New York State
School for the Blind
Family Information
(Published September 2003)
Updated 8/06
(Word)
Figure
1: The first NYSSB school building
New York
State School for the Blind History
The school
has a long and illustrious history that began in 1868. During the years immediately following the
Civil War, an awareness of the needs of persons with disabilities came into
focus. This led to the establishment in
many parts of the country, of programs to serve individuals with
disabilities. In 1868, in Batavia, New York, the New York State School
for the Blind was officially opened, its purpose to provide a public education
for children who were blind utilizing a curriculum adapted to meet their
special needs. The campus was much
larger and activities included: Broom making, rug weaving, wood working,
farming and raising poultry, raising plants (Green House), Boy Scouts, Girl
Scouts, Wrestling, Typing, Guitar, Mandolin, organ and piano lessons.
NYSSB has graduated many
recognized citizens. Students have gone
on to careers in teaching, piano tuning, performing, broadcasting and many
other professional areas. The NYSSB Alumni Association is very active and meets
for an annual weekend in Batavia
each June. Several alumni offer
professional and social assistance with our outreach efforts, which serve blind
students from districts for special weekend and weeklong programs.
Over
the years the school has changed in many ways, but its mission has remained
constant. The school has consistently provided an appropriate education to
students to assist them in skills of independence and reaching their personal
and professional goals.
New York State
School for the
Blind
Web
site: http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/nyssb/home.html
James L.
Knowles, Superintendent
We are happy to
present this packet of information to you to demonstrate our commitment to
educating your child, keeping him/her safe and to challenging him/her to
develop appropriate skills of independence.
We take our job very seriously and invite you to join us in these
efforts by communicating regularly and participating in the process. Together we can get the job done.
Our mission, through day and residential programming in a safe and
nurturing environment, is to provide a foundation of learning to enable each
student to become a contributing member in a diverse society, to achieve their
highest level of independence and to afford them the ability to live in a least
restrictive environment.
Goal #1:
Students receiving special education services will meet high educational
standards.
Goal #2:
Students with disabilities will integrate with their non-disabled peers and
community members throughout their education experience.
Goal #3:
Students with disabilities will transition into living and working in as
integrated a community setting as possible.
Goal #4: NYSSB
will demonstrate good stewardship of its human, fiscal and physical resources.
Goal #5: All services for which NYSSB is responsible will
meet high standards and continuously improve.
Note: It is our intent to send you revisions to any
of the contents of this packet with instructions to replace certain pages. If you require further information please do
not hesitate to call.
Table of Contents
Leadership Team
and Board of Visitors
1
Standing NYSSB
Committees
..
. 2
The Learning
Standards and Alternate Performance Indicators
for Students with Severe Disabilities
.
6
The NYS Alternate Assessment for Students with Severe
Disabilities
.. 9
NYSSB Automated
Telephone System
10
Who to
Call
11
Policy for
Visiting NYSSB and Parent Apartment
12
Student
Rights
.
... 13
Sexual
Harassment and Discrimination
14
Title IX,
Section 504 Age Discrimination Act Grievance Procedures
19
Effective
Communication between Parents and Staff
22
Confidentiality
24
The Prevention
of Child Abuse
...
..
25
MultiDisciplinary
Team
28
Important
Information on Regulations and Rights
... 31
Criteria for
Determining Appropriate NYSSB Placement Option
... 32
Development of
Class and Residential Placements
33
Attendance
Procedures
. 34
Transportation
.. 35
Student
Spending Accounts
36
Clothing
37
Parent
Association of NYSSB
.
38
Steps to
Resolving Concerns
39
NYSSB Health Center
.. 40
Residential
Services at NYSSB
42
Support and
Related Services
. 45
Strategies for Crisis Intervention and
Prevention (SCIP-R)
And Behavior Management
Plans
.
. 46
Speech Therapy and
Audiology
... 47
Orientation and
Mobility
.. 48
Adapted Physical
Education
. 49
Assistive Technology Center
(ATC) and School Library
...... 50
Occupational Therapy and Food/Meals/Feeding
Program
51
Physical
Therapy
.. 52
Guidelines for: Repair or Replacement of
Your Childs
Wheelchair Parts or Accessories
.. 53
Guidelines for: Obtaining Durable Medical
Equipment for Your Child
54
Transition
. 55
Pre-Vocational, Music Therapy and Braille
Instruction
..
... 56
Outreach
Programs
.. 57
American Printing House Textbooks &
Materials
.. 58
Lions Clubs
.. 59
NYSSB Alma
Mater
. 60
Leadership Team
The NYSSB Leadership Team consists
of the managers and other supervisors with key responsibilities for the major
program and operations areas of the school.
