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Providing a Quality Education for Children with Visual Impairments and Additional Disabilities |
Admission Criteria
The following student criteria are to be used as a guide by the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) when recommending admission to the New York State School for the Blind.
- Legally Blind;
- School-age (5 – 21 years of age);
- New York State Resident;
- Additional Disability:
- Mental retardation or significant developmental delay (at an early age)
Students may have additional disabilities which could include:
- Cerebral Palsy, Hearing Impairment, Autism, Traumatic Brain Injury,
Medical Fragility, Other Health Impairment, Speech Impairment,
Students have the availability of a Peer Group with similar vision challenges.
Criteria for Determining Appropriate NYSSB Placement Option
The following student criteria are to be used by the MDT when considering the least restrictive placement option at NYSSB.Day Placement:
- Student lives locally or in a surrounding school district and daily transportation takes less that one hour each way (50 miles);
- Daily transportation does not compromise health;
- Student can accomplish IEP goals in day program.
Five-Day Residential:
- Daily travel would compromise health or the student lives too far to travel daily;
- Student requires consistency of program beyond the educational day to meet IEP goals;
- Student requires multiple opportunities to practice skills beyond what could be accomplished in the day program.
Development of Class and Residential Placements
Class Placements:
During the spring, we begin the process of developing classroom assignments for the students for summer school and for the next school year. Several factors are considered and include chronological age and developmental level. A "draft" is made available to all staff and they are encouraged to make suggestions. All feedback is considered, class assignments are revised and the process repeated at least two more times. Parents are always invited to provide input.Residential Placements:
The class assignments have a direct effect on where a student resides in the residential program. Classroom assignments are based on age and developmental level, so students with similar needs and abilities are already grouped together and are then assigned to specific residential areas. Children from one or two classrooms share a residential unit. This provides for consistency across programs and reduces the number of staff working with a child. When a student's classroom changes, his/her residential placement may also change.
(S. Courter ~ July 2006)