[nabs-l] Special Ed Certification

Fri Jan 31 04:30:50 UTC 2014

A blind person can definitely learn and apply first aid and CPR
intervention to someone in an emergency situation, and call for
trained nurses, paramedics, etc. depending on the type of event. As
for academic work checking, if a student is high enough functioning to
be doing written work of some kind, they should be able to verbally
communicate their process to the blind teacher and respond to pointed
questions.
As for dealing with a violent child, a blind teacher might not be able
to anticipate the exact timing of the punch, but, I imagine, could
learn to tune in to signs that a child is getting wound up.
In addition to the National Organization of Blind Educators list, I
would suggest that perhaps your friend should talk to the directors of
our training centers, who are all blind and have worked with youth and
adult students at the centers with various disabilities. Even though
those students are blind, many of the techniques for working with
multi-disabled students should also apply to working with sighted
multi-disabled students.
The bottom line is that the certification programs' actions are
illegal and the burden of proof is on them to demonstrate that a blind
person cannot accomplish the required tasks. If a blind person can
teach multi-disabled students at a school for the blind, they can
teach those students in any school setting.

Arielle

On 1/30/14, NMPBRAT at aol.com <NMPBRAT at aol.com> wrote:
>
> Hi,
> I'm not sure how much help I can be...but I will try.
> First, and probably my best, suggestion is to post this message to the NOBE
>
>  listserv....this is the listserv for educators.  Although you may find
> assistance here....I think you may also have luck on that listserv  too.
>
> I, myself, have a Bachelors and Masters in Special Education and am
> currently teaching in Ohio.  I have taught for 12 years, working with
> students
> with a variety of disabilities...more on the Mild to Moderate  range....in
> fact, that's my actual area....Mild/Moderate Intervention  Specialist.  I
> have
> actually worked with students with learning  disabilities, higher cognitive
>
> disabilities, ADHD, ODD, Autism, some  behavioral/mental health disorders,
> hearing impairment, vision impairment,  orthopedic impairments, etc.
> Now, I will state that I am legally blind, so I have some usable vision
> (I'm around 20/200 range)....so some of my techniques may not be the same as
>
> someone who is totally blind.  That, however, doesn't mean they can't do it
>
> though...it's just different.   A short little tidbit about my journey
> though....when I was looking at colleges and deciding what I wanted to
> pursue,
> my vocational rehab counselor told me that teaching wasn't a "blind
> friendly  field" and that if I pursued it, I would be making a huge mistake.
>
> Needless to say, I didn't listen to him....course, I've never been afraid to
>
> take the road less traveled.  I have also proved him and many others that
> it
> is possible.....with lots of work....and some advocacy on my part.
>
> Just a couple quick things on working with students.
> 1.  It is amazing how much behavior management can be done just with
> hearing.  I have had multiple students "test" me over the years, thinking I
>
> would not be able to see what they were doing.  And in some cases, they
> were
> right...I couldn't see what they were doing....but I was always able to
> catch
> them just by listening.  They soon realize that when you can catch  them
> doing things without even seeing them, their perspective and behavior
> changes.
>
> 2.  When dealing with academic work.....when I have difficulty seeing  what
>
> they are doing...I use questioning as a technique to determine if they are
>
> doing things correctly.  If you are able to ask them to talk through what
> they are doing....or ask them very specific questions that will give you
> feedback as to whether they understand a concept, you don't necessarily need
>
> to  "see" their work.
>
> 3.  In terms of medical emergencies....that is hard to say because  every
> medical emergency is different.  For example, if a student faints  lets
> say...the other kids, simply out of shock or surprise are going to inform
> you of
> it....its their natural tendency.  You can develop a classroom  atmosphere
> that creates good communication between you and the students.   If you
> develop an atmosphere where you teach the students to care about one
> another,
> they can be your eyes.  Once you know about the emergency, there  are ways
> to
> deal with each situation.
>
> These are just some thoughts off the top of my head.  If I think of  more,
> I will pass them along.  Like I said, the other listserv would  probably be
>
> helpful too.
>
> If you have further questions, feel free to email me off list as  well.
>
> Nicole
>
>
>
> In a message dated 1/30/2014 8:50:15 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
> jsoro620 at gmail.com writes:
>
> Hello,
>
>
>
> There's a student in Texas who is having  difficulty obtaining a
> certification in special education. The student has  been told they would
> be
> better off pursuing a second Master's to become a  vision itinerant teacher
> or using the credentials they have to be a  counselor in the state's
> vocational rehabilitation agency. The student  would rather work with
> general
> special ed, specifically elementary-age  students with behavioral
> disorders.
> Unfortunately, there are a lot of  concerns about making special
> accommodations and the student's independent  ability to make certain
> observations. Now, I have zero experience in  education, special or
> otherwise. Are there people here who have, or are,  pursuing this type of
> career path who could pass along some tips for  success? The student is a
> hard-working 4.0 GPA achiever. It seems generally  and legally incorrect
> that
> placements in general special education classes  suddenly disappear when
> the
> student informs the coordinators they are  blind. Further, the student
> should
> not be sent to a state school for the  blind by default just because the
> student is blind. Any thoughts, advice  and referrals would be welcomed.
> Thanks in  advance.
>
>
>
> --
>
> Twitter: @ScribblingJoe
>
>
>
> Visit  my  blog:
>
> http://joeorozco.com/blog
>
>
>
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