Members include:
James
L. Knowles, Superintendent
Thomas
Sawran, Assistant Superintendent
Richard
Apps, Nurse Administrator
Laraine
Caton, Department Head
Suzanne
Wheeler, Department Head
Deborah
Stamp, Department Head
Michael
Lauria, Plant Utility Engineer 3
Board of Visitors
The Board of Visitors is composed
of seven Board Members who are appointed by the Governor. Our current Board Members are:
Charles
Ruffino, President
John
Bartimole, Vice President
Anna
Korus, Secretary
Pamela
Maryjanowski
James
MacConnell
Elaine
Powers
Responsibilities of the New York State School
for the Blind Board of Visitors
(as established by Section 4403 of Title 6 of the New York State
Education Law)
The Board of Visitors shall visit
and inspect the school, recommend the appointment and approve the removal of
the superintendent, and have such other powers and duties as may be required or
authorized by the Board of Regents.
Standing NYSSB Committees
The
school has a comprehensive system of standing committees that meet on a regular
basis to address all administrative and program issues. These committees all flow from the Leadership
Team and are charged with specific tasks.
An annual calendar, announcing membership and tracking all committee
dates, is published and distributed to all staff.
Leadership Team - Monthly
James L.
Knowles, Chair
The Leadership Team consists of the managers and
other supervisors with oversight responsibilities for the major program and
operations areas of the school. This
includes the Assistant Superintendent for Business, the Department Heads, the
Nurse Administrator, and the Plant Utility Engineer 3. It is the responsibility of the Team to
implement the schools strategic plan.
This includes all decisions on Capital Construction, Policy Development
and Implementation, Human Resources, Budget and Quality Assurance.
Each Leadership Team Member is charged with
establishing committees and conducting regular meetings to address their job
responsibilities in a manner that supports our Strategic Plan. Each committee makes recommendations back to
the Leadership Team for discussion and sign off by the superintendent. The following committees have been
established to address student and program issues.
Program Committee Weekly
James
Knowles, Chair
The
Program Committee consists of Leadership Team members with Program Development
and Oversight responsibilities. The team
focuses on coordinating all school concerns and integrating all program
initiatives, activities and efforts.
Student Care Review (SCR) Twice a Month
Joann Tiede, Chair
Student
Care Review consists of Program Leadership Team members, Social Worker, School
Psychologist and the Behavior Management Specialist. This confidential committee reviews all
Incident Reports for the month and analyzes them for any trends for injury,
repeated occurrences, etc.
A
Sub-committee of SCR, consisting of Leadership Team members has the
responsibility to review all investigations and bring every incident to closure
by signing off that all recommendations have been implemented and proper
actions have occurred to prevent further incidents.
Individual Student Issues (ISI) As Needed
Classroom Instructor with the Issue,
Chair
Each
Classroom Instructor is charged with the responsibility of calling a meeting of
all direct care providers for any specific student with an issue that needs
discussion. The meeting is designed to
address the issue by gathering information, opinions, advice and then formulate
a plan to address it.
CORE Monthly
Laraine Caton, Chair
This
committee focuses on staff development initiatives and conducts the annual
survey to determine the top ten training needs for both educational and
residential staff development and inservice training. The committee coordinates all of the
Curriculum and Staff Development training days and also continues to address
sensory enhancements, curriculum initiatives and integration. We have recently begun planning SEA training
days.
Sensory Enhancement
Laraine Caton, Chair
This
is a sub group of the Core Committee.
This group of volunteers is concerned with the outdoor and indoor
environment. It looks to improve and
maintain the quality of outdoor and indoor resources and activities.
Strategic Plan Committee
James L. Knowles, Chair
This
committee establishes the mission, vision and goals for the schools Five-Year
Plan. The committee meets at least
annually to review the Strategic Plan and update it if necessary.
Conference Planning Committee As Needed
Michelle Ruble, Chair
With
guidance from CORE and the CSPD and approval from the superintendent, this
committee plans, organizes and presents staff development activities and
programs for the three specified Superintendent Conference Days.
Joint Health & Safety Quarterly
Superintendent, Chair
This
committee consists of representatives from both unions who meet to discuss
health and safety issues of the school and to make recommendations to the
superintendent for improvements.
Five-Day Residential Supervisory Meetings Weekly
Deborah Stamp, Chair
Meets
weekly to discuss implementation of programming in the residential
program. The meeting is conducted to
address staffing concerns, appropriate implementation of policies and
monitoring, and issues of the week.
