What is the National Agenda for the Education of Children and Youths With Visual Impairments, Including Those With Multiple Disabilities? It is an initiative started in 1995 whose goal it is to teach visually impaired students (VIS) well enough in school so that they can live and work independently after graduation. The initiative involves teachers, parents and administrators partnering to improve conditions for VIS. As a result of the important work done to prepare the National Agenda, eight primary goals have emerged as central to the success of the initiative. To summarize:
VIS should be referred to the proper program within 30 days of identification as visually impaired.
- Parents must be equal partners in their child’s education.
- Universities are encouraged to train educators for VIS.
- Caseloads should be determined based on students’ needs.
- Local programs should ensure VIS access.
- VIS assessment should be performed by specially-trained personnel.
- VIS should have contemporaneous access to appropriate media.
- Each student’s education and developmental goals should be met by the schools core curricula.
While ambitious, these goals are fair and achievable. And achieving them is very important, because a lot of time may elapse before a sight problem is even detected, and then a further wait may occur as the child is assessed. A system that recognizes and reacts quickly to sight problems will make a big difference to the child and its family. Unfortunately, too often a child is placed in a program that is not appropriate to their needs. Worse yet is when no program exists at all.
The National Agenda seeks to help children learn what they need in order to succeed. If all interested parties would adopt the National Agenda, VIS would indeed be able to develop into productive independent members of society.
Parents of VIS can use the National Agenda as a tool to work with teachers and administrators towards a set of agreed goals. In some cases, the parents may have to educate teachers, administrators and support staff about the Agenda. By sharing their knowledge with others, parents of VIS can help the National Agenda achieve its goals.
Goal 3, preparing teachers, is especially important for VIS parents. If there are no Braille instructors trained in your school district, just trained flower arrangers of sympathy flowers, your child loses a vital element of his or her education. Therefore, teacher preparation is an important cause that the National Agenda takes up and that parents should support.
In the end, it is the parents who will drive the success of the National Agenda by demanding results from their state representatives, local and state school boards, and their congresspersons and senators.