This newsletter is not an endorsement of any organization or product that may appear.

The Pennsylvania Bureau of Special Education (BSE), in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) is sponsoring a year-long opportunity for early career (three years or less) special education teachers, teachers of the deaf, teachers of the visually impaired, special education administrators, and school psychologists to benefit from the knowledge and expertise of special education professionals with five or more years of experience. The application for mentees is currently open.

For questions or more information, reach out to Tim Knight tknight@pattan.net

If you as a TVI/COMS, and/or your student, could benefit from the Monarch complete this application ASAP. Monarch Training Application (Page 1 of 7) (office.com). APH already has 200 applicants submitted applications already and they will start selection soon. There are lots of pre-requisites required but keep in mind that this Monarch is $20,000.

Dr. Rona Pogrund (Special Education Department, College of Education at Texas Tech University) is conducting a study to evaluate and validate a new scale designed to guide TVIs and COMS in analyzing their workload. The purpose is to determine if this scale, Visual Impairment Scale of Staffing Pattern Analysis (VISSPA), will be an effective and useful tool when analyzing workload time per week.

• The initial review will take no more than 10 minutes to read

• Complete VISSPA for your workload (this would involve a VISSIT on each student)
• Complete a short electronic survey (no longer than 30 min.) to provide feedback
• This study will last for one semester
• Send a copy of your VISSPA results, with no identifying information, via email after you have completed the survey
• There is no identifying information on the demographic information sheet in the survey about you as the vision professional.
• There is no compensation for your participation.
• Benefit of participation is use of the new tool to help quantify TVI and/or COMS workload time
  
• You may stop participating at any time in the study if you become uncomfortable completing the study.
  

If you are interested in participating, please email Dr. Rona Pogrund at rona.pogrund@ttu.edu before October 15, and you will be sent a copy of the VISSPA with instructions on how to complete it.

The educational definition of visual impairment, as outlined by IDEA, determines eligibility for special education services and the need for specially designed instruction to access the educational curriculum across multiple settings. Unlike medical definitions of visual impairment, the educational definition does not stipulate any diagnostic criteria measurements (e.g., visual acuity such as 20/70, a visual field such as less than 20°) nor diagnosed eye condition. While it is best practice to ask for an eye report during the assessment for eligibility and reevaluation process, one cannot be required, nor can a visual acuity and/or visual field range be stipulated.

Read more on the PaTTAN Blindness/Visual Impairment webpage, and/or watch the short recording (13 min.) explaining the OSEP Memo on Visual Impairment Eligibility from 2017.

This publication addresses how the Learning Media Assessment is used to help individualized education program (IEP) teams when developing IEPs for students who are blind or visually impaired.

This Teachers’ Desk Reference defines the legal requirements for Chapter 15/Section 504 services, explains how students are determined eligible for Chapter 15/Section 504 services, and describes the teacher’s role in educating students who receive these services.

• Access to the monthly newsletter
• Virtual discussion recordings
• Flyers for BVI state and local events
• Federal Quota permission forms
• Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) documents specific to BVI
• General resources and more

Locate the sign-up form towards the bottom of this newsletter.

PaTTAN's Blindness/Visual Impairment Initiative has a logo. Look for our logo to quickly identify BVI specific publications, trainings, and more. When present in out newsletter clicking the image will take you to the PaTTAN Blindness/Visual Impairment webpages.

Check out new items in the short term loan. Look for the features that your student needs and try a couple out!

• Annotated IEP: This annotated document provides guidance on the development of the Individual Education Program and includes guidance pertaining to the October 2020 revision to Act 26 related to postsecondary transition. Note: The annotated IEP was reformatted on June 14, 2021. Features were added to enhance navigation, search capabilities, and previewing individual sections. The content did not change. Users may select the “Interactive Annotated IEP” or the “ADA Compliant Annotated IEP.” Locate Special Considerations: Blindness/Visual Impairment on page 17.
• Annotated IEP Companion Checklist: The purpose of this document is to support the participation, development, and implementation of an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Each section provides questions to help guide discussion. Utilize the IEP Planning Notes column to support your planning and participation for an upcoming IEP meeting.
• Teacher Desk Reference: Preparing for IEP Meeting: Teachers are integral members of the Individualized Education Program (IEP)team and may be responsible to lead activities related to planning and gathering information for the IEP meeting. This Teachers’ Desk Reference provides information to assist teachers in following established timelines and procedures. This publication also offers tips to help teachers organize preparation tasks that result in sound IEPs that meet state and federal regulations.
  
• BSE/OVR - Inviting OVR to the IEP Meeting: This BSE/OVR MOU publication details the LEA's responsibilities and OVR's responsibilities when the LEA invites OVR to the IEP meeting.
  

• The Special Education Evaluation/IEP Process: This flowchart shows the steps to be followed and the decisions to be made by LEAs to meet the requirements for evaluation and development of IEPs for students with disabilities.

• The Special Education Reevaluation/IEP Process: This flowchart shows the steps to be followed and the decisions to be made by LEAs to meet the requirements for reevaluation and development of IEPs for students with disabilities.
  

• Writing Effective IEP Goals: Central to the creation of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) by the IEP team, is development of measurable annual goals, which are based on a student’s current levels of academic and functional performance, and which should align to and reference the Pennsylvania standards. This publication focuses on the components of a well-written measurable annual goal.

• Formative Assessment: Monitoring the Progress of Students with IEPs - Progress monitoring is the ongoing process of collecting and analyzing data to determine student progress toward attainment of educational goals. This fact sheet outlines the seven steps of progress monitoring.
  

