IT IS ABOUT TIME

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IT IS ABOUT TIME!

• Karen E. Blankenship
• Vanderbilt University
• Unity Conference

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Time

• A component of a measuring system used to
  sequence events, to compare the duration of
  events and the intervals between them, and to
  quantify the motion of objects

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Time

• Past
• Present
• Future

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TIME

• It was the best of times, it was the worst of
  times
• Charles Dickens

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Best of Times

• Wealth of educational research
• Especially in the area of literacy
• Compelling research on teacher effectiveness
• ABC Braille Study has given us the first
  longitudinal literacy data

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Best of Times

• Special Purpose Schools are serving the whole
  community of students who are blind or visually
  impaired
• Use of optical devices has increased dramatically
  with the establishment of Project PAVE
• We know that all students, including braille
  readers are expected to read 150 WPM for a blue
  collar position and 200-300 WPM to be successful
  in college

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Best of Times

• Thirteen years after its inception the Expanded
  Core Curriculum has assessment tools and teaching
  curriculum for all nine areas

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Worst of Times

• Research has shown that many Universities and
  School Districts are not using the literacy
  research to improve programming or instruction
• Many TVIs report that they have never been
  evaluated for their teaching skills and we
  continue to have administrators that have no base
  of knowledge in quality programming for students
  who are blind or visually impaired
• ABC Braille Study preliminary study results
  indicate that 50 of the participants were not
  performing similar to peers on one or more
  measures

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Worst of Times

• Special purpose school and itinerant service
  delivery model are only choices on the service
  continuum in many school districts and states
• Only 4 or 5 states are implementing a PAVE like
  model of low vision rehabilitation
• Employment rate for youth who are blind or
  visually impaired hovers around 23-30

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Worst of Times

• While value, knowledge, and instruction in the
  ECC content areas has improved not all students
  receive assessments and instruction

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The Future is the time when youll wish youd
done what you arent doing now. Steven Covey
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NOW

• The Future is NOW

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NOW

• A full continuum of service delivery options to
  meet the individual needs of every student
• Employment rates commensurate with the general
  population
• All children and youth have a level of literacy
  commensurate with their ability levels

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NOW

• All students receive quality instruction in the
  ECC content areas and have sufficient proficiency
  to live interdependent and fulfilling lives
• Vision rehabilitation becomes a true partner with
  the medical field

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Conclusion

• I long to accomplish a great and noble tasks, but
  it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as
  though they were great and noble. The world is
  moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its
  heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny
  pushes of each honest worker. Helen
  Keller

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ITS ABOUT TIME!