A Day in the Life of a Child at a Specialized School for the Blind 

Click here to download this overview.

Click here to download contest rules.

Click here to download the flyer.

Overview

The “Days” project is both a national and local event to bring positive focus to the great education that takes place at COSB schools and to educate the wider community about the importance of teaching the Expanded Core Curriculum to all students with visual disabilities, regardless of where they receive their education.   Each COSB school will spend a Day highlighting the teaching and learning that takes place at COSB schools with a particular emphasis on the ECC.   This includes the Outreach work that schools also do.  It is suggested that the school develop a public relations plan and have special events, school tours, technology exhibits, etc.   One unifying event will be a photo contest, again with an emphasis on ECC.   Each school will choose winners from their school and then they will submit their winners to a national contest.  In May, a culminating event will be held in Washington, DC.  Winning photo’s will be displayed and congressional representatives will be invited.  A public relations plan will be developed for this event.   Jim Durst will explore whether a reasonably priced “table top” book of photo’s and ECC information can be published through his prison printing contacts. 

This, or something like this, is meant to be a yearly event not a one shot deal

Goals

•          Provide visibility on a national level of the important work of schools for the blind
•          Provide a foundation for a push for legislation promoting the Expanded Core Curriculum
•          Increase local, state, federal legislators and educators knowledge of the critical work done at school for the blind
•          Provide positive PR for schools around the time they are negotiating budgets

Relationship to a long range policy and legislative strategy

The Days project is the first national step in educating policy makers and the public to the need for all children with visual disabilities to learn the ECC.  It will also show the focus that COSB school place in the ECC and how some schools have become a resource for ECC teaching to students in LEA settings through summer and short stay programs. 

The second step will be the Anne Sullivan Macy Act of 2012 by AFB with support from blindness organizations.  Among other things, this act will set up a Center for the Expanded Core Curriculum.

The third step, after this groundwork has been laid, is to work for changes to IDEIA that will strengthen ECC requirements and Continuum of services.