[nabs-l] For the first time, Virginia will fully fund the education of its blind K-12 students

[Kaiti Shelton]

Hi Brandon,

Of course I agree with you, and I think just about everyone would, but this
was one of those cases where the people involved in the decision-making had
no idea about what the were doing. My question is if students with visual
impairments just like everyone else who is considered special Neds, why
were their needs left out or not thought about in the same way? I know we
can sometimes be baffling for people because one minute we might receive
services outlined in am Iep and then might walk right into an honors or AP
level class, or might perform just as well as the traditional students
academically in general, but that part doesn't make sense to me.

On Friday, May 10, 2013, Brandon Keith Biggs wrote:

> Now this is awesome!
> I'm just baffled though, why was this made a problem in the first place?
> Sighted kids get taught how to read, why not blind kids?
> and I think being a TVI is one of the most difficult jobs in the world and
> to have so many kids that you are forced to cut your time to 30 minutes a
> child a week is just insanity of the first level!
> Thanks,
>
> Brandon Keith Biggs
> -----Original Message----- From: Corbbmacc O'Connor (by way of David
> Andrews<dandrews at visi.com>)
> Sent: Thursday, May 09, 2013 9:11 PM
> To: david.andrews at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [nabs-l] For the first time, Virginia will fully fund the
> education of its blind K-12 students
>
>
> NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND OF VIRGINIA
> Dr. Fredric K. Schroeder, President
> 9522 Lagersfield Circle • Vienna, VA 22181
> (703) 319-9226 • fschroeder at sks.com
> www.nfbv.org
>
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
> CONTACT: Tracy Soforenko, (202) 285-4595, tracy.soforenko at verizon.net
>
> For the first time, Virginia will fully fund the
> education of its blind K-12 students
> Delegate Bob Brink to be honored for exceptional leadership
>
> ARLINGTON, Va. — Delegate Bob Brink (D-48), who
> led the advocacy  to increase funding for
> teachers of blind students, will be recognized
> today with the Commonwealth Award by the National
> Federation of the Blind of Virginia (NFBV)—the
> Commonwealth's largest and oldest organization of
> blind people and the leading advocate for braille literacy.
>
> For years, the Virginia Department of Education
> has published Standards of Quality (SOQ), which
> define minimum student-teacher ratios and provide
> partial salary support to school divisions to
> fund special education teachers who work within
> Virginia's schools. Unfortunately, unlike all
> other disabilities, teachers for the blind were
> excluded from the SOQ, leading to enormous case
> loads in many school divisions. Through Delegate
> Brink’s advocacy—supported by the National
> Federation of the Blind of Virginia—Governor
> McDonnell committed to fully fund the state share
> for staffing standards for blind and low vision
> students. The amended 2012-2014 budget addresses
> this inequality and funds teachers for Virginia’s
> blind and low vision students.
>
> "Parents of blind children are frustrated that
> their children are not learning the blindness
> skills necessary to compete with their sighted
> peers," said NFBV President Dr. Fredric
> Schroeder. "We cannot expect students to learn
> braille and independent travel when teachers for
> the blind are forced to limit instruction to 30
> minutes a week. Because reading and writing is a
> fundamental skill for all students, we are
> excited that blind students will now receive the
> quality education that they deserve."
>
> Brink, who represents north Arlington and most of
> McLean, said, "This is a long overdue step for
> the 1,000-plus blind and low-vision students
> across Virginia who are blind or have low vision.
> The budget will provide $4.9 million funding to local school districts."
>
> The award ceremony is open to members of the
> media, and will feature remarks from Brink, a
> member of the Arlington County School Board, and
> advocates. It will be held May 9 at Tutto Bene
> Restaurant (501 N. Randolph St; Arlington) at 7 p.m.
>
> ###
>
>
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>


-- 
Kaiti