CONCORD, NH (May 30, 2017) – To improve access to technology and educational materials available to blind and visually impaired schoolchildren in New Hampshire, the state Department of Education is partnering with Future In Sight, a Concord-based nonprofit that offers therapeutic, educational, and recreational services to sight impaired residents, to help train teachers on new technology and curriculum that can help children learning with sight limitations.
“This is a very important step toward bridging the gap for our blind and visually impaired children who need better access to technology and digitally accessible materials,” said David Morgan, President and CEO of Future In Sight, formerly New Hampshire Association for the Blind. “It’s a question of equity, and we can make a big difference in developing best practices for teachers and train them on assistive technologies that can really improve life for the state’s sight impaired.”
As part of the three-year $300,000 effort, beginning in July, state education officials and Future In Sight staff will develop a statewide model to design and coordinate technical assistance and professional development called “New Hampshire Vision Education Technical Assistance and Professional Development Initiative.” The resources and information will also be shared with schools, families, and students who are blind and visually impaired.
The work will provide national models for schools and families to address the unique and variable needs of the blind and visually impaired involving functional academic and communication skills, orientation and mobility, social interaction skills, recreation and leisure skills, career education, use of assistive technology, and sensory skills.
Annual reports will detail strategies for improvement in the first year, and a final report will include a comprehensive overview of the entire project.
About Future In Sight
Headquartered at the McGreal Sight Center in Concord, Future In Sight – formerly known as New Hampshire Association for the Blind – was founded in 1912 with the mission to advance the independence of persons who are blind and visually impaired. Over the last 105 years, the organization has grown to offer a complete range of specialized professional education and vision rehabilitation services that help babies, children, adults, and elders who have little to no vision to obtain access to a full range of services. Future In Sight is the only private, nonprofit provider of statewide, comprehensive direct vision rehabilitation and educational services throughout the state of New Hampshire for persons of all ages who are blind or visually impaired.
For more information about Future In Sight’s programs and services, please call 603-224-4039 or visit www.futureinsight.org.