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Pathways to Participation: Collaborative Approaches to Vision Education Services
Focus: School Years
Topic: New Service Models
Gwen Nagel
Chief Executive
Karen Stobbs
Projects Manager
Vision Education Agency
C/- Auckland College of Education
Private Bag 92601
Symonds St
Auckland
New Zealand
+64 9 623-8931
Raewyn Edwards
Parents of the Vision Impaired (PVI)
A strong, proud assertive society needs successes. It needs the confidence that there is a good life here for future generations. …A strong society is also by definition inclusive, offering opportunity and security to all its members.
(Rt. Hon. Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand, 2001)
Over the past five years a policy for Special Education has been stage implemented in Aotearoa New Zealand. Within this policy’s framework those most concerned with the education of children and young people who are blind and vision impaired have been encouraged to develop a pathway for the delivery of services. Thus, a collaborative approach involving parents, educators, the community of blind citizens, and service providers have sought to generate ways forward. This paper explores six initiatives in the work being undertaken to better the education opportunities and services for children who are blind and vision impaired. They include:
These developments are frameworked by the quest for a knowledge society, the New Zealand Disability Strategy, and Special Education policy.
In August 2001, the Catching The Knowledge Wave Conference was held in Auckland. Visions for a Knowledge Society were articulated. In generating a vision the challenge is to ensure that we build a knowledge society which celebrates its diversity - a vision which we can be passionate about, which is focused on core values, and has the capacity to unite and energise.
How do we develop a shared vision for the future – with children, family and whanau, educators, the community of blind citizens, service providers, Ministries and Government? Our approach was to construct a vision of a desirable future and then identify strategies to take us there. That is, we developed a shared vision, set clear goals, and established the steps necessary to reach them. For this we used the PATH process.
A key theme of the conference was working collaboratively. This is the approach we are using. The aim of our work is to contribute to the development of an education system that is inclusive, ensures access, fosters early learning, develops a comprehensive skill base and is responsive to the unique needs of children who are blind and vision impaired. It should;
(Catching the Knowledge Wave Conference, 2001)
The New Zealand Disability Strategy, Making a World of Difference, Whakanui Oranga, was released in April 2001. It presents a long-term strategy for changing Aotearoa New Zealand from a disabling to an inclusive society. Barriers to full participation in society are identified and a means for delivering the strategy outlined.
Fifteen objectives have been identified. While all objectives are relevant, five are highlighted as relating specifically to children and their families and whanau:
Objective 3: Provide the best education for disabled people;
Objective 7: Create long-term support systems centred on the
individual;
Objective 10: Collect and use relevant information about disabilities,
people and disability issues;
Objective 13: Enable disabled children and youth to lead full and active
lives;
Objective 15: Value families, whanau and people providing ongoing
support.
These objectives inform the directions of the Vision Education Sector and, for example, further development of the National Plan to align with the New Zealand Disability Strategy has commenced.
The Government’s vision of how Special Education services are to be provided centres on achieving better co-ordination within the education sector and other social services in order to support children and young people with special needs and their families through:
· Seamless provision of services;
· Easy access to information and services;
· Local responsiveness; as well as
· National consistency, leadership and strong professional support.
Inter-agency and inter-sectorial co-operation is an emphasis, especially across the areas of Education and Health, and the need for stronger links between research and practice is recognised. The aim is for all schools to be inclusive and accepting of all children.
Eligibility for special education services are determined under the Special Education 2000 policy (Ministry of Education, 1996b). Children who are blind and vision impaired may have very high or high needs and be verified to the Ongoing Reviewable Resourcing Scheme (ORRS), have Moderate Education Needs, or be in the Early Childhood Sector.
The Vision Education Sector is made up of children and young people, their families and whanau, educators, service providers, the community of adults who are blind and vision impaired, and advocacy organisations.
In Aotearoa New Zealand there are 1,234 children and young people who are blind or vision impaired. This includes children who are blind, children with low vision, children who are deafblind, and children with complex-interrelated needs. The large majority of the children attend their local early childhood centre or school.
Table 1 indicates the education sector, funding category, and communication medium of the children.
