1. 02/08/2008lcburkhardt@brailleinstitute.org1 49th Annual CTEVH Conference 2008 “Assessment Strategies to Empower People with Vision Impairment to Achieve Life Goals” Leslie Burkhardt Low Vision Rehabilitation Specialist lcburkhardt@brailleinstitute.org http://www.freewebs.com/lowvisionstuff/index.htm

2. 02/08/2008lcburkhardt@brailleinstitute.org2 “Assessment Strategies to Empower People with Vision Impairment to Achieve Life Goals” Introduction Workshop participants will explore strategies to assist persons with low vision in learning to assess Self, Environments, Tasks and Tools (SETT) to accomplish goals. Specifically, vision and functional vision assessment will be emphasized within the context of the many other variables that will determine how a task is accomplished. The SETT Framework, developed by Joy Zabala, Ph.D., will be used to organize these variables into meaningful and manageable components.

3. 02/08/2008lcburkhardt@brailleinstitute.org3 “Assessment Strategies to Empower People with Vision Impairment to Achieve Life Goals” Empowering People “Students with low vision must be given opportunities by teachers and family members to understand and communicate their visual impairment and their visual needs to others.” (Sacks, Lueck, Corn & Erin, 2006)

4. 02/08/2008lcburkhardt@brailleinstitute.org4 “Assessment Strategies to Empower People with Vision Impairment to Achieve Life Goals” Achieving Life Goals This workshop explores commonalities and differences of both educational and rehabilitation goals for younger students, as well as adults with recent vision loss. Task assessment and tool/technique selection is usually considered to be objective-oriented, but a goal-related orientation also can be a relevant and useful perspective.

5. 02/08/2008lcburkhardt@brailleinstitute.org5 Please Share Your Views! I encourage all participants in this workshop to voice their perspectives, even (or especially) if those perspectives contradict something I have presented. In this way, we will all learn more about the task of assisting people with low vision to accomplish tasks in the most efficient, effective way possible.

6. 02/08/2008lcburkhardt@brailleinstitute.org6 SELF + ENVIRONMENTS + TASKS + TOOLS Describe specific abilities and areas of concern using task-related, functional language. “Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVIs) are responsible for functional vision assessments.” (Lueck, Erin, Corn, & Sacks, 2006)

7. 02/08/2008lcburkhardt@brailleinstitute.org7 SELF + ENVIRONMENTS + TASKS + TOOLS VISION ASSESSMENTS: Use assistance/reports from ophthalmologists, optometrists, LVR practitioners whenever possible. Eyeglasses (always; never; near only; far only; issues of ocular accommodation: young vs. old eye, crystalline lens vs. artificial lens) Preferred eye Visual abilities (observed/reported) –acuity (Measure size of viewed object and viewing distance, e.g. 24-point print at 6 inches; 6-inch tall numbers at 3 feet) –field (describe how the person moves in their environment; describe their ability to find objects in their environment) Issues of reading speed and duration/effort Issues related to progressive eye conditions Other visual considerations (e.g., contrast, glare sensitivity, night blindness, etc.)

8. 02/08/2008lcburkhardt@brailleinstitute.org8 VISION SIMULATIONS People with “average” vision need to have an experiential understanding of the functional significance of vision impairment. Scotoma Simulation Awareness Exercise (Burkhardt, 2007) Advanced visual field restriction simulation: Place a pinhole through an index card. Put the index card up to your eye, and look around the room with it.

9. 02/08/2008lcburkhardt@brailleinstitute.org9 SELF + ENVIRONMENTS + TASKS + TOOLS OTHER ASSESSMENTS: Other senses Other physical conditions Reasoning/memory/language abilities Social/emotional considerations

10. 02/08/2008lcburkhardt@brailleinstitute.org10 SELF + ENVIRONMENTS + TASKS + TOOLS Physical (potential supports & barriers) Social (potential supports & barriers)

11. 02/08/2008lcburkhardt@brailleinstitute.org11 SELF + ENVIRONMENTS + TASKS + TOOLS List and prioritize. Describe objective & underlying goal. How much? How long? How fast? Variations in each task. Document specifics.

