Not all students will have the same transition needs. The students interests, needs, and additional disabilities will guide the transition process. It is important to involve the student in planning the IEP as well as involved in planning for their future. Be respectful of the students interests and aspirations when assisting students and families in the transition from school to post-school activities.
As the student advances through high school, and particularly in the student's senior year, the Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI) will gradually expect the student to do more for themselves. At this point the student with low vision should be using their optical devices without difficulty and problem solving when to use them. The student should be able to advocate for their own visual needs and become increasingly independent to the extent possible. This includes expecting the student to be increasingly responsible for their own needs and solve problems independently.
As the student advances through high school, and particularly in the student's senior year, the Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI) will gradually expect the student to do more for themselves. At this point the student with low vision should be using their optical devices without difficulty and problem solving when to use them. The student should be able to advocate for their own visual needs and become increasingly independent to the extent possible. This includes expecting the student to be increasingly responsible for their own needs and solve problems independently.
As part of the transition plan and as part of developing self determination, encourage the student to:
Set goals for the future.
Develop a plan to achieve their goals.
Make choices about everyday activities.
Know their rights and responsibilities.
Understanding their strengths, challenges, likes and dislikes.
Understanding their accommodations.
Assist the student in developing career awareness, completing career interest inventories, and information to assist students in evaluating their academic skills and career interests. The plan should be flexible enough to allow changes in the course of study and still meet graduation requirements.
Transition services are a coordinated set of outcome-oriented activities for a student that promotes the movement (or transition) from school to post-school activities. The coordinated set of activities is based on a student’s needs, preferences, and abilities and may include: Instruction and related services; community experiences; development of employment; post-school adult living objectives; daily living skills instruction; and a functional vocational evaluation.
The outcome-oriented process for the transition aged student means working at a job. The post-school activities presented by transition may include:
Post-secondary education,
Vocational training,
Integrated and/or supported employment,
Continuing and adult education,
Adult services,
Independent living services, and
Community participation. Transition services are a coordinated set of outcome-oriented activities for a student that promotes the movement (or transition) from school to post-school activities. The coordinated set of activities is based on a student’s needs, preferences, and abilities and may include: Instruction and related services; community experiences; development of employment; post-school adult living objectives; daily living skills instruction; and a functional vocational evaluation.
Individual Plan for Employment (IPE) The student along with the educational team will define an employment goal and develop an IPE. The IPE is designed to match a student’s unique vocational strengths, abilities, and interests. The IPE and related individualized education program (IEP) should be aligned to ensure a unified plan of employment for the student.
Transitioning to College For some transition age students, obtaining college degree is necessary step towards reaching the employment goal. In this situation, the team will guide student’s choice of where to attend college.
How Can the School Help? Helping students prepare for competitive employment requires a systematic approach to career development. To prepare students for employment, the IEP team can:
Create work-based learning opportunities such as job shadowing, mentoring, and work experiences with the student;
Utilize assessments to effectively assist students prepare for employment;
Make academics relevant to the world of work by noting employment applications or reading, writing, computing, thinking, etc;
Discuss a student’s strengths and needs
Help students understand their disability and how to request accommodations in higher education and employment settings; and
Align accommodations provided in school with those the student may realistically receive in post-secondary education and employment settings.
Additional Transition Resources...
Trief, E., & Feeney, R. College bound: A guide for students with visual impairments. This resource book by AFB Press addresses everything a student needs to know to prepare them for the transition from high school to college. Topics include developing organization, note-taking, test-taking, study skills, managing living space, student-teacher relationships, social life, academic life, and extracurricular and leisure time activities.
Career Connect is an employment information resource developed by the American Foundation for the Blind for job seekers who are blind or visually impaired. Provides employment information, career exploration tools, and extensive job seeking guidance for students and adults with vision loss and the professionals who work with them.
The National Technical Center on Blindness and Visual Impairment focuses on providing employment outcomes for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Whether you are interested in employing someone who is blind or visually impaired, provide services to individuals who are blind or visually impaired, or have a visual impairment yourself, this site will serve as your headquarters for resources and technical assistance.
