Blind Pioneers

When you first hear your child may have a visual impairment or blindness, it is important to begin to educate yourself about the process school districts use to determine eligibility for student services. There is a general framework that applies to all students with disabilities and then there is specific guidance for students with blindness and visual impairments (BVI). This website will focus on the latter, but below are some resources for parents to learn about the general process and your rights. It is important to familiarize yourself with these resources. These resources are specific to New Jersey, although every state will have state-wide resources to tap into.

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1. PRISE (Parental Rights Special Education)

• This booklet will be given to you at your annual IEP meeting, but you can also find it on the NJ DOE website. This is a must read!

   2. The Right to Special Education in New Jersey, Education Law Center

• This booklet is written for parents in easy to understand language.

   3. SPAN (Statewide Technical Assistance Center)

• Take a class on Parental Rights.

• Join their 10-week training program (SPAN Resource Parent Training).

   4. NJ Department of Education Special Education page has a lot of excellent and up-to-date resources and information on procedures.

• NJ has an Ombudsman that you can ask questions.​

• Every county in NJ has a Supervisor of Special Education. These persons can also be a resource to parents.​

   5. Special Education Parent Advisory Group (SEPAG)

• Every school district in New Jersey is required to have a SEPAG. These parent groups are a wealth of information about local resources such as therapists in your area. They can also help you navigate your school district better. You can usually find your district’s SEPAG on their website or call SPAN if you are having trouble locating a group.

   6. COPAA (Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates)​

• Join COPAA as a parent member and attend webinars on specific topics. Attend the annual meeting, a 3-day event, that addresses timely topics of special education law and parental rights. Get a membership to COPAA’s video library and take classes as needed.

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Resources Specifically for Parents of Blind and Visually Impaired Students

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   1. Statewide Blind and Visually Impaired SEPAG

• In NJ there is a statewide group specifically for parents of BVI students. You can reach the coordinator, Elisa Dahill at dahillelisa@gmail.com.

   2. NJ Commission for the Blind

• Education Director, Eva Scott

• Independent Living Unit for Orientation and Mobility, Amanda Gerson

• Assistive Technology, Ines Matos

• Commissioner, Bernice Davis

   3. Deaf-Blind Consortium

• This is a federally-funded project for deaf-blind students.