|
The National Agenda: A Brief History and
Summary The National
Agenda for the Education of Children and Youths with Visual Impairments,
Including Those with Multiple Disabilities is a grass-roots reform movement aimed
at improving the education of students with visual impairments as well as
students whose multiple disabilities include visual impairment. The movement
centers on a document by the same name and that outlines a set of priorities
which are stated as goals (Corn, Hatlen, Huebner,
Ryan, & Siller, 1995; Huebner, Merk-Adam, Stryker, & Wolffe,
2004). As affirmed in
the movement's 1998 Report to the
Nation, "The National Agenda came about because of an
acknowledgement that children and youths with visual impairments are not
consistently or universally receiving the quantity or quality of educational
services appropriate for their special learning needs" (Corn &
Huebner, 1998, p. 3). Stakeholders
such as parents, professionals, organizations, and individuals with visual
impairments participated in the development of the National Agenda and
continue to work on achieving its goals. Its structure consists of a Steering Committee
with parents and professionals serving as co-chairs, National Goal Leaders (NGLs), State Coordinators, and working groups. The efforts of
the movement are organized around several priorities related to the education
of children and youth with visual impairments, and these priorities are
stated as goals. They include those components of education for students with
visual impairments that were identified in 1994 as most in need of
improvement. Through a collaborative process that began at that time,
hundreds of stakeholders in the field of blindness and visual impairment
provided input on goals they believed had the highest likelihood of being
achieved as well as the greatest potential for positive impact (Corn &
Huebner, 1998). The number of goals identified and selected at that time
totaled eight (Corn et al., 1995). Today there are ten (Huebner, et al.,
2004): Goal 1: Students
and their families will be referred to an appropriate education program
within 30 days of identification of a suspected visual impairment. Teachers
of students with visual impairments and orientation and mobility (O&M)
instructors will provide appropriate quality services. Goal 2: Policies
and procedures will be implemented to ensure the right of all parents to full
participation and equal partnership in the education process. Goal 3:
Universities with a minimum of one full-time faculty member in the area of
visual impairment will prepare a sufficient number of teachers and
orientation and mobility (O&M) specialists for students with visual
impairments to meet personnel needs throughout the country. Goal 4:
Caseloads will be determined based on the assessed needs of students. Goal 5: Local
education programs will ensure that all students have access to a full array
of service delivery options. Goal 6: All
assessments and evaluations of students will be conducted by or in
partnership with personnel having expertise in the education of students with
visual impairments and their parents. Goal 7: Access
to developmental and educational services will include an assurance that
textbooks and instructional materials are available to students in the
appropriate media and at the same time as their sighted peers. Goal 8: All
educational goals and instruction will address the academic and expanded core
curricula based on the assessed needs of each student with visual
impairments. Goal 9:
Transition services will address developmental and educational needs (birth
through high school) to assist students and their families in setting goals
and implementing strategies through the life continuum commensurate with the
students' aptitudes, interests, and abilities. Goal 10: To
improve students' learning, service providers will engage in ongoing local,
state, and national professional development. In 2007, the
National Agenda Steering Committee agreed that these ten national goals
should concentrate their efforts by aligning their priorities with Goal 8.
This goal focuses on the educational needs of students with visual
impairments in the expanded core curriculum (
For additional,
up-to-date information about the National Agenda go to the website of California
School for the Blind. References Corn, A. L., Hatlen, P., Huebner, K. M., Ryan, F. & Siller, M. A. (1995). The
national agenda for the education and children
and youths with visual impairments, including those with multiple
disabilities. NY: AFB
Press. Corn, A. L &
Huebner, K. M. (Eds.). (1998). A report
to the nation: The national agenda for the education of children and
youths with visual impairments, including those with multiple disabilities,
revised. NY: AFB Press. Huebner, K. M., Merk-Adam, B., Stryker, D., & Wolffe,
K. (2004). The national agenda for the
education of children and
youths with visual impairments, including those with multiple disabilities. NY: AFB |