Accessing Services

Zambone, Alana M.; Allman, Carol B.

doi:10.1177/027112148800800307

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…In the nearly 50 years of federal special education regulations in the United States, only four reviews have been published regarding the interstate variations in the IDEA category of visual impairment including blindness. Zambone and Allman (1988) investigated whether states mandated early intervention services for children with visual impairments aged birth to 5 years, though only 29 states or territories participated in the survey. Project Forum included a review of eligibility criteria requirements across all IDEA disability categories in every state (Muller & Markowitz, 2004).…”

Section: Prior Eligibility Criteria Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Survey of Special Education Eligibility Criteria for the Category Visual Impairment Including Blindness

Schles

Travers

2023

Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness

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Introduction: Special education eligibility criteria vary across U.S. states; this study reports a systematic analysis of interstate eligibility criteria in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) category of visual impairments including blindness. Method: Eligibility criteria for all 56 U.S. states, territories, and Washington, DC, were collected and coded on 20 different variables. Variables included use of federal language, qualifying conditions, assessment components, and eligibility team member requirements. Results: Fourteen of 56 states use similar or identical eligibility criteria written in IDEA. Forty-one states (73%) included language that specified criteria or operationally defined what it meant to be a student with a visual impairment in their state. Although about half of the states included an eye report as part of the eligibility process, few specifically mentioned functional vision, learning media, and orientation and mobility assessments in their criteria. Discussion: Significant interstate variations in the interpretation of who qualifies as a student with a visual impairment exist in the United States. Some eligibility criteria were written in an unclear language, making the criteria hard to interpret. Given that identification and prevalence rates of students with disabilities, including students with visual impairments, correlate to components of eligibility criteria, future work should seek to develop an operationalized universal definition of who qualifies as a student with visual impairment in schools. Implications for Practitioners: Since significant interstate variations exist, students, families, and educators must have easy access to all states’ criteria so that families may understand how a student's eligibility for services may change if they move between states.

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Section: Prior Eligibility Criteria Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Survey of Special Education Eligibility Criteria for the Category Visual Impairment Including Blindness

Schles

Travers

2023

Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness

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“…The first review surveyed whether early childhood vision services were provided through mandated or permissive policies for children ages from birth to 2 years and 3 to 5 years. Analysis was limited as only 28 states and the Virgin Islands responded (Zambone & Allman, 1988). Project Forum collected information on eligibility requirements for all disabilities across all states (Muller & Markowitz, 2004).…”

Section: Eligibility Criteria For Students With VImentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring States’ Variations in Prevalence and Eligibility Criteria for Students With Visual Impairments Including Blindness

Schles

McCarthy

2022

Remedial and Special Education

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The prevalence of students with visual impairments (VI) varies across the United States, yet no analysis exists on how individual state factors may correlate with the number of students receiving services. This study presents the results of an analysis of variations in eligibility criteria for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) category “visual impairments including blindness,” and a series of statistical models exploring correlations between prevalence rates for students with VI and state-level variables during the 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 school years. Multiple regression analyses indicated that requiring specific assessments as part of the eligibility process may strongly correlate to states’ number of students with visual impairments reported in Child Count and explain the degree of difference between Child Count and total population reports. Child Count prevalence rates were higher in states that housed a preparation program for teachers of students with visual impairments. Implications for policy makers, administrators, and practitioners were discussed.

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Accessing Services

Cited by 2 publications

References 6 publications

Survey of Special Education Eligibility Criteria for the Category Visual Impairment Including Blindness

Survey of Special Education Eligibility Criteria for the Category Visual Impairment Including Blindness

Exploring States’ Variations in Prevalence and Eligibility Criteria for Students With Visual Impairments Including Blindness

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