[Nfbv-announce] #1 Priority of legislative agend of NFBV at Richmond Seminar

[John Bailey]

2016 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FROM THE BLIND OF VIRGINIA


Priority #1: Virginia's Blind Students Deserve Literacy Equal to their
Sighted Peers



Action:  Co-patron HB 166 (Patron Delegate Cole, 88th District) which
requires a research-based assessment of the literacy needs of Virginia's
blind and low vision students as a component of a student's Individual
Education Plan (IEP).



Issue:  Visually impaired students in Virginia are not obtaining the
literacy skills to achieve future employment. Since most visually impaired
students have some residual vision, students are taught to read using large
print, even when Braille, or a combination of large print and Braille, would
best meet the students' current and future needs. While Braille is the
presumed reading media, Virginia schools are teaching Braille to only 100 of
Virginia's 1,200 blind and low vision students. Thus, Virginia's blind and
low vision students are falling behind their sighted peers because they are
not provided the literacy skills to keep pace. While 70% of blind Americans
are unemployed, 90% of those who are employed know Braille. The future
success and employment of Virginia's blind and low vision students depends
on literacy. Virginia has no specific requirements for the reading media
assessment. As a result, bias, cost, and familiarity often drive the use of
large print, when Braille, or both large print and Braille, would best meet
the students' current and future needs.



Solution:  HB 166 requires use of a research based, data driven and valid
literacy assessment tool. The literacy assessment must provide the IEP team
of parents, teachers, administrators and the teacher for the visually
impaired student an objective recommendation for meeting the student's
current and future needs, as compared with sighted peers. Existing literacy
assessment tools meeting this standard include a free tool developed by
Louisiana Tech University, the National Reading Media Assessment (NRMA).
Since the entire assessment can be completed in just over an hour, the NRMA
could be easily performed annually. The 2015 Fiscal Impact Statement was $0.
In 2014, the identical bill, SB 291 (Patron Senator Carrico, 40th District)
/ HB 228 (Patron Delegate Cole) passed the full Senate and the House
Education Committee. In 2015, the identical bill, HB 1325 (Patron Delegate
Cole), passed the House Education Committee. The National Federation of the
Blind of Virginia urges your support of HB 166 (Patron Delegate Cole).