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