The
group determines, along with input from the CSPD Committee, the topics and
speakers for the weekly Wednesday afternoon (1-2PM) in-services for residential
staff.
Instructor Meetings Quarterly
Suzanne Wheeler, Chair
The
instructors meet on a regular basis to discuss curriculum, testing and program
issues and changes, along with any other topic on their minds.
Related & Support Services Meetings Weekly to
Quarterly
Laraine Caton, Chair
Each
group of related and support services staff meet either weekly, biweekly or
monthly to discuss implementation of their services and to discuss ways to
enhance the services. A quarterly meeting is held with all related and support
services staff to discuss current topics, committee updates and to share
"what's something good that's happening in your department".
Feeding Disorders Monthly
Dianne Sneath, Chair
This
committee reviews each students diet prescription and feeding program
yearly. Members include educational,
dietary, occupational therapy, residential, nursing, and behavior program
staff. The students diet, weight and
height, feeding/mealtime methods used and progress are discussed and changes
made as needed. Feeding programs are
based on the students IEP and may be reviewed more frequently if he/she is
experiencing a feeding problem.
Health Center Staff Monthly
Richard Apps, Chair
All
nursing staff meet to discuss policy and program implementation along with
system and student specific issues and the most appropriate ways to address
them.
Emergency Management Planning Committee Quarterly
Thomas Sawran, Chair
This
committee develops and maintains plans to be followed in the event of an
emergency situation. Their goal is to
improve NYSSBs preparedness level to keep students and staff as safe as
possible by removing or preventing them from possible harm.
Psychotropic Drug Review As Needed
Joann Tiede, Chair
This
committee reviews all prescriptions for psychotropic drugs to assure that the
student is not being medicated to a level that is unnecessary. It also reviews the data collected on each
student who is on a psychotropic drug to assure that the drug is doing what was
prescribed to do.
Human Rights Committee As Needed
Bethany Burgess, Chair
This
committee meets to review the behavior plans for the 7-day residential
students. It reviews the plans to ensure
that parents and physicians have given written informed consent and that the
students rights have not been compromised.
Transition Monthly
Laraine Caton, Chair
This
committee a) provides continuous training to all staff as to the specific
transition implications for all students; b) assures implementation of the
NYSSB transition process; c) assures that individual transition issues and
needs are incorporated into each students IEP; d) develops and implements a
post graduation satisfaction survey tool; and e) continuously works to improve
the NYSSB transition plan/process.
Technology Committee - Weekly
Michelle Ruble, Chair
This
committee oversees the Educational Technology Center
which includes the Student Assistive Technology
Center, the Media Center
and the Library. This team consists of a
TVI, and representatives from Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy and
Media. Assistive Technology Services
direct assessment and instruction to students are provided, as well as
hands-on/inservice training and instructional resources/materials distribution
to educational and residential staff.
Investigation Committee Two Times a Year
Laraine Caton, Chair
NYSSB
has a team of trained investigators that includes all Program Leadership Team
Members, all direct care supervisors and several select staff members. The Committee is charged with designing the
process by which all NYSSB investigations are conducted. The committee meets to assure that all
investigators are consistent in their approach and up to date on regulations.
MultiDisciplinary Team Weekly
Suzanne
Wheeler, Chair
This committee functions
as the decision-maker for all educational and transition decisions and
residential placement issues, including Intermediate Care Facility
placement. It meets weekly to review
students individual education programs.
The Learning Standards and
Alternate Performance Indicators for Students with Severe Disabilities
The mission of the New York State Education Department is to raise the
knowledge, skills and opportunities of all the people in New York by providing leadership for a
system that yields the best-educated people in the world.
The Standards, as defined by
the New York State Curriculum and Assessment Council,
are the knowledge, skills and understandings that individuals can and do
habitually demonstrate over time as a consequence of instruction and
experience. The Standards for students with severe disabilities are the same
standards that have been approved by the Board of Regents for all
students.
However, alternate performance
indicators on a basic functional level of age 5 were developed to reflect
appropriate educational outcomes for students with severe disabilities. All students at NYSSB are included in the
population of students who work toward acquiring the skills included in the
Alternate Performance Indicators below.
The goals and objectives on your child's IEP reflect these
indicators.
The standards and performance indicators will assist school personnel
and families in understanding what students with severe disabilities need to
know to attain the highest level of performance. IEPs linked to the standards
provide the framework for IEP development across the years and across the
curriculum, provide consistency when students move from school to school or
school district to school district, strengthen system-wide use of
standards-based instruction and assessment and promote inclusive special
education services and collaboration among special and general educators. It is
important for instruction to take place in school, community, home and work
settings for students with severe disabilities.