Education Sector Category |
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Funding Category |
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Communication Medium |
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Early Childhood |
235 |
ORRS: Very high needs |
378 |
Braille/Tactile modes |
91 |
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Primary |
631 |
ORRS: High needs |
316 |
Dual mode (Braille & Print) |
19 |
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Secondary |
359 |
Moderate needs |
305 |
|
585 |
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Tertiary Transition |
9 |
Early Childhood |
235 |
Sign, augmentative & alternative communication modes |
539 |
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1,234 |
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1,234 |
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1,234 |
Children who are blind and vision impaired have the same rights and requirements to receive the education available to their sighted peers, that is, the right to equal opportunity and equal access to all aspects of education - access to a visual world, access to information, access to curricula, access to knowledge, and access to human relationships.
Service Providers
Vision Education services are provided by Homai National School for the Blind and Vision Impaired, 12 Visual and Sensory Resource Centres staffed by Resource Teachers Vision, and the Children’s Services of the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind. Practices to ensure access to education programmes include:
Self-Advocacy Groups
Two of the self-advocacy groups which have significant input to Vision Education are the Parents of the Vision Impaired organisation (PVI NZ) and the Association of Blind Citizens (ABC NZ).
PVI provides support to children and parents, maintains a nationwide parent network and provides advocacy both locally and at a political level. Parents are central to their child’s education and play a vital role in vision education developments.
(ABC NZ) provides advocacy on behalf of all blind people, including children, from local to Government level. The partnership with adults, as those who have experienced at first hand the impact of blindness and vision impairment on education, is valuable and valued.
Each group which makes up the Vision Education Sector carries behind it constituents who are passionate about the education of children and provide expertise and support. Collectively, the Sector contains a level of knowledge, which when utilised through collaborative approaches has enormous capacity to apply to the development of education initiatives and services. It is harnessing this capacity to bring to reality the policies, practices, opportunities and education experiences that will result in positive outcomes for children who are blind and vision impaired. In doing this, the Vision Education Sector has used as its benchmark the knowledge and practices recognised nationally and internationally as enabling children who are blind and vision impaired to achieve well, develop to their capacity and take their rightful place in their communities.
We wish to offer six examples, each briefly sketched in its chronological order of development, which involved the collaborative efforts of:
1. Development of a National Plan
During the initial phases of implementation of Special Education 2000 policy a working party comprising representatives of the above groups sought to generate the foundations for high quality service delivery. The outcome was the development of A National Plan for Learners who are Blind and Vision Impaired in Aotearoa New Zealand (Nagel & Wells, 1998), and the establishment of the Vision Education Agency as a vehicle for its implementation.
The National Plan identifies problematic areas in relation to the delivery of Vision Education services and ways in which they might be addressed. It outlines a philosophical position, describes trends, and identifies the key requirements for a system that delivers services to children who are blind and vision impaired.
It defines a set of principles and goals for the delivery of inclusive, co-ordinated services and describes key issues in relation to:
2. The establishment of the Vision Education Agency
A critical ingredient for the fulfilment of the National Plan was the development of an effective co-ordination body. To give expression to this within the Special Education 2000 policy the working party devised a framework for the establishment of the Vision Education Agency, the structure and function of which is detailed in The Establishment of a Vision Education Agency (Wilcox, 1998). March 2000 saw the Agency commence operations. Its vision, mission, and values drive the Agency, and the policies that identify operating practices and define the way in which the Agency works, are now set in place.
The Vision of the Agency is that there be: Equitable access and opportunity to quality education for learners who are blind and vision impaired.
The Mission is: To provide leadership in creating pathways to a quality education, through partnerships.
The functions of the Agency are to:
Now in operation for two years the Agency is regarded as a leader in Vision Education, is a conduit for information between the Sector, Government and Ministry of Education, is a primary source of policy and strategy advice, and is fulfilling the roles for which it was established.
3. Determining a National Model for Service Delivery
In 2000, the Vision Education Agency was contracted by the Ministry of Education to develop a model for service delivery to children who are blind or vision impaired, in collaboration with the Vision Education Sector. The outcome is a model at whose core are children who are blind and vision impaired, their family and whanau. Detailed in the paper To Provide Equal Access to Education is to Provide Equal Access to Life: A model for the delivery of education services to learners who are blind and vision impaired in Aotearoa New Zealand, the model reflects a broad consensus of the Vision Education Sector and its strong desire for a unified structure, and nationally co-ordinated policies, guidelines and standards.
