[blindkid] Expanded Core Curriculum Feedback

[Penny Duffy]

  ECC includes things like braille instruction, O&M  and other blindness
skills.  For some reason I have a hard time getting it. I think its with
the wording. It seems to be a catch all of all the extra stuff a blind
child needs to learn from school and home.

I found the following at the Perkins website.
The Nine Components of the Expanded Core Curriculum

Compensatory and functional academic skills, including communication
modes Compensatory
skills involve the adaptations necessary for accessing the core curriculum,
which can include: braille, tactile symbols, sign language, and recorded
materials.
Orientation and MobilitySkills to orient children who are visually impaired
to their surroundings and travel skills to enable them to move
independently and safely in the environment.
Social Interaction Skills

Since nearly all social skills are learned by observation of the
environment and people, this is an area where students with vision loss
need careful, conscious and explicit instruction.
Independent Living Skills

This area includes the tasks and functions people perform in daily life to
optimize their independence - skills such as personal hygiene, food
preparation, money management, and household chores.
Recreation & Leisure Skills

Skills to ensure students' enjoyment of physical and leisure-time
activities, including making choices about how to spend leisure time.
Career Education

Students with vision loss benefit most from an experiential learning
approach. Structured visits to community sites and discussions with people
who perform various jobs, enable
them to understand concepts and specific skills that are needed to be
successful in those jobs. Considering the national rate of unemployment or
underemployment
of working-age adults who are blind is 70% -75%, this area needs attention
throughout the school years to help students with vision loss develop
marketable job skills.
Assistive Technology

Assistive technology is a powerful tool that can enable students with
vision loss to
overcome some traditional barriers to independence and employment.
Sensory Efficiency Skills

Skills that help students use the senses – including any functional vision,
hearing, touch, smell, and taste – to access skills related to literacy and
concept development.
Self-Determination

Skills to enable students to become effective advocates for themselves
based on their own needs and goals.
--------

Most of it is blindness skill wrapped up in a different sounding package.

Does Christopher get a lot of O&M in the community?  Abby made cookies in
O&M yesterday (I think it was a step and listening activity since her
instructor didn't do anything).  They go to the shopping a lot and she
works with Abby to ask for help when she needs that. Now a lot of things
can be done at home but I think it reinforces those things to have someone
else following up with it.  I would guess the more he gets out the better
he will learn.  (I know you keep Christopher busy at home)

ECC is in Abby's IEP and its what they use to pay for the programs Abby's
has gone to at the Perkins School for the Blind.  I will hopefully adjust
it as she gets older when she can go to programs at some of the NFB
centers.

Abby's O&M instructor has TVI students too and depending on the age is she
has them call the state to ask for supplies for NH AIM.  She always at
having the student do thing for themselves.

I found an article that mention ECC in future reflections.
http://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/fr/fr26/issue3/fr260304.htm

Beyond that I am still confused but it helps me to call ECC  blindness
skill.
-penny

On Fri, May 11, 2012 at 8:18 AM, <SCDUFFLEY at aol.com> wrote:

> Hello Everyone:
>
> I am having a struggle with ECC goals that are meaningful and  specific.  I
> have asked my team to evaluate his current strengths as it  relates to
> these goals.   Does anyone know of any specific resources  of IEP sample
> statements for ECC for a 5th grader?  The real struggle  is in the
> self-help,
> independent and self advocacy area.  No one seems to  want to touch
> teaching him
> home skills (other than four to five tasks a year -  like opening a jar).
>
> Thanks for your input,
>
> Christine  Duffley
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-- 
--Penny
----------
A lucky mother to two amazing children - visionfora.blogspot.com