Week #7: Guidelines that a student in Florida is eligible for VI services

    The guidelines and definitions that determine a student's eligibility for the Program for the Visually Impaired in Florida have broadened since I originally became a TVI in 1993. Back then it was strictly dictated by best visual acuity after best correction or a specific amount of loss of field of vision. Due to the changes in Federal Law through IDEA, the state of Florida has had to expand its definition to include students that have enough lack of ability to learn through sight in educational settings that they require assistance from the Program for the Visually Impaired.
     Consequently, this new definition now allows students that were once ignored by the Program for the Visually Impaired to receive services. For students struggling with cortical blindness, or visual issues where the problem is in the brain processing of visual stimuli, not the physical eye itself, this is great news! What didn't change is the need for parental consent,  a Medical Eye Report and the need for completed assessments in functional vision, learning media (print, Braille, or audiobooks), and Orientation and Mobility assessment of functional vision. These reports and assessments are the basis for developing an appropriate IEP for students with exceptional needs in visual impairment.  The assessments provide evidence that a student is not able to process visual stimuli to the point that it affects his/her ability to perform educationally within the classroom.
     Finally, this change in the definition for eligibility for VI services also includes students that have been diagnosed with eye conditions that will progressively hinder their ability to learn visually, (i.e. - retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, or any disease affecting vision loss). Again, parental consent, a medical eye report, and the aforementioned assessments are necessary to keep the students in this case scenario eligible for services from the Program for the Visually Impaired. This change helps students dealing with a progressive loss of vision access to receive the appropriate assistance needed to prepare them to perform in their educational setting.