Accessible Test

Expanded Core Curriculum

Adventure ECC: The Hatlen Center Guide

(New)
Purpose

To provide teachers of students with visual impairments, certified orientation and mobility specialists, parents, and other members of the educational team with quick, creative lessons designed to teach skills related to the expanded core curriculum to secondary students in school, home, and community settings

Project Staff

Loana K. Mason, Project Leader

Patricia Maffei, Author/Consultant

Patricia Williams, Consultant

Background

In spite of the fact that instruction in the expanded core curriculum (ECC) has been identified as an important goal of The National Agenda for the Education of Children and Youth with Visual Impairments, Including Those with Multiple Disabilities, teachers of students with visual impairments report that it is difficult finding the time and resources required to consistently and systematically address the plethora of skills contained in the following domains of the ECC: assistive technology/technology, career education, compensatory access skills, independent living, orientation and mobility, recreation and leisure, self-determination, sensory efficiency, and social interaction. This is particularly problematic because it is these specialized skills that allow students who are blind and visually impaired to access the core curriculum and to ultimately have the opportunity to attain the intended post-secondary outcomes afforded high school graduates. However, given the shortage of qualified personnel, oversized caseloads, the extensive time it takes to produce accessible instructional materials, the need for specialized knowledge of adaptive techniques, and emphasis on demonstrating adequate yearly progress on core-curriculum standards, instruction in the expanded core curriculum is often provided in a haphazard fashion. Furthermore, it is often difficult to achieve generalized use of these skills due to time constraints that affect communication between the teacher of students with visual impairments, classroom teachers, related service providers, and parents.

In order to facilitate systematic instruction in the ECC for secondary students with visual impairments, it would be beneficial to provide ideas for lessons, including suggestions for adaptive strategies and aids, which could be easily executed across all the student’s environments by any member of the educational team. Given the extensive heterogeneity among the population of learners with visual impairments, including those with additional disabilities, a sequential and leveled curriculum is impractical. A collection of lesson plans produced like recipe cards would create an individualized and dynamic curriculum that could easily be tailored to accommodate a variety of needs, interests, age levels, and ability levels. Given the fact that most middle and high school students do not have a scheduled daily class devoted entirely to mastery of the ECC, these specialized skills are often embedded within other content on an as-needed basis. Unfortunately, this can lead to the development of splinter skills that are not generalized across situations and environments. However, the availability of short, easy-to-implement lessons would increase the likelihood of direct instruction in the ECC being provided regularly by any member of the educational team in the most naturally occurring context. Furthermore, lesson plans produced in a recipe format would facilitate the understanding of adaptive techniques and the procurement of adaptive aids needed for the execution of the targeted skill. Hence, this type of curriculum would facilitate systematic instruction in the ECC while helping the student and the educational team realizes that mastery of the ECC is essential to success in the core curriculum and in life after school.
Work during FY 2009

In March 2009, Patricia Maffei, program director of the Hatlen Center for the Blind, proposed a guide containing lesson plans and suggested adaptive aids and techniques that would facilitate instruction in the ECC across a variety of environments by all members of the educational team, including parents. Both the Product Evaluation Team and the Product Advisory Review Committee approved this product for development in April 2009. Contract negotiations were completed in September 2009 with Patricia Maffei and Patricia Williams, Executive Director of the Hatlen Center for the Blind, and the process of writing lesson plans began.

Work planned for FY 2010

It is anticipated that this product will take two years to develop. During the first year, the goal is to have a prototype created that is ready to be submitted for expert review and/or field testing.

Cortical Visual Impairment

Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) Projects and Needs

(Continued)
Purpose

To help APH determine both short and long term goals for future research and product development in the CVI field

Project Staff

Christine Roman, Ph.D., CVI Project Leader

Erica Rucker, Research/Project Assistant
Background

The groundwork established by the CVI Synergy Group in 2002 led to the completion of several projects in 2004-05. The Research Department named Christine Roman as part-time Project Leader. Several projects were developed from the list of ideas presented by CVI Synergy in May, 2002. Plans to establish a CVI Advisory Committee were begun. The CVI Advisory Committee will resume the work initiated by the CVI Synergy Group. This Advisory Committee will provide input to the Project Leader in terms of future projects and field testing of new CVI products.

Work during FY 2009

The project leader and staff will continue to work on a comprehensive functional vision evaluation designed for students with CVI. The CVI Starter Kit will now be integrated into the CVI Evaluation Kit. It will include materials and suggestions designed to adapt objects and two-dimensional materials according to the specific characteristics associated with CVI. CVI Sequences was completed and is expected to be available by the end of 2009 or early in 2010. CVI Challenges is currently being redesigned according to the comments provided by the field reviewers. Updates have been made to the APH CVI Web site and requests for additional postings or submissions to the web site are on-going. The CVI Advisory Group suggestions, devised when they met in August 2008, were integrated into to a Statement of Purpose Paper. This paper provides guidelines that may be useful in the development of CVI products for APH. The paper also attempts to clarify distinctions between students who have CVI from those who have visual perceptual disabilities. The paper has been submitted to The Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness.

Work planned for FY 2010

The CVI Evaluation Kit continues to be developed. It is based on the CVI Range developed by Christine Roman. The Kit will contain a copy of Cortical Visual Impairment: A Guide to Assessment and Intervention published by the American Foundation for the Blind. The evaluation kit will contain assessment techniques, guidebooks, & photo supplement support materials. In addition to the CVI Evaluation Kit, the other major projects will include the development CVI early literacy materials. The CVI Stick & Stay Kit continues to be developed in conjunction with the Multiple Disabilities Project Leader. Updates to the CVI Web site will continue to be made.