BEAR Services for Attorneys and Advocates

Extensive Experience in the Application of Blindness-specific Education and Civil Rights Laws

  • Children with the IDEA-defined disability “visual impairment, including blindness” have special protections in federal law (over and above students with other disabilities).
  • Given the low incidence nature of this disability in school-age children, special education attorneys and advocates might not be familiar with the educational and civil rights statutes impacting the education of children with visual impairment, including blindness.
  • While not seeking to provide legal services directly, BEAR can help parent attorneys and advocates identify all blindness/low vision-related legal rights and educational needs of the child.

Issue-spotting and Assistance in Developing Effective Solutions

  • In-depth understanding of the impact of blindness/low vision in all aspects of academic and functional performance
  • Identify concerns and potential pitfalls in current and proposed educational plans
  • Generate child-specific programming for services, accommodations, and modifications

Expert Witness Testimony

  • Experience working with children with the disability of visual impairment, including blindness, with diverse backgrounds
    • Total blindness to mild visual impairment
    • Significant intellectual disabilities to Gifted students
    • Students with no additional disabilities
    • Students with additional disabilities (including multiple disabilities)
    • English Language Learners
    • Students from varied socio-economic backgrounds
  • Thorough and broad-based knowledge of services, accommodations, and modifications implemented in various environments
    • In-person service delivery
    • Instruction using distance technology
    • Regular education classes
    • Resource rooms
    • Small group instruction
    • One-on-one instruction
    • Hospital/homebound settings

Independent Educational Evaluations and Assessment Services

  • Comprehensive Independent Educational Evaluations
  • Substantiation of need for appropriate quality, quantity, and duration of services
  • Recommendation of necessary assistive technology (AT) use and training—including home use and teacher and parent training on the AT
  • Documentation of needed accommodations and modifications
  • Development of appropriate goals
  • Transition assessments and recommendations