NAPA- National Agenda

"The National Agenda is a national project aimed at achieving ten priority goals for improving the quality of educational services for children and youths with visual impairments. The National Agenda project has benefited from an unprecedented grass roots effort by parents, professionals and consumers since t he fall of 1993. The National Agenda document p u blished by AFB Press, details the programmatic and policy framewor k necessary to empower communities across the United States to imp rove educational opportunities for children and youths who are blind or visually impaired equal to those received by their siged peers. www.afb.org

Download the National Agenda for the Education of Childre n and Youths with Visual Impairments, Including Those with Multiple Disabilities www.tsbvi.edu/agenda/ agenda.brf (54K ASCII braille format) or www.tsbv i.edu/agenda/agenda.meg (63K Megadots Format) - Distributed with pe rmission of the American Foundation for the Blind. © AFB Press. This material is available for purchase in print and AS CII disk formats and can be obtained by calling (800) 232-3044.

These goals will only be met if parents, professionals and people
who are blind, work together to make it happen.

The ten goals of the National Agenda - Pennsylvania
(N.A. - PA) are listed below.

Goal # 1 Referral

Students and their families will be referred to an appropriate education program within 30 days of identification of a suspected visual impairment. Teachers of students with visual impairments will provide appropriate quality services.

Goal # 2 Parents

Policies and procedures will be implemented to ensure the rights of all parents to full participation and equal partnership in the education process.

Goal # 3 Un iversities

Universities with a minimum of one full-time faculty member in the area of visual impairments will prepare a sufficient number of teachers and O&M specialists for students with visual impairments to meet personnel needs throughout Pennsylvania.

Goal # 4 Caseloads

Caseloads will be determined based on the assessed needs of students.

Goal # 5 Placement

Local education programs will ensure that all students have access to a full array of service delivery options.

Goal # 6 Assessment

All assessments and evaluations of students will be conducted by and /or in partnership with personnel having expertise in the education of student with visual impairments and their parents.

Goal # 7 Instructional Materials

Access to developmental and educational services will include an assurance that instructional materials are available to students in the appropriate media and at the same time as their siged peers.

Goal # 8 Core Curriculum

All educational goals and instruction will address the academic and expanded core curricula based on the assessed needs of each student with visual impairments.

Goal # 9 Transition

Transition services will address developmental and educational needs (birth through high school) to assist students and their families, in setting goals and implementing strategies through the life continuum commensurate with the student's aptitudes, interests, and abilities.

Goal # 10 Professional Development

To improve student learning, service providers will engage in on-going local, state, and national professional development.

National Goal Leaders and Organizations
www.tsbvi.edu/agenda/leaders.m

National Agenda Home Page
www.tsbvi.edu/agenda/index.m

Additions ~ Corrections ~ Suggestions
Please contact Sandy Finkel sandy@obs.org