12. 02/08/2008lcburkhardt@brailleinstitute.org12 SELF + ENVIRONMENTS + TASKS + TOOLS Usefulness (i.e. preferred tools accomplish multiple targeted tasks) Comparative Assessments Significant Functional Benefit Team Members Personal Assistance (interdependence skills) Efficiency Cost Simplicity Availability Durability Safety Portability Ergonomics Like-ability

13. 02/08/2008lcburkhardt@brailleinstitute.org13 SELF + ENVIRONMENTS + TASKS + TOOLS COMPARE ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES Visual* Audio Tactile *Refer to Assessing Vision Enhancement Devices (Burkhardt, 2007) and Low Vision Rehabilitation: Functional Assessment (Burkhardt, 2006).

14. 02/08/2008lcburkhardt@brailleinstitute.org14 SELF + ENVIRONMENTS + TASKS + TOOLS ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES Significant Functional Benefit vs. New, Large, Complex, Expensive Each individual situation is unique, and needs to be assessed as a unique situation. Assessments that use the actual person, environments, tasks and tools will have the best chance for accurate results. SETT Framework Forms (Montgomery County, MD Public Schools Assistive Technology Team, 1998) or form-free? What team members can help? LISTEN to the consumer! Single-Subject Assessments (to increase assessment objectivity) –“Single-subject methods allow unequivocal analysis of the relationship between individualized interventions and change in valued outcomes.” (Horner, et Al, 2005) “UNEQUIVOCAL?!?” HA! Placebo/Hawthorne effects and W.T. (wishful thinking) are only a few possible confounds of any assessment method. –Refer to chapter at allpsych.com on Single Subject Design (allpsych.com, 2007)

15. 02/08/2008lcburkhardt@brailleinstitute.org15 Which Rain Protector? Assessment Strategy: Self: Environment: Tools: Tasks:

16. 02/08/2008lcburkhardt@brailleinstitute.org16 RESOURCE DOCUMENTS Allpsych.com (2007). Single Subject Design. In Research Methods. Retrieved December 23, 2007 from http://allpsych.com/researchmethods/ababdesign.html http://allpsych.com/researchmethods/ababdesign.html Braille Institute (2007). Low vision functional reading assessment card. Low vision functional reading assessment card Burkhardt, L. (2005). Assessing vision enhancement devices. Assessing vision enhancement devices Burkhardt, L. (2007). Assessment Strategies to Empower People with Vision Impairment to Achieve Life Goals. PowerPoint Presentation. Assessment Strategies to Empower People with Vision Impairment to Achieve Life Goals. PowerPoint Presentation. Burkhardt, L. (2007). Low vision rehabilitation: Functional assessment. Low vision rehabilitation: Functional assessment Burkhardt, L. (2007). An overview of low vision rehabilitation. An overview of low vision rehabilitation Burkhardt, L. (2007). Scotoma simulation awareness exercise.Scotoma simulation awareness exercise Horner, R. H., Carr, E. G., Halle, J., McGee, G., Odom, S., & Wolery, M. (2005). The use of single subject research to identify evidence- based practice in special education. Exceptional Children, 71, 149-164. Retrieved December 23, 2007 from http://education.uoregon.edu/grantmatters/pdf/DR/Single_Subject.pdfThe use of single subject research to identify evidence- based practice in special education Lueck, A.H., Erin, J.N., Corn, A.L., Sacks, S.Z. Position paper on low vision, part I: Facilitating visual efficiency and access to learning for students with low vision. Retrieved December 23, 2007 from http://www.cecdvi.org/positionpapers.htmlPosition paper on low vision, part I: Facilitating visual efficiency and access to learning for students with low vision Montgomery County, MD Public Schools Assistive Technology Team (1998). The SETT framework – Part I. Retrieved December 23, 2007 fromThe SETT framework – Part I http://www.2learn.ca/institute/institute2006/handouts/ModifiedSETTFrameworkForms.pdf Sacks, S.Z., Lueck, A.H., Corn, A.L., Erin, J.N. Position paper on low vision, part II: Supporting the social and emotional needs of students with low vision to promote academic and social success. Retrieved December 23, 2007 from http://www.cecdvi.org/positionpapers.htmlSupporting the social and emotional needs of students with low vision to promote academic and social success Zabala, J. Update of the SETT Framework, 2002. Retrieved December 23, 2007 from http://sweb.uky.edu/~jszaba0/SETTUPDATE.PDFUpdate of the SETT Framework, 2002http://sweb.uky.edu/~jszaba0/SETTUPDATE.PDF