Some students with disabilities will obtain an individualized education
program (IEP) diploma based on achieving the educational goals specified in
their current IEP. These educational goals are set by the MultiDisciplinary
Team (MDT) and must be linked to the Learning Standards and to appropriate
performance indicators. Appropriate performance indicators for some of these
students may be on the elementary or intermediate level. However, there is a small
percentage of students within this group of students, students with severe
disabilities, for whom even the elementary level of performance indicators are
not appropriate. These students require alternate performance indicators
appropriate to their abilities and needs.
Alternate assessment formats are
necessary to allow students with even the most significant disabilities to
demonstrate their mastery of skills and attainment of knowledge. Assessment
tasks reflect "real world" integrated performance skills to assist
with planning for long-term adult outcomes. The demands posed by these
assessments include the full range of outcomes and abilities desired of
students and create multiple strands of evidence showing students' abilities,
their processes of learning and their achievements. An alternate assessment
captures a students growth or change over time and integrates curriculum
content and instructional strategies. Such integration allows
parents/caregivers, teachers and others to gain a rich understanding of what
the student can do and his/her progress in reaching the standards and can be
used at the local level to assist the MultiDisciplinary Team in making
appropriate recommendations, designing programs and planning for a student's
transition from one program to another.
ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS
Standard 1 Students will read, write, listen and
speak for information and understanding.
Standard 2 Students will read, write, listen and
speak for literary response and expression.
Standard 3 Students will read, write, listen and
speak for critical analysis and evaluation.
Standard 4 Students will read, write, listen and
speak for social interaction.
HEALTH, PHYSICAL EDUCATION, AND FAMILY AND CONSUMER
SCIENCES
Standard 1
Students will have the necessary knowledge and skills to establish and
maintain physical fitness, participate in physical activity and maintain
personal health.
Standard 2
Students will acquire the knowledge and ability necessary to create and
maintain a safe and healthy environment.
Standard 3 Students will
understand and be able to manage their personal and community resources.
MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Standard 1
Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering
design, as appropriate to pose questions, seek answers and develop
solutions.
Standard 2 Students will access, generate, process
and transfer information using appropriate technologies.
Standard 3 Students will understand mathematics and
become mathematically confident by communicating and reasoning mathematically,
by applying mathematics in real-world settings and by solving problems through
the integrated study of number systems, geometry, algebra, data analysis,
probability and trigonometry.
Standard 4 - Students will understand and apply
scientific concepts, principles and theories pertaining to the physical setting
and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in
science.
Standard 5 - Students will apply technological
knowledge and skills to design, construct, use and evaluate products and
systems to satisfy human and environmental needs.
Standard 6 - Students will understand the
relationship and common themes that connect mathematics, science and technology
and apply the themes to these and other areas of learning.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Standard 1 - Students will use a variety of
intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras,
themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United Stated
and New York.
Standard 2 - Students will use a variety of
intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras,
themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad
sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.
Standard 3 - Students will use a variety of
intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the
interdependent world in which we live - local, national, and global --
including the distribution of people , places, and environments over the
Earth's surface.
Standard 4 - Students will use a variety of
intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of how the United States
and other societies develop economic systems and associated institutions to
allocate scarce resources, how major decision-making units function in the
United States and other national economies, and how an economy solves the
scarcity problem through market and nonmarket mechanisms.
Standard 5 - Students will use a variety of
intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for
establishing governments, the governmental system of the United States and
other nations; theUnited States Constitution; the basic civic values of
American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities
of citizenship, including avenues of participation.
CAREER
DEVELOPMENT AND OCCUPATIONAL STUDIES
Standard 1 -
Students will be knowledgeable about the world of work, explore career options
and relate personal skills, aptitudes and abilities to future career decisions.
Standard 2 - Students
will demonstrate how academic knowledge and skills are applied in the workplace
and other settings.
Standard 3a - Students will demonstrate mastery of the foundation skills
and competencies essential for success in the workplace.
THE ARTS
Standard 1 - Students will actively engage in the
processes that constitute creation and performance in the arts, (dance, music,
theatre, and visual arts) and participate in various roles in the arts.
Standard 2 - Students will be knowledgeable about and
make use of the materials and resources available for participation in the arts
in various roles.
Standard 3 - Students will respond critically to a
variety of works in the arts, connecting the individual work to other works and
to other aspects of human endeavor and thought.
