Improved Transition Outcomes for Students with Visual Impairments through Interagency Collaboration

Abstract

In the course of a busy day, it is not uncommon to think, If only 'someone else' would do this, and this, and that, then it would be easier to accomplish what I need to do Looking to someone else leads to no one getting anything done. Every teacher of students with visual impairments (that is, those who are blind or have low vision) and every service provider who works with these students--whether as an orientation and mobility (OM if only adult service agencies would do such and such, then the schools could do more. Community rehabilitation providers may comment that graduating students who are entering adult service agencies cannot read, cannot write, and cannot live independently. Schools have much to do to prepare children with visual impairments for adulthood: academics, functional life skills, expanded core curriculum, and the list continues. School personnel may wonder if those who provide services to adults with visual impairments have an understanding of the realities faced by teachers in schools today. The field of visual impairment is privileged that specialized support services exist for people with visual impairments. The various professionals who provide these services receive specific training that address the continuum of life-span needs of visually impaired students from prekindergarten to school age to the transition to adult services. When all such professionals work together, the result can be a positive force for change in services for students and clients, regardless of who spends the most time with them, who is for what, or who has more resources. NEEDS Many years ago, the reality of poorly prepared high school graduates entering community rehabilitation training programs in our community (Hillsborough County, Florida) was openly discussed by all providers responsible for the success of these students--teachers of students with visual impairments, adult service agency staff members, and community rehabilitation providers. The three groups acknowledged that high school graduates with visual impairments were leaving school with appropriate completion of required coursework, but without many of the skill levels they needed to propel them into postsecondary training to enter the workforce, attend vocational school, enroll in college, or live independently. So we came together to make a plan. All the staff members from the state agency, community rehabilitation provider, and school district convened a meeting with a trained PATH (Planning Alternative Futures with Hope) facilitator. This process helped us establish interagency goals. We identified existing opportunities within the organization of each agency that would allow all parties to be included and better collaborate in the transition of students, such as at combined training sessions and by participation in staff meetings and Individualized Education Program meetings. Now, organizations that used to work in isolation call on each other regularly for assistance in achieving common goals for students and clients. RESULTS Intended and unintended consequences followed our collaboration efforts, which included a summer transition program. …