Ardis Bazyn and Sheila Styron share advice, from the student's perspective, on how to make college a successful experience. They cover a range of topics, including Choosing the Right College or University, Using Disabled Student Services, Knowing the Laws that Affect You, Training and Recruiting Readers and Drivers, Working your guide dog on campus, Auxiliary Aids and Services for Students with Disabilities, and Contacting Advocacy Organizations of the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Source: American Council of the Blind
Paths to Transition Resources
The resources in this section are designed to offer support to families, teachers, and other service providers working with transition-age youth who are blind or visually impaired.
This site provides a good overview on the effect of visual impairments on learning, types of assistive technology, and the kinds of accommodations provided at colleges. Includes a list of scholarships and grants.
Source: Affordable Colleges OnlineThis 185-page guide addresses the importance of self-determination, student involvement in the transition process, instruction and assessment, and much more (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).
Source: Council for Exceptional ChildrenThis article suggests bringing a buddy to an IEP meeting, and also lists strategies for parents to try if it appears that the meeting will be stressful; also available in Spanish.
Source: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI)The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) offers resources on advocacy for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Resources are organized into the following categories:
- Technology
- Employment and Rehabilitation
- Education
- Civil Rights
- Health
- Policy Research
Identifies various types of transition assessment, guidelines for conducting an assessment, and criteria for selection of assessment tools.
Source: National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (NSTTAC)This document helps parents prepare their children for legal majority. It explains guardianship, the transfer of rights, and considerations about graduation.
Source: National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET)
The Advocacy and Governmental Affairs staff of ACB (the American Council of the Blind) advocate on a wide variety of issues for people who are blind and visually impaired. Efforts are focused on issues related to accessibility and health care, with information on legislative action, policy and more.
For more information, see: https://acb.org/content/advocacy
The ARC of Massachusetts has a comprehensive webpage on Advocacy and Self-Advocacy: http://thearcofmass.org/resources/advocacy/. While a number of the resources are specific to Massachusetts, much of the information is applicable to residents of other states as well. The site includes a wide range of resources, such as:
- Center for Public Representation (CPR)
- Disability Info
- Disability Law Center
- The Disabled Persons Protection Commission (DPPC)
- Governor’s Commission on Intellectual Disability
- Massachusetts Advocates for Children
- Massachusetts Advocates Standing Strong (MASS)
- Massachusetts Aging and Disabilities Information Locator
- The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination
- Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council (MDDC)
- Massachusetts Families Organizing for Change (MFOFC)
- Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
- The Massachusetts Office on Disability (MOD)
- Medicaid Reference Desk
- New England ADA & Accessible IT Center
ADDP's mission is to promote and ensure the strength of the community-based provider community and its members so that our members can be successful in improving the quality, access and value of community based services. To that end, the ADDP is committed to enhancing the political, financial and professional/educational health of member organizations that care for people with disabilities, including developmental disabilities and acquired brain injuries, and their families.
For more information see: http://addp.org/
Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL) is "a frontline civil rights organization led by people with disabilities that advocates to eliminate discrimination, isolation and segregation by providing advocacy, information and referral, peer support, skills training, and PCA services in order to enhance the independence of people with disabilities."
Career Readiness Assessments Across States: A Summary of Survey Findings by Jennifer McMurrer, Matthew Frizzell and Shelby McIntosh (2013) is a summary report describing how states are defining career readiness and which assessments states and districts are using to measure this attribute. The report is based on a survey administered in the summer of 2013 to state directors of career and technical education (CTE) or their designees about career readiness assessments. A total of 46 states completed the survey, counting the District of Columbia. Also available on this site are four related papers containing additional details on the main topics covered in the summary report, including the responses of specific states, and profiles of major career and technical assessments.
An overview of the elements of community-based rehabilitation; in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese.
Source: World Health Organization (WHO)A helpful checklist of features to consider when searching for a living situation for an elder with visual impairment. Includes environmental, staff, and policy issues.
Source: VisionAwareCOFAR, Inc. is a statewide nonprofit organization in Massachusetts established in 1983 to advocate on behalf persons with intellectual and other developmental disabilities, such as autism, and on behalf of their families and guardians.
For more information see: http://cofar.org/
The mission of EYE Retreat is to provide an opportunity for youth with visual impairments to experience a glimpse of post secondary outcomes (employment, college, etc.) through development of mentoring relationships, real world applications, and identification of available resources.
The 2016 EYE Retreat will be held July 23 to July 30 in Raleigh, NC. It is designed to teach students all the college success skills they will need. In 2015, they hosted 51 students from 2 countries and 8 states. Their mission is to provide a mock college experience for students with visual impairments to prepare them for higher education through peer mentoring and real world skills. Go to http://goo.gl/forms/cLXiIYc0Km to apply. Slots are limited.
For more information, see: http://www.eyeretreat.org/
A discussion of community-based rehabilitation, a description of projects in Uganda, and recommendations that are applicable to projects in other locations. Also available in PDF.
Source: Community Eye Health JournalThe necessity of understanding and integrating local culture into community-based rehabilitation programs. Also available in PDF.
Source: Community Eye Health JournalThis chapter from Sustainable Development and Persons with Disabilities: The Process of Self-Empowerment introduces community-based rehabilitation and assesses its possibilities and limitations.
Source: Africa Development ForumThis overview of community-based rehabilitation has links to related documents, including a matrix for designing a CBR strategy.
Source: World Health Organization (WHO)