It contains the means for services to be delivered at local, regional and national levels. They are reciprocal and interrelated and based on the principles of the National Plan (refer Appendix A).
The model provides the potential for:
The Model is inclusive of those who comprise the Vision Education community and reflects a series of partnerships between learners, parents, educators, the community of blind persons, service providers and policy makers. All partners have opportunities to work collaboratively for the benefit of children. The Model has been submitted to the Minsters and Ministry of Education and a response is awaited.
4. Development of the publication Making Connections: Guidelines to the
Expanded Core Curriculum
The total curriculum for children who are blind and vision impaired consists of two parts. The first, the regular curriculum, is provided to all children, and in Aotearoa New Zealand is delivered through Te Whãriki, the Early Childhood Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 1996a), and the New Zealand Curriculum Framework (Ministry of Education, 1993). The second, The Expanded Core Curriculum for Learners who are Blind and Vision Impaired, comprises the body of knowledge and skills unique to the needs of children who are blind and vision impaired and provides a tool for access to the regular curriculum as well as the development of independence skills. An example of such a relationship is shown in
Table 2.
Table 2
Relationship between Expanded Core and Regular Curricula
Relationship between Expanded Core and Regular Curricula
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Expanded Core Curriculum
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Regular Curriculum |
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Literary Braille supports access to |
Language and Languages |
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Nemeth Braille to |
Mathematics |
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Music Braille to |
The Arts |
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Spatial Development, Living Skills, Orientation and Mobility to |
Physical Education and Health and Well-being |
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Concept Development, Visual Efficiency Skills, and the use of high and low Technology supports access to |
All areas of the regular curriculum |
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Listening Skills, and Social Skills support the development of |
Communication Skills |
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Organisational Skills and Techniques for Management support the development of |
Self-management Skills |
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Social Skills support the development of |
Social and Co-operative Skills |
A contract with the Ministry of Education for development of the Expanded Core Curriculum has resulted in the publication Making Connections: Guidelines to the Expanded Core Curriculum (in press). In what was a truly collaborative venture, 40 Vision Education teachers gifted their time and expertise to this work, and parents and adults of the blind community provided valuable input through a Reference Group. The result is a text that details current best practice in Aotearoa New Zealand and provides guidelines to teaching and learning in the Expanded Core Curriculum.
Its primary aim is to assist specialist educators of children who are blind and vision impaired to:
It is anticipated that the publication will also be of interest and practical use to early childhood and class teachers of children who are blind and vision impaired, parents, paraprofessionals, teachers undergoing specialist training and other professionals with an involvement with children.
The publication is arranged in two parts:
Part One: Working with the Expanded Core Curriculum
vision impaired
Part Two: Areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum
The information in the publication is not exhaustive. Rather, it is offered as an initial attempt to provide a starting point in the Expanded Core Curriculum, its theory, composition, ideas and strategy for delivery, practical suggestions and resources.
5. Establishment of a National Database
A national database of children who are blind and vision impaired has been developed through the collaboration of Families; Resource Teachers Vision of Homai, and Visual and Sensory Resource Centres; and the Vision Education Agency. Its purpose is to:
Data gathering was carried out by families and Resource Teachers Vision, with the Vision Education Agency devising the questionnaire, database fields, and processes by which information would be gathered, stored, and utilised.
Sections on which data is based include:
Data analyses are providing a sound basis for information to Government, and Ministries on the current and future education requirements of children who are blind and vision impaired.
6. Development of a collaborative strategy
The development of a collaborative strategy arose out of the pressing concern of the Vision Education Sector to ensure adequate resourcing and an appropriate future strategy for the education of children who are blind and vision impaired. Again, it was developed by representatives of the RNZFB, PVI, ABC, Resource Teachers Vision, Homai, and the Vision Education Agency who came together for this purpose in March of the current year.
