This report focuses on strategic developments required to support children and young people who are blind or vision impaired to become independent active agents in their futures. It recognises the need to support the building of future skills requirements and achieving the overarching goal to create an education system that supports students to reach their full potential.
A quality, inclusive and equitable education system is the objective of the State as per its own strategies. This report has highlighted areas where those objectives are yet to be achieved for children and young people who are blind or vision impaired. The key areas where recommendations are made include:
- Access to Learning
- Learning to Access
- Additional Specialist Curriculum Needs
- Transitions within and across the education system
- Additional Skill Areas such as safe and independent travel and self-advocacy
The State has a responsibility to ensure the learning environments for children and young people are supportive and inclusive spaces. This can be achieved through the development of innovative and collaborate approaches to support students with vision impairments, where all aegis of the state, service providers and the individuals and their families are recognised as key players in the decision-making processes.
NCBI would like to thank Féach for their support in inviting parents of children and young people with sight loss who are currently in education to the focus groups that played an integral role in the development of this report.
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