Anyone with visually impaired child in mainstream education?

[NoodlesMam]

My DD2 is visually impaired and is due to start mainstream nursery in September. I've spoken to her HV and her Opthalmologist who have both told me that she will need a statement before she starts but I don't know where to start with this or what to expect. I called the Opth's secretary and asked her to speak to him regarding this as we don't have an appt with him soon and she said she would get back to me if there was a problem. I havent heard anything, from her/him or anyone else? Is there anything else I should be doing? What's the process? I desperately want my daughter to go to and stay within mainstream ed but I'm not sure how the school will cope with this and I'm terrified my daughter will be picked on by others. My daughter also has to have drops given every two hours, can schools do that? What aids/help might she get??? Sorry but I don't get much info from the health professionals, one tells me to see another and then that one tells me to see another and so on! Sorry for the ramble but thank you for reading.

Hi, My son is not visually impaired but is in preschool so a similar age. You need to contact your local education autority and request that they complete a statutory assessment.

If you google, 'making a request for a statutory assessment' and the name of you lea you should find contact details of who you need to get in touch with.

You will need to provide evidence that a stautory assessment is needed. This usually means either info from nursery or school, but given your childs age will mean evidence from you as a parent. So you could write a letter explaining your childs problems etc.

It would also be massivly helpful if you could get both the opthalmologist and hv to put in writing that in their view she will need a statement. Ring them Opthmologist again and say you would like what they said regarding a statement putting in writing and could it please be sent to you as soon as possible.

Finally don't panic, there are loads and loads of really helpful people on here who've been through this before and will be able to advise furthur.

Good luck

My DS2 (Year 2) has a blind girl in his class. All seems to be going really well for her. She is included in everything (braille all over the wall, a braille machine on her desk, jingly ball for sport, etc) and my son certainly likes her and is her friend.

You will need and get a statement, which will specify everything she needs including a full time 1:1 adult to be with her (in class and at break time)

Also the Viusal Impairment team will come into school and advise them and loan them everything they need like a braille machine.

do you not have a QTVI? If you don't you should get in touch with your local sensory impairment service and get one allocated, they work with dcs from birth so there is no reason why you shouldn't be supported by one. They will be your best source of advice locally.

have a look here for statementing info, they have a model letter to request a statutory assessment that you can then send off. It is better to do this yourself as you will then be in control of timescales and what is happening. Ideally if noone has done this already you should start now as generally the whole process takes a minimum of 6 months.

parent partnership in your area might be good, they should at least be able to explain the process of statementing at the very least. Be aware that some parent partnerships are very much in the pocket of the LEA and do not offer inpartial advice, others are fantastic though so worth getting in touch.

what aids and support she will get in school will vary depending on how much useful vision she has. Schools can do drops, it would be good to get some mention of this in her statement.

forgot about this lot!

Thank you so much everyone for your advice. I'm now on a mission but armed with all the right information. Thank you bigcar your links have been fantastic.

agree with Bigcar re QTVI.
NBCS are helpful too.
Re Aids/ what she will need. Large print or braile. lap top, touch typing lessons, mobility training. low vision aids. learning support assistant, trained. whole school inset on VI. There is a yahoo group called PVIC which might be helpful

Am not posting as a parent but as a teacher... the mainstream primary I teach at had a blind pupil until this Sept (left to go to secondary).

The pupil had 1:1 support for most of each day plus regular visits from the VI team. Braille machines and other equipment were loaned to the school and the 1:1 learned to read braille. School isn't quite the same now this pupil has left; she was popular, sporty, chosen by peers for school council, selected for LA sports events, went on the residential to France... did everything that everyone else did (including holding my DD2 when she was a few days old). No bullying - if anyone e.g. ignorant adults/children encountered at external events dared to even look as though they might comment upon her lack of vision they'd be challenged and corrected by 59 of her peers.

Posting as parent of physically disabled dd2 at mainstream - your dd2 should be able to have all the assistance she would need including the medical side, included in her statement - ie she might need 1:1 assistance, and that person has to have the relevant medical training to administer the eyedrops and anything else she might need.

In our case the Playgroup employed someone especially for dd2, but this was funded by the LEA, and the medical training was funded by the LEA too.

The school have to take your daughter unless they can show that educating her would be detrimental to the other children, which is highly unlikely.
In my experience, the mainstream school has hugely benefited from having my dd2 there. She has lots of friends and has to have a rota of who can sit next to her at dinnertime to prevent the quarrels!

Interestingly, if there is a VI school in the area, you might be able to get specific help and information from them on the statement, and access as a guest or part-time pupil, if you want it.

thank you so much everyone, I feel much more reassured now. I've just had a copy of a letter one of my DD's specialists has sent to the QTVI asking him to contact us so along with this and all the information you lovely people have given me I feel confident that we can get DD's statement sorted. :)