The strategy provides to Government and the Ministry of Education, information of blindness and vision impairment, the children and young people who are blind and vision impaired, and Vision Education.
Gaps in the system are identified in relation to current policy, resourcing, delivery of the Expanded Core Curriculum, expertise in Vision Education, a high student: teacher ratio, and access to professional development.
The consequences of such gaps for children and young people who are blind or vision impaired are detailed and include: underachievement; the risk that blindness and vision impairment is seen as a liability, and children who are blind or vision impaired, victims; the struggle to get the basic tools of literacy; and the life-long impact which a lack of such skills implies.
The cost of a lack of quality education to families and whanau, the social and economic costs, and the cost of the non-delivery of blind people into the workforce are emphasised.
Throughout the strategy, parents, blind adults, and service providers share their personal perspectives as a means of illustration. For example, below is an excerpt from an adult of the blind community who reflects on what is required:
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An appropriately functioning education system for blind or vision impaired students turns the high levels of funding needed by each child into an investment. Lack of co-ordination, funding leakages and poorly thought through policy all impact adversely on the opportunities for blind children to learn and to reach their full potential.
Government must envisage blind children as becoming adults: being employable; as tax payers; as graduate students and community leaders - taking their rightful places as citizens in their own right, with all of the responsibilities and privileges associated with that citizenship. These are aspirations which can only be realised if there is a commitment to an effective and modern education system. It is generally believed that unemployment amongst working age blind people is 75%. If blind children are not exposed to comprehensive instruction in braille, independent travel, social skill development and all of the other components of a well rounded school experience, it is no wonder that this unemployment figure remains unchallenged, condemning them to lives which offer little hope for economic and social advancement.
The integrated approach developed by the Vision Education Agency, which comprises representation of all the major blindness organisations in the country, offers solutions. Better management of the funding, tighter co-ordination of services, comprehensive tracking of outcome and quality policy development and a shared sector-wide strategic direction. It is of the utmost importance for the future of blind New Zealanders that funding discrepancies are addressed and that the strategic direction, developed after thorough consultation by the Sector is regarded as Government policy. Additional funding will be returned tenfold as blind people compete on equal terms with their sighted friends and colleagues.
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Finally, the group offers solutions and actions for quality outcomes. This includes the commitment of the Vision Education Sector to deliver on the Ministry’s direction for Special Education policy and to take its role in giving life to the New Zealand Disability Strategy. It is strong in its message that education forms the basis of experiences of a lifetime, that building capacity is the same for blind adults as for sighted adults, and that children who are blind or vision impaired have the capacity to become skilled participants in society.
The proposed model of the Vision Education Sector is reiterated as a national framework for policy implementation that will ensure accountability and consistency in education. Its framework is aligned with the Ministry’s own framework as well as with proven models internationally. The group document the strategy, and make face-to-face presentations to the Minister and Ministry of Education. Here is a sector united in its message.
Conclusion
To conclude, let us return to the beginning - to take up the challenge and renew commitment to a society that is inclusive and offering opportunity to all its members. In doing so there is the need to focus on increased opportunities and initiatives designed to equip children and young people for complex and diverse cultural, social, and economic environments, and to deliver efficient, effective and accountable services.
By working in collaboration, we can strive to ensure that children who are blind and vision impaired have access to a quality education, achieve educational and social outcomes that will enable them to lead meaningful and valued lives, and that there is an enabling society in which they might be fully participating members.
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Nagel, G. & Wells, J. (1998). A National Plan for Learners who are Blind and Vision Impaired in Aotearoa New Zealand. For the NVET/VEA Working Party, Auckland.
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Vision Education Agency, Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind, Parents of the Vision Impaired NZ, Association of Blind Citizens NZ, & NZ Association of Teachers of Learners with Vision Impairment. (2002). A Strategy for the Education of Children and Young People who are Blind and Vision Impaired: A position paper. Auckland.
Wilcox, A. (1998). The establishment of a Vision Education Agency and a nationwide service
delivery structure for education of the blind and vision impaired in New Zealand. For the Working Party for a Vision Education Agency, Auckland.
Wylie, C. (2000). Picking up the Pieces: Review of Special Education 2000. For the Ministers of Education. Wellington.
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