It is important to work with teams to get student materials on time for accessible formatting.
Many a Teacher for the Visually Impaired (TVI) has been frustrated by wanting to provide accessible materials for their students with visual impairments, working hard to track down general education materials, while ultimately feeling like a “nag” to the general education team and a failure for not succeeding in getting the general education materials in time to prepare them in accessible formats for their students. This problem is multifaceted and doesn’t usually stem from a lack of team members wanting the best for the student. General education team members and TVIs alike genuinely want their shared students to have access to materials and to succeed. However, the systems in play for schools to create the curriculum and the last-minute changes that are a reality in adjusting on the fly for student’s needs in the general education classroom can be obstacles that many find impossible to overcome.
What can the Teacher for the Visually Impaired do about accessible material formatting?
Well, starting with a mindset of flexibility, innovation, and respect for the challenges of the general education team is important! Don’t get “stuck” expecting the broken system to suddenly start working. Next, ask questions, observe, and listen. If the teacher tells you that they don’t have access to the curriculum until a few days before, advocate for the teacher to get materials earlier from the admin, or the department. The teacher or curriculum department might also benefit from being given additional days (during the school day with a sub for their classes) in order to plan and prepare in order to provide materials ahead of time, and meet FAPE for the student with visual impairments to have accessible materials at the same time as their peers, not weeks later. Often the increased planning time needed for a general education teacher when teaching a student with visual impairments falls through the cracks, leaving everyone frustrated. Instead, advocate for both the student and the teacher by respectfully opening a dialogue with administrators who can provide the teacher with additional planning time or additional support to create the plans or curriculum ahead of time.
“on the fly” accessible materials
As for “on the fly” materials, teachers may have a file folder in a cabinet or a document on their computer that they print off at the last minute. Often those are inaccessible and/or in the form of puzzles, crosswords, etc. that can’t be quickly OCR’d and made digitally accessible. Explaining this to teachers and asking them to choose review or remedial materials ahead of time so that you can prepare them “just in case” will reduce stress levels for the general education teacher, TVI, and student. It’s ok to prepare more material than is ultimately used in the classroom, but it’s not ok to not prepare enough material for the student to have appropriate access to classroom materials. Better to have and not need, than to need and not have…just like toilet paper!
Find out more about Free And Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).
