School plans in plain English

The short version

• Ask the school, in writing, to evaluate your child. Name the vision evaluations you want.
• You’re a member of the team that writes the plan. That’s the law, not a courtesy.
• If you disagree, you can ask for the reasons in writing and get free help.

Details vary by state. Your state’s Parent Center can explain yours.

IEP or 504 plan?

IEP (Individualized Education Program). A written plan under IDEA, the federal special education law, with goals and services. Visual impairment is one of the categories that can qualify a child.

504 plan. A written plan under Section 504, a federal civil rights law. It usually focuses on accommodations, like extra time or large print.

Does your child need regular teaching from a vision teacher or mobility specialist? Ask about an IEP.

Who’s on the team

• You, a classroom teacher, a special education teacher, someone who can approve services, and someone who can explain the test results.
• The teacher of the visually impaired (TVI). Trained to teach kids with vision loss. Often the most important person at the table.
• The orientation and mobility (O&M) specialist. Teaches your child to get around safely: halls, stairs, curbs, the bus.
• Anyone you invite who knows your child.

If the TVI isn’t invited, say: “Please invite the TVI to this meeting.”

The evaluations to ask for

• Functional vision assessment (FVA). A TVI watches how your child uses vision in class, in the hall and at lunch. Ask that it covers CVI.
• Learning media assessment (LMA). How your child learns best: print size, real objects, audio, braille, or a mix.
• O&M evaluation. How your child gets around school.
• Assistive technology assessment. Which devices and settings help.

A 2017 US Department of Education memo (OSEP 17-05) says a vision evaluation should include a functional vision assessment and that no single test can decide eligibility. It names cortical visual impairment. Print it for anyone who says your child “sees fine.”

How to start

1. Email the principal or special education director. Ask for a full evaluation, including the four above. Copy a letter.
2. Attach a doctor’s letter if you have one. The Pediatric Cortical Visual Impairment Society suggests doctors write that the child needs “assessment and intervention for CVI by a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairment, Orientation and Mobility Specialist, and other therapists who are knowledgeable about CVI.”
3. The school needs your written consent to evaluate. Check the vision evaluations are on the form before you sign.
4. Keep a copy of everything, with dates.
5. For the meeting, bring your top three asks and one page about your child. Prep checklist.

If you disagree

• Ask for the decision in writing. This is called prior written notice: what the school will or won’t do, and why.
• If you disagree with the school’s evaluation, ask for an independent educational evaluation (IEE), done by someone outside the school, at public expense.
• Call your state’s Parent Training and Information Center. Every state has one. It’s federally funded and free. Find yours.

Babies and toddlers

Under 3, help comes through early intervention, not the school. Call your state’s program and ask for an evaluation. You don’t need a doctor’s referral (CDC early intervention). The plan is called an IFSP (Individualized Family Service Plan). Ask for a TVI to be part of it. Around age 3, your child moves to the school district. Ask about that move early.

Next step

Copy a letter, or paste the school’s email into the free parent helper for a draft reply.