Visual Impairment (VI): Blind & Partly Sighted

Definition

Students who are visually impaired include: students who are blind, have no vision or little potential for using vision; students who have low vision; students who have a visual impairment after best correction that adversely affects their educational performance; or students who have been diagnosed with a progressive condition that will most likely result in a visual impairment or no vision after best correction.

The corresponding definition is found in State Board of Education Rule 6A-6.03014, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.).

Contacts

• Jennifer Coburn
• VI District Coordinators

State Laws and Regulations

The rule referenced below is specific to VI. Please refer to Florida Statutes and State Board of Education Rules - Hyperlinked Index (PDF) for a complete listing of laws and regulations applicable to exceptional student education.

• 6A-6.03014, F.A.C., Exceptional Student Education Eligibility for Students Who Are Visually Impaired

Florida Resources

Publications

• Florida's Educational Opportunities for Students with Sensory Impairments (8.5 x 11) (PDF)

• Oportunidades educativas para estudiantes con discapacidades sensoriales en Florida (PDF)

• DPS 2010-70, Updated May 19, 2017 Accessible Instructional Materials (PDF)
• 2016 UEB New Slides (PDF)
• Evaluation, Determination of Eligibility, Reevaluation and the Provision of Exceptional Student Education Services (PDF)

Projects

• Critical Initiatives in Visual Impairment Project (CIVI)
• Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System (FDLRS)
• Florida Instructional Materials Center for the Visually Impaired (FIMC-VI)
• Florida and Virgin Islands Deaf-Blind Collaborative
• Learning Ally - Florida
• Resource, Materials and Technology Center for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing

Websites

• Florida Division of Blind Services
  • Bureau of Braille and Talking Book Library Services
• Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind

National Resources

• American Council of the Blind
• American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)
• American Printing House for the Blind
• FamilyConnect
• Bookshare
• Described and Captioned Media Program
• National Federation of the Blind
• National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS)
• Toll-Free Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Information Line