THE
CCSEC VISUAL IMPAIRMENT
VISION STATEMENT
The vision of the CCSEC Vision Impairment team is to serve as
positive, collaborative, efficient, resourceful, members of the
campus team regarding the evaluation/identification
of students meeting the eligibility criteria for the instructional
service of VI and utilizing scientific research-based, peer reviewed
practices for fostering student success that actively engages
students in the therapy process as well as modeling/sharing
information with the classroom teachers.
What is Visual Impairment?
The
terms partially sighted, low vision, legally blind, and totally
blind are used in the educational context to describe students with
visual impairments. They are defined as follows:
- "Partially sighted" indicates some type of visual problem has
resulted in a need for special education;
- "Low vision" generally refers to a severe visual impairment,
not necessarily limited to distance vision. Low vision applies
to all individuals with sight who are unable to read the
newspaper at a normal viewing distance, even with the aid
of eyeglasses or contact lenses. They use a combination of
vision and other senses to learn, although they may require
adaptations in lighting or the size of print, and,
sometimes, braille;
-"Legally blind" indicates that a person has less than 20/200
vision in the better eye or a very limited field of vision (20
degrees at its widest point); and
- Totally blind students learn via braille or
other non-visual media.
Visual impairment is the consequence of a functional loss of vision,
rather than the eye disorder itself. Eye disorders which can lead to
visual impairments can include retinal degeneration, albinism,
cataracts, glaucoma, muscular problems that result in visual
disturbances, corneal disorders, diabetic retinopathy, congenital
disorders, and infection.
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about the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
