good” than an answer but I hope it helps!
Your state parent training & information project can assist you in getting the information & training that you are looking for. http://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center