INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE OF EVIDENCE OF BEST PRACTICE MODELS AND OUTCOMES IN THE EDUCATION OF BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED CHILDREN By Graeme Douglas, Steve McCall, Mike McLinden and Sue Pavey, Visual Impairment Centre for Teaching and Research (VICTAR), School of Education, University of Birmingham and Jean Ware and Ann Marie Farrell St Patrick’s College, Dublin A report commissioned by the NCSE 2009 The National Council for Special Education has funded this research. Responsibility for the research (including any errors or omissions) remains with the authors. The views and opinions contained in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect NCSE views or opinions NCSE RESEARCH REPORTS NO: 3 © NCSE 2009 The National Council for Special Education was established under the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 (EPSEN Act 2004) with effect from the 1st October 2005. The Council was set up to improve the delivery of education services to persons with special educational needs with particular emphasis on children. National Council for Special Education 1–2 Mill Street Trim Co. Meath An Chomhairle Náisiúnta um Oideachas Speisialta 1–2 Sráid an Mhuilinn Baile Átha Troim Co. na Mí T: 046 948 6400 F: 046 948 6404 www.ncse.ie Acknowledgements Acknowledgements We are grateful to the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) for providing funding to undertake this review. The NCSE also funded a parallel review in relation to autistic- spectrum disorders (ASD). We are grateful to the authors of that report (Sarah Parsons, Karen Guldberg, Andrea MacLeod and Glenys Jones of the University of Birmingham and Anita Prunty and Tish Balfe of St Patrick’s College, Dublin) for sharing their report and ideas with us. In particular we thank Dr Sarah Parsons for her generosity and advice. Thanks to Sofia Hansrod for her support with the referencing. The first draft of this report was reviewed by members of the NCSE as well as an external reviewer. The feedback was both informative and constructive and it enabled us to improve the report greatly. We particularly want to thank Jennifer Doran and Clare Farrell for their help in this reviewing process and their general support throughout the work. iii Foreword Foreword The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) was formally established in 2005 under the Education for Persons with Special Education Needs Act 2004 (EPSEN) to improve the delivery of education services to persons with special educational needs, with particular emphasis on children. Commissioning, conducting and publishing research to provide an evidence base to support its work are key functions of the NCSE. It is now widely acknowledged that research evidence has a very valuable role to play in the development of policy and practice. Reports from the NCSE research programme, including this one, will be key sources, amongst others, that will assist the NCSE in carrying out its work and in de- veloping policy advice to the Minister for Education and Science on special educa- tion matters, another of the NCSE’s statutory functions. The reports will also assist in identifying and disseminating to schools, parents and other appropriate stake- holders, information relating to best practice concerning the education of children with special educational needs. This research report was commissioned to provide the NCSE with an international review of the literature relating to best practice models and outcomes in the education of blind and visually impaired children. The researchers have systematically compiled key lessons from a very broad range of international literature. They have also identified a number of recommendations and implications arising for the Irish context, which the NCSE will now need to consider in carrying out its work and in developing its own policy advice to the Minister for Education and Science. Pat Curtin, Chief Executive Officer iv Table of Contents Acknowledgements .............................................................................................. iii Foreword ............................................................................................................... iv Abbreviations......................................................................................................... x Executive Summary................................................................................................1 1. Introduction and Background ...................................................................9 1.1 Funding and purpose ......................................................................................... 9 1.2 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 9 1.3 Educational provision for students with visual impairment in Ireland .......... 10 1.3.1 Mainstream provision........................................................................................ 10 1.3.2 Specialist provision............................................................................................ 13 1.4 Legislation.......................................................................................................... 14 1.4.1 Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act (2004)............... 14 1.4.2 Disability Act (2005)........................................................................................... 17 1.4.3 Sectoral Plan under the Disability Act (2005) .................................................. 19 1.4.4 Definition of visual impairment ........................................................................ 19 2. Method..................................................................................................... 22 2.1 Overview of approach....................................................................................... 22 2.2 The nature of evidence in visual impairment education................................ 23 2.3 Broad topic framework for the literature......................................................... 25 2.4 Criteria for selection of literature..................................................................... 26 2.5 Stage 1 review ................................................................................................... 27 2.6 Stage 2 review ................................................................................................... 29 2.7 Overview of review structure............................................................................ 33 3. Review Context: Legislation, Policy and Service Delivery...................... 35 3.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 35 3.2 Identification of visually impaired children ..................................................... 35 3.2.1 Definitions and prevalence............................................................................... 35 3.2.2 Children with visual impairments and additional disabilities ........................ 38 v 3.2.3 Summary ............................................................................................................ 40 3.2.4 Key findings: Identification of visually impaired children............................... 40 3.3 Educational placement and models of learning support .............................. 41 3.3.1 Legal frameworks, Education Acts and policy relating to placement and support for visually impaired children ............................................................. 41 3.3.2 Learning support (strategic approaches) ........................................................ 45 3.3.3 National and regional provision (including the role of special schools)....... 53 3.3.4 Learning support in school: Views of parents and children........................... 57 3.3.5 Learning support in school: The role of teaching assistants ......................... 60 3.3.6 Key findings: Educational placement and models of learning support ....... 66 3.4 Professional training: Teacher education........................................................ 68 3.4.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 68 3.4.2 Standards and competencies for specialist teachers..................................... 69 3.4.3 Teacher training: national and regional models............................................. 74 3.4.4. Delivery modes.................................................................................................. 77 3.4.5 Summary ............................................................................................................ 79 3.4.6 Key findings: Professional training................................................................... 79 4. Review Focus: Classroom and the Curriculum........................................ 81 4.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 81 4.2 Assessment of learning needs ......................................................................... 81 4.2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 81 4.2.2 Assessment of vision and visual perception ................................................... 82 4.2.3 Assessment of pre-school children.................................................................. 83 4.2.4 Assessment of school-age children ................................................................