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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Hi Shelley:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>YOu are absolutely correct. Tvis do teach student
woo are blind and visually impaired as well students with additional
disabilities who are blind and visually impaired. Like you, the majority of my
caseload are students with additional disabilities who are nonberbal, cannot
walk and have developmental disabilities. In addition, a few of my students are
also medical fragile. All my students receive other related services from ot,
pt, speech therapist etc and it is indeed beneficial to collaborate with the
other related service providers that teach this population. My aapologies for
not includfing this group of students when discussing the expanded core
curiculum . Students with additional disabilities who are blind and visually
impaired must be taught skills in the expandedd core curriculum. I have one
student that I've been teaching independent living skills although modification
is needed when teaching a particular skill. This student is visually impaired
and has developmental disabilities, is nonverbal and is nonambulatory. The
majority of my visually impaired students I teach skills within visual
efficiency. With regard to my glind students with additional disabilities, I
etach prebraille concepts to those students and usually need to assist each
blind student to tactilely explore a tactile illustration as I read aloud a book
in braille. I also hav a few students who are cortical visually
impaired. Two students canonly see large itesems and aother student has cvi and
has autism whom I've successfully taught the student has to request two items
appropriately using the picture exchange communication system whichhas a
pictureof an item the student needs to look at, hand the picture to me and can
receive the item. I've labeled each picture in braille to ensure that I present
the correct picture to my student. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Sara Rooz</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>