An appropriately qualified teacher of the visually impaired (TVI) who provides consultation to regular education teachers and/or to special education teachers of children from age 3 to 20 under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is providing consultation, as a special education service. It is a service in itself, not a level of intensity of service. Also, this consultation should not be confused with “vision services,” which are available under IDEA only to infants and toddlers.
Consultation services like those provided by a TVI help educators to modify or adapt the general curriculum, as needed, to enable children with disabilities to make progress, both in the general curriculum and in achieving the goals set out in the child’s Individualized Education Program (IEPs).
Like other special education services, the need for consultation by a TVI is determined on the basis of the child’s need and present level of academic and/or functional performance; and it requires the development of goals that are included on the child’s IEP.
For more information, please contact Maine DOE IDEA, Part B State Performance Plan/Annual Performance Report Coordinator Cindy Bernstein at 207-624-6645 or cynthia.bernstein@maine.gov.