Registration now OPEN!

Join us at HELIX 2023 in Lancaster, PA from November 15th through the17th. We will be brining in state and national speakers on the following topics:

• O&M for students with physical disabilities
• Make n 'takes: Tactile graphics and Tools for students with multiple disabilities
• Communicating with the public as someone with deaf-blindness
• CVI: Protocol, O&M, Auditory Processing, Vision Plans
• Essential Tools of the Trade for Deaf-Blindness
• Active learning
• General education sessions on visual impairment and deaf-blindness

Learn about specific topics and speakers on the HELIX website or this flyer about the Blind/Visual Impairment and DeafBlind strands.

The Penn-Del AER Chapter is pleased to present the Call for Concurrent Session Presenters and Call for Poster Presenters for the 2024 Penn-Del AER Conference. They invite you to submit a proposal. The conference will be held in-person in Harrisburg. The theme for the 2024 conference is “Shared Stories: Magnifying Our Impact.” We encourage all education and rehabilitation professionals to share their expertise by presenting their fresh ideas, innovative insights, successful programs, or research results at this well-respected annual event.

Download the call for papers on the Penn-Del AER website.

Did you know that PaTTAN has a monthly BVI Family Newsletter? The BVI Family Newsletter for March includes information about the Parent UEB survey, ESY Determinations, summer camp options (more to come in future newsletters), and a family special education quick start guide. We encourage you to share this resource with families and check it out yourself!

• Sign up

All families of children who are blind or visually impaired (BVI), deaf or hard of hearing (DHH), or deaf-blind (DB) are invited to sign up for the PaTTAN Family Resource Group.

The goal of this group is to send out resources, event information, and contacts that can benefit your family and child. It is an easy way for you to get updates and take advantage of any available opportunities.

For more information:

• Watch our 2-minute video
• Contact us by email: FamilyResourceGroup@pattankop.net
• Check out the PaTTAN website for additional information!
• Sign up today: Blind-Visual Impairment Initiative and Family Resource Group Sign up

Resources to share with families:

• Family Resource Group Information
  
• Family Resource Group Poster
  
• Family Resource Group Flyer
  

Do you know families who may be interested in connecting with other families of children who are blind or visually impaired? APH (American Printing House for the Blind) FamilyConnect and the Chicago Lighthouse have partnered together to provide a virtual support group that connects on the first Wednesday of every month from 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm (ET). Visit the FamilyConnect website to view additional details and resources.

AER continues with synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities, with a discount if you are an AER member. AER is releasing has a slew of exciting upcoming live opportunities , which can be viewed on their events page. They also created an extensive library of recorded courses, presented by experts in the field. Complete your continuing education from anywhere: home, work, even at the park! Every webinar on this site is approved for ACVREP credits and will provide a certificate upon completion.

The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) Hive offers a variety of free online courses for vision professionals and educators to increase their ability to respond to the needs of students with visual impairments. This “one-stop” for professional development offers ACVREP continuing education units upon successful completion of a course.

The APH ConnectCenter includes FamilyConnect, CareerConnect, and VisionAware – a hub of websites that offer curated advice and resources to assist children, parents, adults, job seekers who are blind or visually impaired, and their associated professionals, leading to greater independence and success in their lives.

Access Academy is your one-stop resource for the meaningful education and training webinars you need to get the most out of APH products and services. From tutorials on new products and hacks on how to get the most from your beloved tech, to information on resources, services, and programs: our goal is to give you the info you need for home, the classroom, and the workplace.

APH is also hosting many live events, including a focus on transition. Visit the APH Connect Event page to register for live online learning opportunities and earn ACVREP credits.

Eschenbach Academy is an "online educational platform designed to supplement the knowledge and training they currently provide via in-person and webinar formats. Eschenbach Academy’s educational content ranges from interactive low vision courses, low vision training modules and general business courses useful for practice managers and owners.

This new eLearning platform provides training content that will help you and your staff become more efficient and effective in providing low vision care to your patients who have a vision impairment. In so doing, it will allow your low vision care service to deliver even more successful outcomes for both your patients and your practice."

Hadley offers a variety of free online learning opportunities in the following categories:

• Daily Living
• Recreation
• Braille
• Adjusting to vision loss
• Technology
• Vision loss

*Sign-up/log-in to get access to the entire training.

Perkins School for the Blind has a number of offerings for those working with students with visual impairments to increase their knowledge and skills. Visit the following sites to learn more:

• Perkins eLearning - Professional Development
• Accessible Science
• College Success
• Paths to Literacy
• Paths to Transition
• Paths to Technology

We encourage all supervisors and professionals in the field of visual impairment to sign up for access to our drives. We will be posting recorded presentations, resources and much more! Sign up today! Select your group below to request access.

• Supervisor Access Request Form
• Professional Access Request Form

PaTTAN East - 333 Technology Drive Malvern, PA 19355

• Jenifer Edgar - jedgar@pattan.net - Educational Consultant
• Tess Nasehi - tnasehi@pattan.net - Statewide BVI Family Consultant

PaTTAN Central - 6340 Flank Drive, Harrisburg, PA 17112

• Greg Gerhart - ggerhart@pattan.net - Educational Consultant

PaTTAN West - 3190 William Pitt Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15238

• Tim Knight - tknight@pattan.net - Educational Consultant
• Greg Lazur - glazur@pattan.net - Educational Consultant