College Success @ Perkins is a new program, designed for high school graduates who want to be fully prepared for college. The program goal is to equip students to get the most out of college by encouraging academic and personal growth, with a focus on preparing students to live on their own. The nine month program, which takes place on the campus of the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, MA, instructs students in how to navigate a college campus, how to join clubs and sports teams and how to cook meals in a campus apartment.
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TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC: An Activities Based Curriculum for Teaching Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired
$50.00
Written specifically for fellow itinerant Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI’s), this book consists of over 400 activities and topic areas of discussion for instructing students in the Expanded Core Curriculum. The activities are age-neutral and multi-sensory and therefore can meet the needs of the broad range of students served on an itinerant caseload serving. The activities can be individualized to the students various learning modalities and scaffold in order to challenge students but ensure success. Select those activities that align with the student’s learning objects based on the student’s unique visual needs and academic and developmental level.
The core activities listed in the Activity section can be adapted to each thematic unit. These include:
Object Characteristic Activities
Quantity & Number Concepts
Time Concept Activities
Environment & Job Awareness Activities
Listening Skills Activities
Reading Foundation Activities
Reading Fluency Activities
Braille Basics Activities
Writing Activities
Tactual Efficiency Activities
Developing Skillful Hands Activities
Visual Efficiency Activities
Optical Device Instruction Activities
Recipe Activities
In addition to the core activity areas, each of the 32 Thematic Units incorporates additional unique ECC concepts and skills providing you with a years’ worth of activities. These units are cyclical and can be used repeatedly to help students build on prior knowledge and develop a deeper understanding of concepts. Each unit includes suggestions for activity adaptation associated with the unit. These include lists of objects, possible community based experiences, environmental print, poems, children & young reader books, children's songs, pop culture songs, movies, and websites.
Unique Concepts within the Units include:
Self Advocacy Activities (e.g. advocating for safe classroom, presenting to class on visual impairment, requesting help and more)
Social Skills Activities (e.g. Being bullied or teased, giving and receiving compliments, body language, "I" messages when upset and more)
Recreation & Leisure Activities (e.g. exploring interest areas, getting involved in clubs and sports, playing games, and more)
O&M Support Activities (e.g. Suggestions for community based experiences, dog guide information, locations in the school, bioptics, ride sharing, traffic signs, and more)
Independent Living Skill Activities (e.g. chores, being responsible, using tools, recipe suggestions, hygiene, staying healthy, labeling foods and products, and more)
Sensory Efficiency Activities (e.g. unique sensory experiences related to the unit, unique optical device activities, and more)
Compensatory Activities (e.g. organizing materials, study habits, and many unique concepts related to the unit)
Career & Vocational Activities (e.g. job awareness, completing applications, job task suggestions, and more)
Although the intended audience of this resource is fellow Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments, special education teachers may find these activities beneficial to the students in their classrooms as the activities are multisensory and include life skills and concepts needed by all students. This resource, however, is not intended to take the place of a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI). Readers are advised to consult their own TVI’s regarding instruction in the ECC and the unique visual needs of the student’s served in their programs.
Note: This curriculum is a digital pdf download. Once you make your purchase you will be directed to an order confirmation page where you will find the download link. This download will also be included on the receipt sent to the email address you provide. The pdf download can be found directly under the order number.
Each download is intended for single instructor use per copyright. Thank you for helping me preserve the content and not distributing copies to third parties.
Product details
Digital pdf download: 364 pages (11 pt font)
Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
Visual Efficiency & Magnifier Fluency Grab & Go ECC Supplements
$20.00
This workbook is a pdf download that can be printed on demand for use with students. It contains five different types of worksheets for developing visual motor skills and near magnifier fluency skills particularly with the use of a video magnifier. As a supplement to the TVI’s Guide to the ECC, the worksheets correspond to each of the 32 ECC Thematic units. The worksheets, along with a list of environmental print for each thematic unit, are designed to help students refine their visual motor skills while reinforcing ECC concepts presented in the thematic units.
Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheet Details:
Digital pdf download: 210 pages
Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