Standard 4 - Students will develop and understanding
of the personal and cultural forces that shape artistic communication and how
the arts in turn shape the diverse cultures of past and present.
The New York
State Alternate
Assessment for Students with Severe Disabilities (NYSAA)
Federal law
requires that all students participate in assessment processes, through the
Title 1 Act and the IDEA. New York State
Board of Regents has raised expectations for all students, including those with
the most significant disabilities. The
standards for students with severe disabilities are the same standards that
have been approved for all students in any NYS school program. However,
alternate performance indicators were developed to coincide with each of the
standards to reflect appropriate educational outcome for these students. Schools must administer the NYSAA to eligible
students with severe disabilities who are at the required age for testing at
the elementary, middle and secondary levels.
The NYSAA is not a traditional test in which a question is asked of a
student, but an assessment that measures student progress during the assessment
period.
The IEP will
reflect that students will be participating in the NYSAA. The classroom teacher collaborates with all
staff who work with a particular student to determine the IEP skills to address
and data to collect, indicating progress.
In addition, the teacher may ask families to provide information about
how the child performs the assessed skills at home. The NYS Education Department reports results
of the NYSAA on the School Report Card in the same manner as all other State
assessments.
NYSSB Automated
Telephone System
The New York State
School for the Blind (NYSSB)
operates with an automated telephone system, which answers all calls coming
into the school. Parents who need help
using the system may speak to an operator by dialing "0" at
any time. Those who do not have a
touch-tone telephone simply stay on the line and wait for the operator to
assist them.
Callers to NYSSB
Callers who have a touch tone
telephone can speak directly to the person they are calling, without speaking
to an operator. Those who know the
extension of their party may dial the extension without listening to the
recording. For example, a parent who
wishes to speak to the Physical Therapist would dial "221". If the Physical Therapist is not in his/her
office, a message can be left in his/her voice mailbox (similar to an answering
machine). If the parent wishes to speak
to a different person, they simply follow the recorded instructions and dial
the new extension, or dial "0" for assistance.
Callers who do not know the
extension of the person they wish to reach, may dial "*1". This will connect them with the telephone
directory, which lists the extensions of our staff
Who to
Call
NEW YORK STATE SCHOOL FOR THE
BLIND
(585)
343-5384 FAX (585) 344-5557
Toll
Free: 1-877-NYSSFTB 1-877-697-7382
Web
Site: http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/nyssb/home.html
James L. Knowles Superintendent
Ext. 203
e-mail: nyssb@mail.nysed.gov
PROGRAM
SERVICES
·
For classroom, residential, support service
information
.
Exts. 340, 339 or 207
·
For information on
transportation
.
..Ext. 339
|
CLASSROOMS
Suzanne Wheeler Department Head & MDT
Chairperson
.Ext. 294
|
HEALTH SERVICES
Richard Apps, Nurse Administrator....Ext. 363
Health Center
.Exts. 358, 394
Fax: 585-345-4055
|
|
RELATED & SUPPORT
SERVICES
Laraine Caton Department Head
.Ext. 280
|
RESIDENTIAL
SERVICES
Deborah Stamp Department Head
..Ext. 271
|
RESIDENTIAL
LOCATIONS
|
|
Knight Hall, Lower
Ext. 355
Knight Hall, Upper
.Ext. 359
Kathys House
Ext. 350
|
South Cottage, East
Ext. 386
South Cottage, West...Ext. 385
|
POLICY FOR VISITING
NYSSB
Upon arrival, all parents and
visitors are required to sign in and obtain a name badge. This should be done
at Program Services in Severne Hall, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday
Friday, and at the Knight Hall entrance at all other times. The Rights
and Privacy of all students are to be observed at all times.
No one
under 18 years old may visit unless accompanied by an adult.
If at all possible, visits should
be scheduled with the Teacher, Education Supervisor or residential
Supervisors. Prior notification is
appreciated whenever possible to eliminate disruptions and to ensure those
being visited are in attendance.
Written parental approval must be
on file for anyone other than the legal parent or guardian to visit your child.
A staff
member must be available when a visitor is present.
All non-scheduled staff must have
the approval of the supervisor on duty prior to visiting a student.
School and residential settings
are a work site for employees. Community
outings and activities conducted away from the school are considered an
extension of the site. Visits by
friends, family or off-duty personnel to staff on duty, either on or off
campus, are not permitted.
As a courtesy, staff working
during non-scheduled hours will let the Supervisor/Health Center know when
arriving and leaving.
If you take your child off campus,
your child must be signed out through the Health Center.